Tablets forum: For an elderly person, is the tablet a good move from a desktop/laptop?

It is a notebook without additional features - just the internet . Check chromebook.com.

I am 75, fast approaching 76. I bought a Lenovo tablet on a CNET special but found the item difficult to use and it failed completely within a day. Lenovo refunded all our money and paid for the shipping both ways. However, I was turned off by the whole experience and glad to get back to my regular computers. (I have a large Toshiba portable I use as a desktop and an Asus Netbook I use when traveling.)

I guess I will wait for a Windows 8 Tablet to see if it matches my PC favorable association and can integrate with our wireless home network.

Some tablets can be far more easier to use, but it all depends on what your dad wants to do with it.

Tablets are so simple with there touch screen interfaces and big bold icons to touch to do things, and the on screen keyboard that can be quite big and easy to see and use.

However some tablets - iPad especially - do have a few issues that actually make them harder to use depending on what you want to do with them.

The biggest problem is with iPad there is no Java or Flash on them. The late Steve Jobs decided that both Java and Flash were old technologies and should not be included in iPads and instead more support for HTML5 should be included.

Now he is right that Flash is on it's way out and being replaced more and more by HTML5, but as for Java that is another thing all together, there is an alot of websites and software out there that all rely on Java, and even with HTML5 I can't see Java disappearing due to it being an actual programming language rather than just a simple way to display multimedia content.

If you dad is just using the internet in a very basic manner to go on, use Google search and access his e-mails he probably wont notice the absence of either Java or Flash.

The problem comes when he wants to use certain interactive websites. YouTube works entirely through Flash, along with many of these online players like BBC iPlayer, RTE Player, 4OD, or whatever other catch up TV players there are - so if he wanted to catch up on TV, unless that catch up service has an app for iPad's then he will be greeted by a confusing screen either telling him to download the latest version of Flash, or that his device is not compatible with Flash and to go and use a PC.

In addition to this Java is used in a number of sites as well, I recently had to help someone out who'd bought an iPad, his intention was to use the iPad on the train to play Bridge, however the website he is a member of for playing Bridge uses all Java and they have no apps at all for iPads so it is not possible to use this website directly through the iPad. Of course this is very disappointing when you spend so much on a device that you think should be able to do everything, only to find it very restrictive in this manner.

In addition to this some other websites that use Java for other things such as real time updates of sports scores, and things, however many of these do also have an app to work round this, the main issue is many gaming sites like Bridge sites, and some of these Bingo sites use either Java or Flash.

Of course if you did go for an iPad and then find out your dad needs access to Flash or Java there is a work around for it, but it's not simple and he'd be better just grabbing his laptop and using that. To work round it you need to install ShowMyPC app on the iPad, and on an existing PC. Then you need to ensure the PC is left on when you want to access the Flash content or Java content, you then use the ShowMyPC app on the iPad to access the PC, and then you can access all the Flash or Java content through the PC on the iPad. This of course is really confusing and is a very disappointing end user experience for such an expensive piece of kit.

The other alternative is an Android tablet. Many of the latest versions of Android tablets thankfully do include at least Flash on the tablets, so things like YouTube and iPlayers shoud work fine. Java however isn't included, but because Android OS is more open source than Apple iOS it is easier for developers to convert their Java based software into software suitable for Android, plus it's far more easier for developers to generate software that will "emulate" Java and allow access to this content, plus it's more likely that Java will eventually end up on Android tablets rather than Apple iOS.

The Android tablets can be a little more complicated to use than the iPads, the GUI isn't quite as nicely laid out as iOS.

If your dad does want full access to everything the internet can offer in a simple method he may be better looking at a Macbook rather than either an android or iPad tablets. They are bigger than a tablet, but they do have a simple interface very similar to iPads, and they do support most web technologies such as Java and Flash.

There are also Chromebooks as well, these use Chrome OS which to describe in full it's probably best if you watch this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRO3gKj3qw. It's basically an computer that has nothing more than just a web browser. Therefore it's fast and simple and easy to use. The only bad thing with Chromebooks is that again they don't have Java - they do have Flash however which puts them higher up than iPads.

