[Athen] Recommendations for tablet computers

[Evan S Yamanishi]

It might be worthwhile to look at this from two perspectives: what kind of devices people are buying, and what devices present the greatest challenge to accessibility. In an ideal world, our students would come to us with the most accessible devices to begin with, but alas…

There’s been a lot of growth in Samsung and Google devices recently (http://chitika.com/insights/2014/q2-tablet-update, http://www.statista.com/statistics/255219/tablet-usage-by-brand/), both of which run Android, so getting an Android device would probably cover what people are buying. The Surface Pro has definitely seen growth too, but since it runs an operating system that I can test on without a tablet, it’s less compelling for me.

As for challenging devices, I think the best choice would probably be the Kindle Fire HDX. While it does run Android, Amazon has locked it down and changed it pretty substantially, as Sean mentioned. I’ve had quite a few LD students with the Kindle Fire (Blind/LV students usually know not to buy it), and while it is definitely a salvageable device from an accessibility standpoint, it takes more work than stock or close-to-stock Android. I usually resort to installing the Google Play store<http://www.howtogeek.com/178357/how-to-sideload-apps-onto-your-kindle-fire/> just to make sure that the student has access to the full gamut of apps.

If you just want to have the best devices, my vote is for either the Nexus 7 (or rumored Nexus 8/9<http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/06/21/this-is-volantis-htcs-nine-inch-nexus-tablet/>!) or the Surface Pro.

Evan Yamanishi
Coordinator of Reader Services<http://www.lcc.edu/odss/reader_services/>
Office of Disability Support Services<http://www.lcc.edu/odss/>
Lansing Community College
(517) 483-5263<tel:+15174835263>


From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Teresa Haven
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 10:31 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: Re: [Athen] Recommendations for tablet computers

Thanks, Nettie, great info!
Teresa

From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Nettie Fischer
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2014 7:01 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: Re: [Athen] Recommendations for tablet computers

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<mailto: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<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<mailto: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

_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu>
http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list


_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu>
http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list



--
Nettie T. Fischer, ATP
Assistive Technology Professional
RESNA Certified
California Certified NPA
Nettiet, ATP Consultants
www.nettietatpconsultants.com<http://www.nettietatpconsultants.com>
[916] 686-1860 FAX
(916) 704-1456 Cell
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/pipermail/athen-list/attachments/20140630/1946a8a5/attachment.html>