[Athen] Recommendations for tablet computers

[Nettie Fischer]

If you are looking at tablet/laptop style options, check out the ASUS
T100T, a convertible laptop with a touchscreen that allows you to remove
the screen and use like a tablet but, it is a laptop.  I was looking for
something that served both options and after reading about the ASUS,
purchased one before making any recommendations.  I was pleasantly
surprised to find that it came with a version of office 2013 (student
version) and I have installed Office, Inspiration, Co-Writer, Worksheet
Wizard.
I was pretty impressed with the battery power.  The cost of this little
system in under $350.00 and it was rated well on two review sites.  Almost
forgot, to remove the screen from the keyboard, you need to press and hold
the release button; I actually lifted the laptop by the screen and it
stayed secure to the keyboard.  The joint appears to be solid connection.

Nettie's nickel



On Fri, Jun 27, 2014 at 3:14 PM, Teresa Haven <Teresa.Haven at nau.edu> wrote:


>  Thanks, Sean.  Great info and explanations.  Much appreciated!

>

> Teresa

>

>

>

> *From:* athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] *On

> Behalf Of *Sean Keegan

> *Sent:* Friday, June 27, 2014 3:06 PM

> *To:* Access Technology Higher Education Network

> *Subject:* Re: [Athen] Recommendations for tablet computers

>

>

>

> Hi Teresa,

>

>

>

> Wow - tough question. Unfortunately, the technology moves so fast that

> it's hard to know what will be relevant in the medium-term. That said, here

> are a few thoughts:

>

>

>

> Nexus 7

>

> If you want to explore the Android platform, then get a Nexus device.

> These devices are from Google and do not seem to get the software/hardware

> lockout that other devices receive. I know several people who purchased a

> new Android device and then were not able to upgrade the device's operating

> system because of the vendor's lockout. So, if you want to try out Android,

> I would go with a Nexus 7. It is about a year old, so there may be a newer

> version coming out this summer.

>

>

>

> MS Surface Pro 3

>

> The new Surface Pro appears to have the same functionality as a laptop

> computer, but in a tablet format. If you want to compare iOS vs. Microsoft,

> then this would be the tablet to get. Also, Dan Comden posted a message

> about his experience with the Surface Pro and it sounds like this is a much

> bigger contender now to consider for AT solutions (I think he got Dragon

> running on it).

>

>

>

> Amazon Kindle Fire HD

>

> I did get an Amazon Kindle Fire HDX to experiment with as there were

> students coming in with Kindle devices. Right now, the Kindle Fire HD is

> the only platform that has any chance of supporting accessibility. The

> Paperwhite, while amazing, has nothing to support AT applications. We

> wanted to see how the Amazon platform would function for a student wanting

> to use e-book materials and, IMO, there is not much to really evaluate at

> this time. There are some accessibility features on the device itself and

> those are cool, but you are a bit constrained to the Amazon ecosystem. At

> most, you could try out some Android apps that support reading, but I have

> not really seen anything a lot better than what Amazon already provides on

> the device itself.

>

>

>

>

>

> If I had money in the budget, I would probably try a Surface Pro 3. I

> think there is far more opportunity to evaluate different AT solutions on

> that platform than the others at this time. I suppose my only gripe is that

> the Surface Pro 3 can get very expensive to the point where you could

> purchase a really nice laptop that's lightweight for the same price.

>

>

>

> Take care,

>

> Sean

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> On Jun 27, 2014, at 2:25 PM, Teresa Haven <Teresa.Haven at nau.edu> wrote:

>

>

>

>   Greetings, all.  A colleague of mine has gotten funding to purchase

> both an iPad and another tablet device (Windows or Android based) for

> accessibility testing purposes.  She would like suggestions (with reasons!)

> for what Android or Windows tablet device to purchase.  We know that

> students are coming to college with a plethora of devices these days; if

> you had to pick just one (aside from an iPad) to have in your toolkit, to

> use in order to learn more about its possible usability, what one would you

> pick and why?

>

>

>

> Thanks in advance,

>

> Teresa

>

>

>

> Teresa Haven, Ph.D.

>

> Accessibility Analyst

>

> Northern Arizona University

>

>

>

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-- 

*Nettie T. Fischer, ATPAssistive Technology Professional*
*RESNA Certified*




*California Certified NPA Nettiet, ATP
Consultantswww.nettietatpconsultants.com
<http://www.nettietatpconsultants.com>*

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