Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Do you still get that free internet browser access on the Kindle, you'd think that would be the one major advantage for us lot wandering around if you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I have one of the old Kindle wifi/3g models and although it has the ability to browse the internet and check emails it is so clunky that I wouldn't bother - It is horses for courses. The kindle is a great piece of kit for reading books - nothing else! It is light weight and has no screen glare and can be read in daylight. A tablet with a back lit screen is great for browsing and minor computing but is a poor book reader - the best ebook reader app I have come across is "Cool Reader" because you have the chance to have a background - the standard one looks a bit like parchment so cuts down the screen glare. But it doesn't matter how good the screen is they all suffer in daylight and on strong sunny days become unreadable. That goes for the "Fire" too. Again I would only use a tablet as a reader if it was about 7" as anything over that becomes a bit of a bind to hold in one position for any length of time - far too heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Yes my missus has an original Kindle, she has been using it on an almost daily basis for a couple of years now,not sure if the new one is any improvement, but as she thinks it is excellent for its purpose, instead of many of these devices trying to do everything, and unlike the KIndle which she charges once in a blue moon, seem to be constantly on charge. I have recently bought a smartphone and it does some amazing things, but not sure how often I'll need to identify a song playing on the radio, even if I get the lyrics for a sing-a-long with it nor use the compass app to find my way back from the pub But the physical size of the screen makes many of them frustrating to use, especially the internet, and it is one of the larger screen ones.and don't get me started about charging. Perhaps some of us just buy into the hype, rather than think what do we really want a device for.......guilty as charged. ;-) now where's my old laptop with 3g dongle, and old Nokia phone that stayed charged forever and that allowed me to make a telephone call or send a text. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 An ipad works well when used as a Kindle or ebook reader and the battery duration, whilst nothing like as good as a Kindle, is at least tolerable. An ipad does not work so well when wifi range is anything but excellent and there is no facility to plug in a signal booster, but it does work well when tethered to a smartphone for internet access but the phone gallops through it's own battery as per usual. I'm not a lover of these mobile apps which seem so much less user friendly and pared down when compared to the full programme as used on a PC or laptop. On balance I like the ipad but I suspect my next toy will be a small laptop or notepad with a usb port or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 According to one of the papers today, this picture was created on an Ipad, just using around 285,000 finger strokes ( who counted them I wonder ) :-S and I thought I'd got too much time in my hands this time of year. ;-) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2517841/The-worlds-realistic-finger-painting-creation-iPad-Artists-amazing-image-screen-legend-Morgan-Freeman.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Tracker - 2013-12-02 11:02 PM No preference but if I were buying one I would probably want one with a usb port so I could plug in a wifi signal amplifier when away from home - as long as it did not add a disproportionate increase to the cost - 'cos if it does then I'll stick to faffing about tethering my smart phone and limiting my online use whilst abroad. As yet there is no no plug-in aerial booster for any tablet, USB socket or not. They are not compatible, which is why, despite having a very good smartphone and a tablet, I still carry my laptop into which I do plug in an aerial booster that attaches to the exterior of my 'van and pulls in wi-fi from a decent range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Had Enough - 2013-12-04 11:49 AM Tracker - 2013-12-02 11:02 PM No preference but if I were buying one I would probably want one with a usb port so I could plug in a wifi signal amplifier when away from home - as long as it did not add a disproportionate increase to the cost - 'cos if it does then I'll stick to faffing about tethering my smart phone and limiting my online use whilst abroad. As yet there is no no plug-in aerial booster for any tablet, USB socket or not. They are not compatible, which is why, despite having a very good smartphone and a tablet, I still carry my laptop into which I do plug in an aerial booster that attaches to the exterior of my 'van and pulls in wi-fi from a decent range. Fair enough but one does need to consider the cost of the extra computer and wifi booster, and the storage space occupied, plus faffing about setting it all up, compared to the speed of set up and the cost of tethering to the mobile phone network to achieve the same ends. It's much less of an issue in the UK because mobile data is so much more reasonably priced than the overseas rates. I don't think it's worth changing my ipad for a notebook or laptop for the limited use that I personally would give it but when the ipad dies or becomes out dated I will not be buying another one. We each see things from a different perspective and no doubt for some free wifi is the ambition regardless of how much it costs to get it! Personally I have better things to do on holiday that sit on the computer using free wifi all day. And no, before you get all huffy, that is not a dig at you or anyone else Frank - just a point of view! