UKC

So looking at buying parental units a tablet my natural inclination is iPad... but not sure how much they are going to use it etc. (in their 70s).

I was also considering something cheap http://www.tesco.com/direct/hudl/ but being on the other side of the world i've never seen one of these... opinions?

Cheers
LD

In reply to Lurking Dave:

tesco huddled is one of the best tablets under £200. quite a few friends have then for their kids.

Davey

In reply to Lurking Dave:

My mom is approaching her 70s and loves her iPads. Yes, that's pleural iPads.

If money is no object then get the superior spec iPad over the Hudl. There is a reason that the iPad is the market leader. This is saying something from a diehard Android fan.

In reply to Lurking Dave: iPads aren't tablets, they're a lifestyle statement and initiation to a cult.

Windows tablets start at £100 and without (too many) strings attached. Stay free!

In reply to Lurking Dave: I second Mountain llama. Mother loves her ipad it's almost idiot proof. Before buying she tried both an ipad and my Lenovo tablet and found the ipad far better for her needs.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

If it's just for web browsing etc then there seems to be little point in spending the extra cash on an iPad.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

My Mum has an iPad over other tablets for one reason and one reason only, she has both friends and family in the States and Canada, they all have iPads and constantly FaceTime each other. Obviously Skype is an option with other devices, but this was the big seller for her.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

I have a hudl, its fine.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

iPads are significantly easier to use than any other kind of tablet on the market. Despite the price difference, they're far more suitable for casual use and require far less maintenance and technical knowledge than either Android or Windows tablets (I have experience in all three ecosystems both professionally and personally).

In reply to Only a hill:

I disagree.
Installing and using apps on iOS and Android require the same level of technical skill (very little)
Apps on both require the same level of configuration, using similar (or near identical) control interfaces.
Modifying the basic system settings requires the same level of technical skill (very little).
I have never had to do more than install and use apps and the basic system settings on either iPad or Hudl.
The fact that I can use a wider range of apps for the things I want to do (media players), and delve into the Linux guts of the Hudl if I want to, and use a real file manager and device file store, or simply connect to network file servers are all bonuses for the Android platform. And I can use external memory.

I've had the Hudl crash. I've had the ipad2 crash. The Hudl1 is still as fast as it was when I bought it, and still runs all the apps I want, even though it's 'stuck' at Android 4.2.2). The ipad2 is now considerably slower than it was (ios5 to ios8 was the problem, but was necessary to run the new look UKC, IIRC...)

Facetime might be a clincher if your parents want to facetime with relatives who have iPads.

In reply to captain paranoia:
There isn't a lot in it, but when I worked at a phone shop I saw at first hand how users with very little to no computing background could pick up and use an iPad straight away, but were bewildered by Android. I saw this every day for two years. Users with more technical knowledge like you and me will find less of a difference between them.

iOS and Android are gradually converging in terms of features and ease of use, but there is still a tangible usability benefit in iOS *because* it is so simple and there are fewer options and things you can screw up.

Edit: take basic navigation, for example. An iPad has only one button at the bottom of the screen; an Android device has three. This is a big deal for a user with limited technical knowledge.

In reply to captain paranoia:

>Facetime might be a clincher if your parents want to facetime with relatives who have iPads.

Why, if you can Skype to/from other devices? Our daughter regularly Skypes from NZ, from whatever it is they have. It's not an iPad.

In reply to Only a hill:

The flip side of that is that when something does go wrong (and it does), Apple users are more likely to be utterly stumped.

I post too much on the WD MyCloud forum, and get tired of asking 'have you asked Apple why they've broken access to your NAS?'. Which they do. There is this unfailing belief that Apple stuff 'just works', and Apple cannot make mistakes. But they do, and sometimes they're not mistakes; they are deliberate changes to prevent third-party stuff working. There's also a blind acceptance that Apple will not respond to bug reports, or give support (whether it's true or not). So they blame WD for their Apple problems. Whereas WD have enough problems they've caused themselves...

In reply to mbh:
Because FaceTime works works out of the box for Apple users, iPad, Mac, iPhone and iPods, nothing to install, straight up and running.
I've a 70 YO mother and she's been fine for a few years with iPad, she's on an iPad 4 now. She's face times, face books, emails, Internet banking and watches the catch up TV services in bed. That's all she does and in her case, the iPad does it all and does it very well.