There is also Linux laptops you could look at. The good thing with Linux devices is the amount of flavours they are available with. If one interface seems too confusing just try another, and keep trying till you get it right. At present on my laptop I use Puppy Linux, which has a very simple interface, allows me to access everything from the internet like Youtube, and Java based websites without any problems whatsoever, it boots from a CD and the handy thing is with it working from a CD if it messes up it's just a case of turn computer off, turn on again and it works fine again, unlike operating systems like Windows, when that messes up sometimes it can lead to full re-installation of Windows to get things right again.

This is the order I'd consider looking at each device in:

Portable devices


Chromebook
Macbook
Android Tablet
Linux Laptop
Windows Laptop
iPad
Smartphone

Non-Portable devices

Mac Mini
Linux Desktop
Windows Desktop

This of course is just my own personal opinion and the only way to find out which ones would be best for your dad to use would be to take him to a shop that has a number of these devices on display (somewhere like a generic PC shop, rather than the Apple store as at least in the generic PC shop you have a good selection of these devices, rather than having Apple's rammed down your throat - LOL!) and let your dad have a go with them for a while and see which one is easiest for him to understand.

Tablets are much better than they ever have been, but they are so different. It requires some tactile adjustment to get used to using gestures instead of keys. For youngsters and the very experienced, this is no problem at all. However, I reply based on my own experience. I am 70 and I have laptops, desktops, smart touch interface phone, an I-Pod Touch, and a Nook tablet. It took me some time to wean myself off the keyboard, and I still find using a touch interface a lot slower than typing. Your dad may be very active and agile even in his 90s, but usually people that old have an even harder time getting used to change.

I suggest as another suggested, and that is give him some time on the tablet and see if he likes it. I know I like it for a reader, a viewer, and for gaming, but for anything involving typing for productivity or communication, you can't beat a keyboard. Of course, you could also attach a keyboard to a tablet and that might be a good way to go-give him the option of using either interface.

Hi Kevin,

I am only 67 and own a desktop, a laptop and a tablet. Two of the major things that must be considered before moving an elderly person from a laptop/desktop to a tablet are:
a) the user's vision; remember most tablets are only 7 inches (the same size as a netbook), therefore the screen and everything on it will be a lot smaller. I sometimes have difficulty seeing the difference between the icons on my tablet and I am no where near your Father's age.
b) the user's dexterity; I find it easier working on a my laptop/desktop than I do with my tablet because I have arthritis in my hands, (a common ailment in the older generation). I sometimes have difficulty holding small objects.

I agree that a tablet is mobile, is much lighter than a laptop and comparatively easy to use, but all of that counts as nothing if the user can not see what is on the very small screen or if they have limited use of their hands. I might suggest that if is possible, see if you can get hold a tablet (on loan) for your Dad to use for a few days, to see how he copes with it first, before you actually buy him a tablet

I hope that these comments help you make the right decision for your Dad.

LenC44

First of all, I didn't read all of the answers, so this may be redundant, sorry.

History....my husband and I built computers and did consulting for 10 years, we quit about 15 years ago. He's 73 and I'm 66.

He has a new desktop (Win7) and a plain jane cell phone.

I have a laptop (XP), a netbook (Vista), a smartphone (Android), an ipod and a Thrive 10" tablet (Android).

Recently, he tried my tablet and HATES it. He finds it way too cumbersome to navigate. He has essential tremor and big hands and makes too many mistakes on the touch screen. He keeps losing pages and hitting the wrong things. He doesn't like my laptop either. He's happiest with his desktop which he's familiar with and has always used.

Take your dad to a store and let him try a tablet for a while. If you have one, let him experiment.

Maybe a nice big monitor may be the best answer for him, IMO. And maybe one of those big keyboards I've seen on TV.

Most of my working life has been with quadriplegics and worse disabilities. There is so much hardware & software now (and in development) that avoids hand use.

