My First Tablet

I have purchased my first tablet, really something for Val, who is completely computer-challenged so I thought a tablet would be easier for her to learn and use. Me too? 

I have had other writing priorities lately including both the script and my new financial blog so this personal blog has been neglected of late.  I have also been counseling my neighbor Val at RCIA as she prepares to receive the sacraments to become a full-fledged Catholic at Easter Vigil one month from tonight.  Still another project that I am devoting time to (besides the completion of my will and trust and continuing to study the investment strategies that I am hoping will serve me well once I start the CFP program at Oakland University) is tutoring Val in how to use computers and the Internet, two areas of technology of which she is morbidly horrified.  

But she has such a love of research and learning and such a desire to rid herself of the mountains of papers she has gathered over the years in her house, that she believes and I believe that gaining competence and comfort with this technology will bring a new level of enjoyment and organization to her life.  I do agree with her that a PC is too complicated for her and so have been advising her to purchase a tablet as something that might be more reasonable for a frail 74 year old to handle.  Truth be told, one reason she won't use her Toshiba laptop is because she can't even lift it.  Even the on/off button has presented a mystery to her.  

But at 15 ounces, she can lift and use a tablet, no problem.  And she is also completely enamored of the fact that she'll be able to watch movies and her favorite TV shows, and read books and newspapers on her tablet.  She doesn't understand at all how she will be able to do that.  It's just so much magic right now.  But she is very much looking forward to being able to do it.  

So in cosideration of these goals, I broke down and purchased my first tablet from HSN a couple weeks ago and it arrived a few days ago.   And with this one she doesn't even have to worry about an on/off button because the one I bought turns on and off automatically when you open and close the case.  So I will now devote a breif blog entry to this new endeavor.  

Tablets are alien to me and since they cost several hundred dollars, I’ve been hesitant to get one as I can’t see that I would actually get any use from one.  They are designed for people to do quick email, browse the web, and read books and newspapers, even take a photo or two.  But if I do get a device, I need it to do so much more than that so I've always had my doubts that I would even use a tablet if I got one.  That's why the Microsoft Surface has always appealed to me because it's more than a tablet, it's that and a computer.  But the Surface costs nearly a thousand dollars so I'm not rushing out.  

Val has had a Toshiba laptop for years (same model I have) but finds it so intimidating that she has never even turned it on. That’s when I suggested a tablet for her and was just going to take her to Best Buy and get her a Samsung Galaxy, which is the highly rated best selling medium priced tablet.But then by sheer serendipity, a couple weeks ago I was trying to get the Hi-Def ABC channel on cable which is 231, but after I punched in the “2,” I could not get the 31 in fast enough so ended up on Channel 2, the Home Shopping Network, just as they were giving this big promotion for this Visual Land tablet for $130.

I’d never heard of the brand and when I googled it, I found it did not have great reviews.  But the less than stellar reviews were for their older models.  There was this brand new model just since January that was different and very popular. It has a quad-core processor which I found was only featured on more expensive tablets. HSN listed the retail price as about $400 tablet (which may or may not be true) so it was not only substantially discounted for this promotion but also came  with a couple hundred dollars of freebie extras that are usually optional purchases on other tablets – a bunch of software (including a tablet version of Office), an external keyboard, and a case. Plus a longer lasting 8 hour battery and two HD cameras, also usually only available on the higher priced tablets. I downloaded the promotional video from YouTube to show her and Val agreed it was right up her alley and we agreed to split the cost. For $65 she gets to find out if she can get comfortable even with a tablet. For $65, I get to find out what tablets are actually like and if I would even be interested in one.

I have three weeks now to figure it out and decide whether to keep it or return it. (This is the first time I’ve bought anything on HSN and there is a no-questions asked return policy with each product.) Worst case – she decides it’s not her cup of tea and we send it back. Best case – she finally gets a device she can actually figure out how to use and I can bring her at long last into the 21^st century. And I get to play with a tablet for a while. If I like it, I’ll buy the Samsung for myself (or perhaps splurge and get the iPad). I’ll keep y’all posted.