In addition I should also say that I got my 2 grand kids a hudl 2 for Xmas and they are both going strong, problem free and they love em!

In reply to wilkie14c:

OK, I get the point. Your mum sounds like my wife, who is also very happy with her iPad, and very impatient of anything that requires a modicum of techiness. My mum (80) and I also regularly Facetime yet she has never faced up to getting Skype up and running on her totally swanky Mac, which would enable her to talk to and see sundry granddaughters.

Thanks all.
LD

In reply to Mountain Llama:

Nothing comes close to the ipad,I've tried all of them.but it really depends on what you want to spend the cheaper ones are adequate enough.

In reply to wilkie14c:


IE is installed on all windows computer, straight up and running. But that last thing I would want to do is have that as the only (or recommended browser). Just because it is installed by default it doesn't mean it is the best tool for the job.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

I have just been given an iPad by my mum who didn't want it. I have to say I am rather disappointed. As a piece of technology, it is a wonder to behold. It is the right size / weight etc and the materials are the highest quality. But as something to use, it is as if Apple actually go out of their way to make things hard for you. You have to continuously enter your password to do everything. Because this was my mum's creating a new account on it was a pain, and of course you can only have two accounts on one iPad. It has updated itself about 3 times in the last month which doesn't bode well and all the free games on the app store are unplayable due to excessive advertising which seems less prominent on Google's Play store. Finally, and surprisingly, the keyboard is really laggy which is annoying at worse but not something I would expect from Apple.

I would sum up their hardware as amazing, but there software is not unhelpful. You have to work the Apple way or no way at all, but only after you have entered your password 15 times

In reply to Lurking Dave:

My mum is in her 70s has an iPad and loves it as its pretty fool proof and easy to use. Facetime is at the moment better than Skype and other video calling - less loss of video, clearer video, and we use that alot to keep in touch. She uses it for her art - taking pictures and sketching and is now using Facebook to share pictures and see ours. Can't comment on a hudl but she was also given a windows laptop which she barely uses at all.

In reply to ByEek:

Not sure why you are having to enter a password so many times, usually it's only for installing/updating apps which isn't something that happens that often - the app store icon shows the number of apps with updates available. In-app purchases can also require a password but it depends on how you have set it up - it's normally to stop kids running up large bills without the parents knowing.

In reply to JoshOvki:


In my experience FaceTime is better than Skype though. I use both and on the same internet connection FaceTime is much better quality.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

Got a Hudl for Lady Starkness about a year ago. She won't mind me saying that she's not the most techically savvy, and finds the Laptop a bit of a pain (other than for internet shopping). She's really happy with the Hudl which she generally uses for a spot of light browsing and keeping up with the family on good old fleecebook.

In reply to JoshOvki:

How about the new microsoft edge browser? Seems pretty quick and so far renders websites well on my surface.

In reply to Jimbo W:

While I think iTunes and a lot of other Apple stuff is the work of the Devil. I could not recommend my iPad enough. I had the iPad 2 for 3 years and used daily. It never missed a beat despite being dropped a few times.

I've got an iPad Air2 now which is also great, other than being lighter its not much different then the iPad2.

I've not tried a Hudl so can't compare. But for shear usability and reliability its iPad all the way for me.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

My house has been through 3 Hudl's and smashed an ipad mini and ipad. Both the ipad's continue to work while all the hudl's now lie useless on top of the fridge. I wont be buying any more. I got the ipad repaired with a new screen for £35 but it still worked badly shattered with loads of glass missing until then.

In reply to ByEek:

The password / account thing can be sorted by going settings/general/reset/reset all and it'll factory reset removing any trace of your mums details. You can then set it up for yourself and opt to only require password for App Store purchases.
The updates were prob OS 9 a major one then 9.01 and 9.02 which were just minor but you don't have to update to any of them.
'Free' games are often full of adds for in app purchasing, there isn't any such thing as 'free' at the end of the day and paid for games will most often be much better than the free versions.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

I've got a hudl and it's unbeatable value for money, does everything I need, however, the latest update has rendered it unreliable, suffering shut downs and black screens,usually when swiping on the screen.

In reply to Bob:


Fair enough - so give me the option to turn the password prompt off. I create random passwords that are stored in Passpack so every time it asks me for a password I have to look it up. It is a pain.

I also hate the fact that it spews application icons everywhere. Why can't I sort them into a useful list? And why can't I delete apps from the screen I don't use. The whole thing is a beautiful looking retina displaying mess.

