Why you'll buy a tablet for your kids

I cannot imagine handing my 2 year old an i-pod or an i-phone, case or not. They have destroyed TWO G-zone ruggedized phones of mine.

I think my boys could be classified as biological weapons, however, and not comparable to standardized children. I'm relatively certain that something the military injected into my husband affected his sperm.

They destroyed their kid computer too.

My oldest (5) does really well on the iMac and on my laptop. He'd be fine with any handheld, just not responsible enough to keep it away.

I agree heavily with Medi and kuwi that the educational apps are fabulous, and the reading and book resources are great and have not fully been tapped. Eagin reads and works mathematics on approximately a 3rd grade level, and I know what he accesses on the iMac. One of these tablets as a gift for a 7 or 8 year old would be a lovely educational tool.

I would (if it were my child) use discretion in what apps I allowed. That's me. We don't have any "fun" games here. Terrible parents, us.

So not buying a color tablet through amazon. I'm such an Apple freak. I'd rather spend the extra $150 for an i-pad.

Love my kindle, but all I want is B/W reading only machine. I don;t want or need it to web-surf. It burns the battery! Don't need any music playing or anything else.

GAR I am dull.

amyashley said:

So not buying a color tablet through amazon. I'm such an Apple freak. I'd rather spend the extra $150 for an i-pad.

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I don't much understand the 7" tablet market to begin with. That's too small to be very useful to me. How am I supposed to type on a 7" tablet? With my thumbs? And I'd have to keep zooming all the time on all my PDFs.

I was kind of tempted to get a $99 Touchpad, but I don't know what I'd use it for. Even if I installed Android on it, with the current apps, I couldn't use it for what I use my iPad for yet.

The question is, I suppose, whether or not Amazon can attract the developers that Google and HP and Blackberry have not yet.

Kuwi, tilt it sideways and type like you do on an iPad. I use my iPad in portrait mode and almost never use my thumbs to type. I'm using it to type this message right now.

No, you don't have to zoom on your PDFs (unless you're reading on a cell phone). I had to unzoom my Acer A100 to get a good amount of text on the screen that I was comfortable with.

Android 321 had some problems. Android 322 appears to be correcting those problems (I've got my full Kindle and Nook libraries now). The Acer A100 is proving to be a true powerhouse of a 7" tablet and obe which I foresee using in business for awhile to come. I've been surprised at its capabilities and I'm using it more and more (usage is now about 70:30 iPad:Acer).

I love my iPad, but I'm getting more and more attached to my Acer.

FOTSGreg said:

Kuwi, tilt it sideways and type like you do on an iPad. I use my iPad in portrait mode and almost never use my thumbs to type. I'm using it to type this message right now.

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Too crowded and uncomfortable for extended periods of typing for me. I'd want to type like I do on regular sized keyboard like I can on the iPad in landscape mode. Why do you type like that instead of typing regularly in landscape? I thought my hands were pretty small, but I don't see how that's comfortable for more than the length of a password.

No, you don't have to zoom on your PDFs (unless you're reading on a cell phone). I had to unzoom my Acer A100 to get a good amount of text on the screen that I was comfortable with.

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Well, I kind of consider the size of PDF text on my iPad to be the lower limit for being readable. I sometimes read them in landscape so it's more comfortable, but it's usually okay in portrait. I'm reading journal articles with two columns, so the font is a bit small. What are you reading?

I type in portrait on my iPad and can easily get in about 25-30 words per minute using one hand. If I really want to use a keyboard I have a Blietooth keyboard that syncs perfectly with my machine as well. I've used it quite a bit, but I might as well be using a netbook at that point.

I use my iPad in portrait mode to type quick notes at work, to type in Pages on my WIPs, and to post forum notes. I've been using it this way for more than a year and I guess I've just gotten used to it (and better at it over time). I've tried and I find it virtually impossible to use a netbook (Acer) to type in notes on-the-go like I'm able to with the iPad or my Acer tablet. Lord knows trying to write longhand on the walk (or run) is virtually impossible).

As to PDFs, I'm reading the same things you are most likely, technical and scientific journal articles in two column format. I'll admit that sometimes I do have to expand the window to view tabular data and such though.

FOTSGreg said:

I type in portrait on my iPad and can easily get in about 25-30 words per minute using one hand. If I really want to use a keyboard I have a Blietooth keyboard that syncs perfectly with my machine as well. I've used it quite a bit, but I might as well be using a netbook at that point.

I use my iPad in portrait mode to type quick notes at work, to type in Pages on my WIPs, and to post forum notes. I've been using it this way for more than a year and I guess I've just gotten used to it (and better at it over time). I've tried and I find it virtually impossible to use a netbook (Acer) to type in notes on-the-go like I'm able to with the iPad or my Acer tablet. Lord knows trying to write longhand on the walk (or run) is virtually impossible).

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I've been meaning to get better at that for those occasions I need to enter stuff standing up, but with the split keyboard coming in iOS 5, I'll probably end up just using it that way. For anything paragraph-length, I go landscape, though.

As to PDFs, I'm reading the same things you are most likely, technical and scientific journal articles in two column format. I'll admit that sometimes I do have to expand the window to view tabular data and such though.

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Just zoomed some of my pdfs to the size they'd be on a 7" screen. Some of them are readable. Some are not. The readable ones are okay for reference, but I wouldn't want to actually read them through that size.

My kids don't read. So why would I waste money on a tablet?