Tablet Suggestions

[Fit Gal]

In anticipation of Black Friday Sale (and my birthday coming up) I'm starting to research tablets.
I'm thinking of some kind of Kindle, or android tablet (not apple too pricey). I don't have Amazon prime.
I have wifi router in my home. I don't have a smart tv or roku etc.

1. I'd like the tablet to surf the net (go on VF, Totalfitnessdvds etc), read email..and I'd like to be able to post on vf, respond to email etc easily
and
2. I'd like to hook it up with a cable to my tv so I can watch youtube workouts on my tv. (laptop is not convenient to hook up to my tv)

Thanks!

[katalina]

I'm also curious about this answer. I would like to get my mom the same one and she would like to use it to read books (kindle app?) Thanks!

[Fit Gal]

Originally Posted by katalina

I'm also curious about this answer. I would like to get my mom the same one and she would like to use it to read books (kindle app?) Thanks!

Hope to get some suggestions here!
I also heard maybe Cyber Monday will be better than Black Friday.

[jusca]

I had the original Kindle Fire for 2 years and it worked well. It still works fine except it's wonky sometimes when it comes to sites like Youtube or any flash-based or html5 pages.

I recently got the Fire HD 6. Smaller, lighter weight. Works fine and price is awesome. Amazon ran a special to get it for $26/month x 5 months for the 16gb HD 6. That's what tipped me over the edge. Amazon appstore doesn't have nearly as many apps as Google Play but that doesn't bother me. I can still install most apps (apks) by downloading them directly from a developer's website or finding them on the internet. The only thing I can't stand about the HD 6 is the mono speaker. It's very noticeable to me and annoying. Granted, I do record music so my audiophile ways might be taking bias.

If you're looking for browsing the internet and light stuff, a Fire is a good option. (Adding on...you can hook these up to a TV however I think you need a special adapter. I don't use my Fire this way so I can't elaborate anymore.)

[Fit Gal]

Thanks,, I have been researching and I think it would need an extra adapter to attach to the HMDI cable. That would add into the price.

Thanks for the info!

[Irisg1]

If your only objection to getting an Apple tablet is price, you may want to take a look at their refurbished options. They seem to have pretty good prices. I have a Mini Retina and Ipad2. My husband has a Nexus 7, which I myself tried, but ended up returning it, and paying nearly double for the Ipad Mini Retina. Sounds silly, I know, but I just found the Nexus 7 screen too small for my liking and just not as user friendly as Ipad. There are soo many options out there, but many do not have good touch response. I don't think you can go wrong with a Samsung product either. They have good display, etc. I'm not sure I would go with a Kindle myself.

[Sophie]

I have a Kindle Fire - the 7" one that still has the mini-HDMI output and my son has the 7" Nexus.

The Kindle Fire, to me, is hands down the better machine. Placed side by side and playing the same content, pictures and videos are better (especially your own family pictures, if that sort of thing is important to you), sound is much better, and I like the format. The bezel around the screen is slightly larger, so it's more comfortable to hold.

That said, if I'm taking something to travel or work?

I take the Nexus - because of its Google compatibility.

I don't need a zillion apps and games - but I do things like save files, travel maps, work information on cloud drives like Google Drive. I transfer and upload pictures. Amazon has zilch support for what I need to do in those situations. That really limits the usefulness of the Kindle for me.

Part of the reason I bring the cloud storage issue up is the limited storage on the tablets themselves. I guess Amazon has cloud storage - but if you're the sort of person that already has a system for sharing, it's irritating to move to another storage.

For browsing, reading, etc - it's awesome though.Both tablets are about the same speed for browsing, streaming on-line content, playing youtube, etc.

So it depends on your use, and what applications you're already invested in.

ETA: I also agree with what was said above- if your only objection to iPad is the price, look into refurbished. I have to admit that while I am not an Apple fan, my iPad is actually the most all-around useful of the tablets we've had as a family.

[sherry7899]

Sophie-do you know if the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" or HDX has the mini HDMI output?
I thought I read that the HDX ones do not. I am looking for a way to stream from sites onto my tv that are not through you tube (I can do you tube through our bluray with wi fi) I am going to go over to Amazon to check. We were going to buy a refurbished ipad from a friend, but that fell through, so I may get something bit bigger than my current Kindle.

FitGal-sorry to jump into your thread

Thanks!
Sherry

[Sophie]

Sherry, sorry, I don't. Also, I'm pretty sure it depends on year of release, as I bought my Fire *just* as they were releasing the new ones, because it was one of the last ones with the HDMI output.

It's quite possible they have re-introduced it by now.

I can say that this older edition is very easy to hook up to the TV and play videos. I have Tonique express and a bunch of other stuff on it.

ETA: I just asked DH, who has the 8.9" Kindle HD, and he says it does have the micro-HDMI output. But again, this is very much version specific, so you'd have to check. But now we know that a version does exist

[Joni O]

There was a very extensive thread on this started by FitBoop a while back.

I just got an iPad Air 2 and love it.