And Apple really need to get over this idea that you only need one button. What a pain in the arse to have to keep clicking the screen button to go back when Android just give you a dedicated button for back. Similarly with settings. To modify any app settings, you have to go to the settings App, find your app and then change the settings. In Android, you just hit the settings button. Much easier.

Nah - my suspicions and prejudice about Apple have been proved correct in my eye. Great thing but only truly useful to Apple accountants who count the money you have to spend in order to make it useful. I look forward to not being able to install the latest apps in a years time because my hardware is out of date.

In reply to ByEek:

You can group applications in to err groups but it isn't obvious how to do that and I haven't done it in a while but ...

It helps if the apps are on the same screen. Lets assume you have two apps you wish to group. You press and hold a finger on one of the icons. All the icons on screen now get an 'X' in the top corner and are shaking - normally this mode is used to delete apps. You now drag that app/icon on to the other app and the OS will group them and present a box in to which you type a name for the group. Keep adding apps in the same way then press the home key to get back to normal mode.

In reply to ByEek:

Swipe left or right to go backwards or forwards. Icons can be kept tidy by creating folders on out them in there

In reply to wilkie14c:


Nice one on the swipe. But the folders option sounds like a bodge. I am going to have a folder called "Apps I don't use but can't uninstall"

In reply to ByEek:

There are some apps that you can't delete but most you can, if that "X" appears when the apps are in shaking mode then you can. Definitely a fault. I think some apps are needed behind the scenes so you can't delete them but others might be due to some commercial agreement, doesn't make sense to delete the browser for example. What most seem to do is create a folder on a screen by itself for just that purpose.

A quick double tap on the home button brings up a list of the most recently used apps.

In reply to Bob:

Yeah - I had found that. But Apple products are just laced with the Apple way. One must conform or else. Thankfully I am able to install Google Music so can avoid the nightmare that is iTunes. Its just a shame because it would be nice to be able to play music offline but I really don't want to have to duplicate my ripped music collection which happens to be in Windows Media format, recognised by Android but must be converted for Apple. Another Apple way or the highway.

In reply to ByEek:

I know what you mean but all these big corporations have their own way and if you wish to use the ecosystem (if you are a fan) or walled garden (if you aren't) then you tend to have to play by their rules.

Media formats are a nightmare as well, there was a bit of a frenzy a few years ago with several royalty free systems vying for supremacy. Of course the losers in all this are us, the consumer.

In reply to ByEek:

Apple actually go out of their way to make things hard for you. You have to continuously enter your password to do everything.

You can change this in the settings,it has options of when you want to be asked for passwords.

In reply to ByEek:

Google Play Music is cack-handed in my view - so each to their own. It also gives you higher quality versions of your music with no option not to do so - which is all very well, but means I can't fit my whole library onto a 64GB SD, whereas I can on a 64GB iPhone, and the quality is quite adequate for the sort of earphones I am using when on the move.

In reply to Wsdconst:


Indeed. The lowest level setting is to ask for it again in 15 minutes.

In reply to Neil Williams:


No idea - all my personal music ripped from CDs is on the cloud free of charge. No storage required.

In reply to ByEek:


Is that an iOS 9 thing? I've an iPad 2 and realistically iOS 8 is the last version I can use - those who've updated have reported that it's very slow so I'm not going to bother.

Companies like Apple, Microsoft, etc. are in a bit of a bind when it comes to updates. On the one hand they don't want to force customers to take software that they don't want or potentially can't use while on the other hand bugs and security fixes need to be rolled out. I'm not aware that Apple forces OS downloads on iOS devices - you get an occasional pop-up stating that there's an update available with Cancel/Install options.

In reply to ByEek:

Now I could tell you how to do it but I sense sarcasm in your words so you can go figure it out for yourself.good luck.i ll give you a clue though,it's in settings.

In reply to ByEek:


Does that mean you've really uploaded all your music to the cloud; that would take me a long time (2TB of music over a 500kbps link = 46 days at best case).

The likes of Google don't actually upload your sampled music unless they don't have a copy in their library. They give you their version of the track. Which isn't what you ripped from your CDs... And Amazon do similar things, but their music seems to have undergone the 'loudness wars' treatment.

That's why I still keep my own rips...

In reply to ByEek:

Storage is required if you either (a) don't have a very large data allowance, or (b) do a lot of international travel. Streaming doesn't solve the problem for me; how do you listen on an aircraft, for instance?

