Need some advice, my new tablet is going to embark on a 3200mile journey

[Torque]

Sorry in advance for the length of this, basically my situation is, I'm in vet school over 3,000mi from home on a tiny 3rd world island with horrid technology/IT. My 2.5yr old laptop is no longer able to boot properly (hdd or memory chip is failing). The cost of shipping it to the US to then be shipped to manufacturer and have a new one or fixed one back is much more than the original $1500 price tag. So instead of waiting until Dec to pick up my new 10.1 2014 I'm purchasing it now and family will ship it down here so that I can maintain functionality and just have to use a school loaner laptop for our online exams. (At this point my main option is to leave laptop on permanently til it burns out and hope it lasts til tablet arrives)

I know it will have to be majorly repackaged from the shipping box/item box it comes in. I'd also like a family member to turn it on make sure it works before they spend a hellish amount of money shipping it down here. Does anyone have any thoughts/concerns as to whether I should have the OS updates done while its still in the States? Once its here there is only one Wifi option and its buggy, weak, off for days at a time, totally unreliable and slow. I'm thinking the registration and set up and major apps should probably be taken care of before it gets sent. Any thoughts? Once it is here I can access all my stuff from the laptop through my carbonite account. It'll be slow but I know I won't lose anything. I'm just concerned I am not considering or remembering anything else I should do beforehand. I know this is all out of left field but thanks all in advance for your advice!

 

[SpookDroid]

If you're shipping it somewhere so hellish-sounding, make sure your family buys insurance for that precious cargo. Also, be ready for any import taxes you'll be due in order to get it delivered.

As for the updates and downloads, if you're on slow WiFi, then yeah, it's better to at least update back home. You'll still be stuck when trying to download apps or games that are quite large files, but unless you already know what you want installed beforehand, that's not gonna be possible back home.

 

[ddavtian]

You should be able to install or update apps even on slow connection, most apps are not very large. I'd also recommend a good case.

 

[Torque]

Thank you, yes got a case (not the one I wanted but that one's not released yet and this one is as protective as they offer right now), and insurance will cover the base price but I got the 3-year tablet coverage too (still debating whether I'm claiming it as electronics and forging a receipt for much lower price or if I will hide it inside something else- these are the depths we go to down here )

 

[SpookDroid]

You can have it be an electronics device AS LONG AS IT'S MARKED AS A GIFT. So if yours is being sent to you by your family, you should be OK (but yeah, they'll try to extort something out of you, probably).

 

[Gbuch]

You can have it be an electronics device AS LONG AS IT'S MARKED AS A GIFT. So if yours is being sent to you by your family, you should be OK (but yeah, they'll try to extort something out of you, probably).

I guess that would depend on what country the OP is at...

 

[Torque]

Yeah I wish they had the gift rule down here but the country depends on wringing all the money it can out of incoming students. I however had an amazing solution coincidentally occur, another student I know went back to the states for a week and is coming back in a few days so tablet is getting bubble wrapped and put in a resealed cereal box and carefully stowed in his luggage. When i bring it back down next term I'll still get stung by customs but this will save a lot of money. I am so excited to start using it and compare s-note and lecture notes!