Need Help choosing a tablet

[eddie918]

Hi Everyone..I have the dubious honor of shopping/selecting a new tablet for my 81 yr old father-in-law. (need i say more? lol) He has been using a desktop computer forever and wants more portability and ease of use. He will basically be using a lot of social media stuff as opposed to a lot of computing/gaming. (Skype, email, browsing th internet, etc) but emphatically wants the option to use a mouse and an external (physical) keyboard. Budget is also a concern. What he needs is simple, yet practical....nothing that will break the bank. I have been contemplating a few tablets...mainly the Apple ipad 2....the Asus TF700...and the Kindle Fire HDX. I hear good and bad about all three.....I would greatly appreciete some feedback and/or reccomendations.
ED

 

[Vaas]

Have you looked at the Surface RT - first gen is going for $199 on black friday, but also on the Microsoft Store at midnight, so can buy online. Get the keyboard and set, my wife has this setup and loves it. Does everything she needs, including skype, email and browsing.

My other recommendation would be the IPAD 2. More costly but very easy to use and apple eco can find just about anything.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Hi Everyone..I have the dubious honor of shopping/selecting a new tablet for my 81 yr old father-in-law. (need i say more? lol) He has been using a desktop computer forever and wants more portability and ease of use. He will basically be using a lot of social media stuff as opposed to a lot of computing/gaming. (Skype, email, browsing th internet, etc) but emphatically wants the option to use a mouse and an external (physical) keyboard. Budget is also a concern. What he needs is simple, yet practical....nothing that will break the bank. I have been contemplating a few tablets...mainly the Apple ipad 2....the Asus TF700...and the Kindle Fire HDX. I hear good and bad about all three.....I would greatly appreciete some feedback and/or reccomendations.
ED

Welcome to the forums.
I am not sure if a mouse is compatible with the Android tablets. Mainly because the OS setup is that your finger is the mouse. Bluetooth keyboards should be pretty easy to find. One thing the Kindle would have over the competition is live online help.

 

[srkmagnus]

If you are trying to stick with an Android tablet I'd recommend a Nexus 7 (2013) model paired with Bluetooth keyboard and Bluetooth mouse. Here is a video showing how to pair a Bluetooth mouse with a Samsung device, which should be the same on any Android tablet via the Bluetooth settings/scanning: How to use bluetooth mouse with Android - YouTube

If the 7-inch form factor is not an issue then that might be the route to take. If you don't mind having last years Nexus 7 (2012) you can probably find it new at a more reasonable price (under $200). It will easily do the functions you are trying to do.

Just make sure both accessories, keyboard and mouse, are Bluetooth compatible for pairing with your tablet.

 

[JRDroid]

Don't get him a Surface RT. You do not want a Desktop interface on a tablet, especially for an elderly person.

I'd honestly get him an iPad, but I'd get the Retina Mini over the iPad 2 since they are the same price and the Retina Mini is better in pretty much every way. It will do everything he wants and is easy to use. Android tablets are great, but they are definitely more complex to use than an iPad. The Fire HDX isn't a bad idea either though, the Mayday feature will help keep you from having to be tech support and Amazon's interface is fairly simple to use. I'd get him a Retina iPad Mini or a Fire HDX.