In reply to Neil Williams:

Spotify Premium lets you cache locally at a choice of bitrates. I do this for my commute through several signal dead zones.

In reply to Wsdconst:


I know. I found it. And the options available still aren't particularly helpful.

All I did was appraise Android vs Apple as per the OP and as a result have been jumped on by all the Apple devotees. As stated I find their products amazing, but the software just isn't very helpful and in general is designed to try and extract as much cash out of me as possible. I look forward to the time in about a year's time when apps stop working because I don't have the latest device.

In reply to ByEek:



I resent that While I have Apple kit I'm by no means a fanboi. My posts have been trying to help you and determine why you are having problems not jump on you.

In reply to ByEek:


No, you explained some difficulties you were having with using an Apple device. These fell in to three categories. Genuine issues, such as iTunes is a bit shit, things just being different from Android, as an Apple user, I have similar issues when I use an Android device and lastly, problems that no one else seems to have emmer experienced, such as with passwords.

In reply to ByEek:

Not jumping on you at all it's your opinion,I was just trying to be helpful.have you turned off restrictions,it's in General settings.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

One point about Hudles which doesn't seem to have been mentioned is that if you so much as glance strongly in their direction, the battery goes flat. It then takes quite a long time to recharge even under the most favorable circumstances, that is certainly a bit of a problem for mobile devices.

On the other hand, Tesco are selling reconditioned, good as new, ones very cheaply.

In reply to Wsdconst:


And there bursts the bubble that Apple stuff 'just works'.

It works, but it needs about the same level of arcane knowledge to make it work as any equivalent platform, such as Android.

In reply to Wsdconst:


Yeah I did. And then I had to do it again after I updated hence my frustration.

In reply to Lurking Dave:

This may have already been said.

I have a Hudl 2 and generally i think its great. I dont see much difference in my wife brand new ipad - just slightly bigger and better screen, but not much.

However the Hudl 2 has just been updated from Kitkat to Lollipop (google Android versions if tgis means nothing) and while on the face of it this is an improvement, it has caused a raft of side effects on many Hudls. Mine for example on two occasions now when telling it to 'update all' apps in google play has failed and crashed half way through such that the screen failed, and the second time around it took me over an hour to get it switched off and on again without being able to see anything (battery was full.) There is no external reset button on Hudl 2.
You have to update apps one at a time else it gets over loaded. This was a particular problem immediately post update as the apps needed updating as the old versions mostly didnt work on the new lollipop. After id installed them all i then also needed to do a cache wipe via the safe restart menu. Bit of a faff and i had to google what to do on my smartphone.
Finally lollipop uses a lot of space so a decent size micro sd becomes more important.

Overall I still like it, but for a new user my recommendation is now more caveated that it would have been a month ago. Not sure I'd recommend for your purpose if they are new to tablets/android as much of what happened to mine would certainly have resulted in returning it.

In reply to Si dH:

Just bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10 reconditioned for £150, so only slightly more than a Hudl. Hoping it's the right choice...

In reply to mbh:


Because Skype can't talk to FaceTime. So if all the people you want to talk to are in a walled garden, you have to enter the walled garden too. Or somehow get then all to agree to leave one walled garden and go to a different walled garden, just for you.

In reply to captain paranoia:

Who else has a walled garden?

I sure that you can download apps from Android Market, rather than Google.play without having to root your device. Android isn't exactly a walled garden compared to apple.

In reply to captain paranoia:

Who else has a walled garden?

I sure that you can download apps from Android Market, rather than Google.play without having to root your device. Android isn't exactly a walled garden compared to apple.

In reply to Lurking Dave:
I'm in the same boat as you - parents in their 70s and they're not tech savvy. I bought them a Hudl about a year ago and - once I'd done the initial setup for them (email config, etc) - it's been no trouble at all. They use it a lot, even my mum who said she wouldn't. Way cheaper than the iPad, too.

In reply to The Lemming:
You're missing my point. If someone wishes to Facetime other people who already have Apple devices, and exclusively use Facetime, then buying an Android device isn't going to let you Facetime those people, is it? When communicating with other people, you have to use a shared medium. Now, whilst everyone could install Skype, I think it's unlikely to happen.

PS the other 'walled garden' I was referring to is Skype; I don't think Skype talks to anything other than Skype.

In reply to captain paranoia:

Ahh. I get you now and agree.