Tablet computers might appeal to the elderly more than desktop PCs for a number of reasons. They are much smaller and lighter, and can be used while reclining on a sofa or in bed, rather than sitting up in a chair at a desk. The smaller size of the screen may be a handicap, but often it is more than compensated for by the high screen resolution; and besides, users can zoom in with their fingers. This article discusses ten tablets, from different lines, all of which have been rated with four or five stars. The heading of each section links to an image of the tablet under discussion.
The Samsung company has been making computers and other electronic devices since the late 1960s, and is even older than that, having been founded in 1938. The Galaxy Note is meant to help bring creativity and productivity to a maximum. One of its biggest innovations is the S Pen, which is a boon to seniors whose hands may be weakening. The screen is sensitive to pressure so the slightest touch is effective. Using the S Pen, the owner can make pictures and edit photos with great precision.
- screen size: 10.1″
- maximum screen resolution:
- operating platform: Android Jelly Bean
- internal memory: 32GB
- average battery life:
- average Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Another Samsung tablet, this second-generation Galaxy is designed to help the owner achieve “maximum usage” across all of its applications, which can be demanding. The Ice Cream Sandwich platform has introduced a new search experience with Google: You can notify everyone concerned if you will be late for a meeting, look at important emails and photos on Google+, and otherwise remain notified of things that of top priority to you.
The Galaxy’s video connection, called Media Hub, is no less attractive: Here you can buy over a thousand titles and download them without having to wait! You can also arrange the home screen so as to be able to access most easily the apps that you use the most. One drawback though: The SIM card is not included.
- screen size: 7″
- maximum screen resolution: 1024 × 600 pixels
- operating platform: Android Ice Cream Sandwich
- internal memory: 8GB
- average battery life: n/a
- average Amazon rating: 4.4 stars
Apple iPad (First Generation) MC497LL/A
Our next tablet is from the first generation of the iPad. The built-in apps on the machine are arranged to work in any orientation so you can do things on it that are not possible on any other device. When the iPad was first introduced in 2010, it was a completely new kind of computer, with a highly responsive multi-touch screen and an extremely powerful chip designed by Apple itself. You can order it with a set of three styluses.
- screen size: 9.7″
- maximum screen resolution: 1024 × 768 pixels (132 per inch)
- operating platform: n/a
- internal memory: 64
- average battery life: 10 hours
- average Amazon rating: 4 stars
Thousands of apps are available on the Digital2, which is also one of the cheapest tablet devices on the market, with new ones selling for only $70! It uses Jelly Bean, which is the smoothest and fastest Android platform thus far. The orientation changes quickly, as does transition between apps. By activating the wi-fi sensor you can visit your favorite websites, access your email, download apps and do everything else that you do online! Another plus for the Digital2 is the screen, which offers the maximum viewing range possible on a device of its size. Viewing can be enhanced even more with the G Sensor, by which you can easily switch between portrait and landscape views. There are video-calling apps available for sharing photos.
- screen size: 7
- maximum screen resolution: 800 × 480
- operating platform: Android Jelly Bean
- internal memory:
- average battery life:
- average Amazon rating: 3.8 stars
It is quite appropriate that a tablet of as high quality as this should have a name that commemorates both all the elements and one that is preeminent among them (the metal is widely used in jet engines and missiles). Kindle, Facebook and other popular functions work very well on the computer, whose build quality is also excellent. Except for the camera and display, the TITANIUM is even better than the iPad Mini in all respects.
- screen size: 8″
- maximum screen resolution: 1024 × 768 pixels
- operating platform: Android Jelly Bean
- internal memory: 8
- average battery life: n/a
- average Amazon rating: 4.1 stars
FORTRESS 7″ Google Android 4.0 Tablet
The FORTRESS tablet, a product of Google, is more “portable and cost effective” than those produced by other major brands. It is ideal for many of the things that people do online, including checking email, Skyping, Facebook and just plain “sofa surfing.” Apps also operate unusually fast on the FORTRESS. You can even store your data (email contacts, calendar, etc.) in the cloud so that the tablet will automatically make any updates that you perform on your laptop or smartphone.
- screen size: 7″
- maximum screen resolution: n/a
- operating platform: Android 4.0 Support HD Flash 11
- internal memory: 4GB
- average battery life: 8 hours for music, 5 for video
- average Amazon rating: 4.2 stars
FastTouch 9″ Tablet PC by Google
FastTouch is a more-than-appropriate name for this device, which sports a five-points touch screen and on which it takes nothing more than a simple touch of the finger to edit running apps and games, go to your home page or control the volume, and where wi-fi can be accessed quickly. Other things that you can do is Skype with your family and friends, watch movies and play games. It is the “perfect size” and easy to use. Foreign language support is also available on the FastTouch.
- screen size: 9
- maximum screen resolution: n/a
- operating platform: Android 4.1
- internal memory: 8GB
- average battery life: n/a
- average Amazon rating: 5 stars
This is a device of which I myself can give a first-hand review, since it is the kind that I bought for myself, after seeing its high rating in Customer Reports. It is a great device for knowing when you have emails because it rings a bell each time a new message arrives and continues to flash a red light until you answer it. Of course, you have to sync your email to the Playbook in order for this to be possible. You can also open and save word processing files, take and save photographs and download PDF files. The range of apps is more limited than for the iPad but includes games, art and even facial construction!
- screen size: 7″
- maximum screen resolution: 1024 × 600 pixels
- oeprating platform: BlackBerry
- internal memory: 64
- average battery life: 10
- average Amazon rating: 4
Unlike the other machines discussed here, the Acer Iconia comes with a detachable Bluetooth keyboard that can be used to convert it into a full-sized PC. The viewing quality of the ten-point multi-touch screen is exceptionally brilliant, with viewing angles of up to 178°. The Iconia gives you instant access to your files, apps and other things so you can spend less time searching for them and more time working or playing with them, as the case might be. Even more attractive is that cloud storage comes fully integrated with the system, enabling you to access your word files, music, videos and photographs from wherever you may be!
- screen size: 11.6″
- maximum screen resolution: 1920 × 1080 pixels
- operating system:
- internal memory: 64GB
- average battery life: 9 hours
- average Amazon rating: 4.1 stars
The HP Slate is one of the most beautiful tablets on the market. The batteries last long and the device can be held comfortably in one hand. It was made by Hewlett-Packard, the same company that has been producing printers and computer hardware since 1939.
- screen size: 7″
- maximum screen resolution: 1024 × 600 pixels
- operating platform: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
- internal memory: 16GB
- average battery life: n/a
- average Amazon rating: 4.5 stars