These are not just physical, but age, cognition and mood adjustable. The "information" explosion is not just softcopy, but hardware gadgetry as well. These sunrise developments have yet to be discovered by mass markets yet, but as the planet "greys", you will be know about it soon. I'll be You-Tubing productively soon: "grey0powerlessness".

Hi Kevin F.,

For your father's use the tabletpc is a very good choice but, it will be better if you can put some icons/shortcuts (with sugestive labels) on the desktop area to make tasks easier to him. But, there is always a but, this time is a big BUT: the tabletspc's screen seems to me be too small for your father's (92 years old) eyes.
Well, I wish you good luck!
jxisto

I'm 63, and while I'm not as old as your Dad, I can tell you the tablet is a bad move. Here's why;
Last year I bought a netbook, 10" screen, full keyboard, very portable. I found the touchpad too sensitive, the print and screen too small to read without glasses. When typing, the surface moved the curser when I laid my hands on the edge. In short, it didn't work for me. Luckily, I sold it for a profit. I have a Dell laptop for portability, 14", full keyboard, DVD. Got it used for about $250. I also bought a Gateway quad tower, with WiFi. I use this the most because of speed and a 23" LCD monitor.
For your Dad, I would recommend a wireless mouse and keyboard, and see if you can hook a tower pc into his TV. You can also buy internet only consoles for the tv. At 92, bigger is better, and simpler is better. I looked at tablets, and was ready to buy either a tablet or touch screen. They are neat!, Unfortunately, they are not practicle. No keyboard, so you need to attach one or have fingerprints all over your screen. Tablets are extremely underpowered, and have much less DRAM and storage. The screen is small for older people, which causes reading problems. In the end, buy a returnable one, let Dad try it, and see what he wants. If all he uses it for is email. you can try the Nooks or the Amazon version (can't recall the name). They do email and are much less than tablets.

We frail & aged people often are in waiting rooms & hospitals. The other advantage of Android you did not mention - replacing an exhausted battery with a fully charged spare. Or charging with a seperate, cheap, easily bought external charger, via USB in the card/ bus/ train/ plane, whilst using our other battery.

Android tablets generally have other advantages. Cheaper tablets have RESISTIVE screens, not Capacitative. This means that when we jerk all over the screen, the screen will not react. Only when we press hard (head-stick, mouth-stick, hand, finger, spoon-handle, chopstick, ... ) will the screen do as we want.

Easy, cheap & plentiful SD-Flash memory is usually on Android tablets. These can hold music, movies, newspapers, photos, games, ... backups, .... etc. Most digital cameras use SD-capable flash cards too. These cards can be easily inserted into nearly all Android Tablets.

I have had my playbook for a month and a half. I do not use it much but I'm still learning how to use it. To me , it is just another toy. It will never replace my desktop. Bernie

I'm a senior citizen myself & handicapped and use the Ipad. Turned on it's side the keyboard is bigger and easier to use. I still have a desktop but hardley turn it on. I have everything I need on the Ipad.

I have used a netbook, notebook, desktop and the iPad2 and of all of them, the iPad is VERY easy to use, needs no antivirus or tweeks to use. You will have to check his printer setup as the iPad can't use every printer. The virtual keyboard may be an issue, however, and you may need a blue tooth keyboard. I have set up netbooks, notebooks and my iPad for use with wireless and the iPad has been the easiest to setup, use and seems to be the most stable. He may also use the iPad as a ebook reader.

I have no experience with other tablets so I really can't compare with say, the Kindle Fire. The iPad2 3G has been the best purchase I have ever made and recommend it to everybody.

My aunt can use hi-end devices in her life. She uses a smartphone everyday, She listens to 60's music using my ipad. She connects to the Internet using her new tablet. I selected the right apps for her. It's easy to use, font is big, screen is clear.

On one hand tablets are relatively light and more intuitive that a PC to use, but on the other hand if shaking hands or poor eyesight are a problem, big screen and a proper keyboard will do better.