Best simple tablet for 70 year old!

Anne_Marie_2

Think I'd consult with your Dad on the best size for a tablet for him before buying, unless it's going to be a surprise. My Dad who is 80, has the Kindle Fire HD, which is a 7" tablet, and it's perfectly fine for him, he didn't want a bigger tablet. (Not particularly recommending the Kindle Fire HD here, as some don't like being tied to Amazon).

twohooter_2

I really appreciate all the advice - thank you. I don't want to discuss it with Dad as it is to be a surprise birthday present for him. I agree an I pad would be best but it is outside my budget and I would rather buy him something brand new as it is a gift. I know he would prefer that too - but do understand why a second hand I pad is being suggested.


He will have access to free WIFI when abroad so that won't be an issue. I think he would prefer a 10 inch as although he is a fit and healthy 70 year old with no sight or health issues, he likes a big TV and his PC screen is massive. He wouldn't take a laptop away but a 10 inch tablet would be small enough to be portable but big enough to make viewing photos, reading the paper and watching videos more comfortable.

I_have_spoken

I agree an I pad would be best but it is outside my budget

I would explain to him what you are considering, and then decide together what's best rather then waste £150 on something that's not suitable.

At 70yo, he's more likely to want a gift that's useful than a 'surprise', esp. if he then feels obliged to use it as it was a pressie.

tinkytonkytank

I bought a cheap 10" tablet and it is terrible - so I'd go for a better qulaity but smaller one if your budget is limited.

[Deleted User]

I am a 70 year old that bought a Samsung 8 inch to travel with, magic for me, a 7 inch was to small and 10 inch to big for me.

jozxyqk

I got a Sony Xperia Tablet Z at the start of the year. Lovely 10" screen, simple to use, very light and it has a microSD slot that can take up to 64 GB I think.

It wasn't cheap but they've just released the Z2 so you may find the older ones are going more cheaply now.

twohooter_2

Hi again


After more research and trawling around PC world etc. getting more and more confused by all the options available I am now leaning towards a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 with an 8" screen. I am thinking of this one mainly because it falls in budget, I believe Samsung is a good brand, it looks sturdy enough and has an micro SD expansion slot so no problems storing lots of music and photos. I'll compromise on the screen size (initially thought of a 10"). My only concern is how to transfer music currently stored in I tunes (not necessarily bought from I tunes - just stored there). I know there are programmes out there for this purpose but how easy are they to use? I am a novice and to be honest, none of what I have read makes much sense. Also, how are photos transferred from PC to this device - would I just plug the tablet into my laptop and drag and drop via media player?


I think earlier poster Shrimper1 has the same tablet and any further advice on ease of operation would be very welcome. I would love to know if the sound quality is OK for listening to music via the speakers (not through earphones) and ease of connecting to TV via HDMI cable. Also, I presume I could download the Skype app to this tablet? Although this is to be a present for my parents, I want to give it to them set up and loaded with everything they need to get them going. Not easy as someone who has never owned a tablet or smartphone and is a basic windows user!!! Please be gentle.......:)

JasX

You might want to consider a nexus 7 (google tablets tend to be at a very good performance per £ point as google has fanciful ideas you'll be buying a lot of apps from them so subsidise the hardware, unlike Samsung etc who only make any money when they sell you the device)

A fair few places have them on sale cheaper than getting them direct from google at the moment too:

http://www.johnlewis.com/electricals/ipad-tablets/asus-google-nexus/c7000011941/pg-view-all

twohooter_2

Thank you JasX for your suggestion but I thin k a 7" may just be a tad too small. Ideally I was thinking of a 10" but would compromise on an 8".

bouicca21

Being closer to 70 than I care to admit, and previously only familiar with a windows pc, I have to say that I took to my new ipad like the proverbial duck to water.