Help choosing laptop / iPad / tablet please

altyfc

Hi there

I'm looking to get either a laptop or a tablet for my wife for Christmas and would appreciate some help/advice.

Over the years she has become increasingly technophobic. I am probably partly to blame... I'll send emails or look things up on her behalf because it's quicker and, as I've done this more and more, so she has become less and less familiar. She can do the basics but I don't want her to be left behind and am hoping to reverse the tide as she's perfectly capable really!

After the New Year, she will be returning to a 2-day a week teaching post. The school is very technology-oriented. I think it would be good for her to have her own laptop/tablet/iPad, but I'm not sure what to get.

As a hard-working Mum, she is invariably tired on an evening and so doesn't probably want to sit at a desk, but rather sit on the sofa. For this reason, I'm thinking a tablet such as an iPad might suit her needs more. But then part of me is also thinking she ought to have a proper keyboard for those times when she has a bit more to type, or when she has proper work to do.

She has an iPhone and is familiar with the basics of it such as sending emails, browsing the web, and even downloading apps. Anything like syncing it, or updating apps or configuring email, etc. would be left to me. But she uses it to send all her emails, rather than go to a PC with a keyboard for the longer messages.

I notice you can get a keyboard docking station for iPads, and I saw an ad on TV last night for a device that is midway between being a tablet and a laptop, but didn't catch the name of it.

Was thinking of spending somewhere in the region of £500 to £1000.

Any suggestions as to what might be the best solution?

Thanks.

penrhyn

If you have a grand to spend buy both. The Microsoft Surface is a tablet with a keyboard lid but I'd be concerned that it will become a bit of a Zune.
Tablet for leisure laptop for work.
Good deals at the Apple Store today being black Friday if you want to go that way.

Cisco001

What is the main use?
Laptop for work or tablet for leisure.
Or may be both? £160 tablet + £500 laptop.

Or get a windows 8 tablet.(Not RT version)
Acer W700 - it is heavy when compare to other tablet, but for i3 with £600, not a bad choice.

By the way, you could find the old W500 with only £250. If you upgrade it with Win 8 yourself, it would be a good value option.

Sarah715

It really depends on what you want to mainly use it for. I find tablets better for leisure related activities , as someone above has mentioned. If something small that can be used on a sofa is wanted, then perhaps a notebook laptop could be an option?

thegirlintheattic

It really does depend on use. As a teacher myself I tend to use my laptop for most of my work but am getting a Surface for Christmas for some fun but also so I can do some planning whilst on the move. I was between the iPad and the Surface, and the Surface won for me because it allowed me to use it to do light work as well as play games etc., the ipad seemed more suitable for messing around on.

I also own a notebook but don't use it because it's too slow really for games/movies and the keyboard is too fiddly for work.

Pluses that drew me to the Surface:
- Full size USB for transferring files
- Office 2003
- The best keyboard on the market for tablets

zzzLazyDaisy

As a professional who has to do a lot of written reports etc, I wouldn't swap my laptop, as for me a proper keyboard is an essential.

Dabs have an offer on a really nice samsung ultrabook (laptop)

And if you upload the receipt to samsung website, you get a free galaxy tablet - problem solved!

Go to HUKD and follow the steps

http://www.hotukdeals.com/search?action=search&keywords=samsung+ultrabook

However, it would be worth your wife checking with the school what technology they use, as my cousin's school has ditched the laptops and moved to Ipads, and the teachers are provided with them.