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Rich, do you really mean your not going to update your facebook page from afar and tell the world what a great time your having every 5 minutes :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Tracker - 2013-12-04 12:50 PM Had Enough - 2013-12-04 11:49 AM Tracker - 2013-12-02 11:02 PM No preference but if I were buying one I would probably want one with a usb port so I could plug in a wifi signal amplifier when away from home - as long as it did not add a disproportionate increase to the cost - 'cos if it does then I'll stick to faffing about tethering my smart phone and limiting my online use whilst abroad. As yet there is no no plug-in aerial booster for any tablet, USB socket or not. They are not compatible, which is why, despite having a very good smartphone and a tablet, I still carry my laptop into which I do plug in an aerial booster that attaches to the exterior of my 'van and pulls in wi-fi from a decent range. Fair enough but one does need to consider the cost of the extra computer and wifi booster, and the storage space occupied, plus faffing about setting it all up, compared to the speed of set up and the cost of tethering to the mobile phone network to achieve the same ends. It's much less of an issue in the UK because mobile data is so much more reasonably priced than the overseas rates. I don't think it's worth changing my ipad for a notebook or laptop for the limited use that I personally would give it but when the ipad dies or becomes out dated I will not be buying another one. We each see things from a different perspective and no doubt for some free wifi is the ambition regardless of how much it costs to get it! Personally I have better things to do on holiday that sit on the computer using free wifi all day. And no, before you get all huffy, that is not a dig at you or anyone else Frank - just a point of view! I'm not suggesting that anyone who has a tablet should go out and buy a laptop. Many people such as me already have one, mine's three three years old and I keep it just for use in the 'van and whilst it's bigger than a tablet it never leaves the 'van and I've plenty of storage space. But with respect, tethering a smartphone in Europe or Morocco, where I'm going soon, just isn't an option. Data costs would be horrendous. You did mention that you'd like to buy a tablet one day and that you'd get one with a booster option, so presumably, like me, you do like to have web access occasionally? For me it's essential for various reasons and my booster, which is very quick to set up, means that I can get wi-fi at no cost from a variety of sources. I didn't have time to explain before but the reason that tablets can't have wi-fi boosters is twofold. The most important is power. Laptops normally use batteries of around 18 volts, whilst tablets are usually around five volts. The decent wi-fi boosters consume about five volts so would drain a tablet's power supply so much that it wouldn't function. There is also a software problem as tablets use a very different platform but because of the power difficulties no one has even bothered writing the correct software for a booster and tablet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I only take a small 10" Samsung notebook, it doesn't take up much room underneath the clean towels in a top locker. I think we paid £190 thereabouts about 4 years ago on ebay sold by Argos. I only use it to go on Skype and O.H has it loaded for his Tom tom home page in case we need to go onto that. People are different and have different needs :-D last year I don't think I got a wifi signal once, if its there Ill use it, but I don't feel the need to go onto forums while Im away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Cup Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I have a Kindle 3g which I used to use alot abroad because it's free on 3g, but now that hotmail is Outlook it doesn't work on hotmail anymore. I have considered buying a tablet, but have heard little good about them, plus might still not work with 3g on hotmail. It occurs to me that a compromise might be using a foreign sim with my smartphone connected via bluetooth to some sort of display monitor, such as a tablet - but I've no idea if that is technically possible. I do worry about taking my laptop with me on trips, though I've had to in the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Tea Cup - 2013-12-05 2:47 PM I have a Kindle 3g which I used to use alot abroad because it's free on 3g, but now that hotmail is Outlook it doesn't work on hotmail anymore. I have considered buying a tablet, but have heard little good about them, plus might still not work with 3g on hotmail. It occurs to me that a compromise might be using a foreign sim with my smartphone connected via bluetooth to some sort of display monitor, such as a tablet - but I've no idea if that is technically possible. I do worry about taking my laptop with me on trips, though I've had to in the past Your comment about having heard little good about tablets is puzzling. The iPad is a tablet for example and it's loved by millions. I use my 10" tablet if the wi-fi is close by. It boots up instantaneously and is smaller and lighter than my laptop, ideal for sitting outside a campsite office for example when wi-fi is only available in a small zone. I only use my laptop if wi-fi is weak and I've a lot to do as I can boost the signal to my laptop using my wi-fi booster aerial. Then it's more convenient to sit in the comfort of my 'van and use the web or Skype to communicate with my office and family. However, to get back to your questions. Some tablets are also the equivalent of a very large smartphone and you can connect with 3G. However, many tablets are just wi-fi, so be careful when buying. If you can buy a foreign sim card for your smartphone and data costs are low you can use your smartphone to generate a wi-fi zone. This is called tethering. When you've created your wi-fi zone you can then log on using any device that has wi-fi, such as a laptop or a tablet. I bought a usb dongle and sim-card in Croatia two years ago for £20 and it gave me 1 GB of data on my laptop, which was superb. My tablet, a Sony Xperia Z is brilliant and I chose to have only wi-fi as I have a smartphone for making calls and of course I can set it to tether my tablet if I'm in the UK or where I can get cheap data using a local sim. Wi-fi is becoming increasingly available though and you can now get it in supermarkets, outside restaurant chains and campsites of course. I'm a member of the FON network which gives me wi-fi hotspots all over Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianBW Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Watch out for the LENOVO 7" tablets. Has a small USB port which does not accept USB devices. It can only accept the USB plug on the charger. 'Bluetooth. is seen in the setup but will not operate a 'Bluetooth keypad. Otherwise it is brilliant and is good as a SATNAV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 As previously stated it is not normally possible to connect a booster to a tablet and that is why I mentioned iBoost WiFi router and Yagi aerial which is a stand alone unit. What I also found recently when I paid for WiFi on sites etc is that the service is only available to one laptop/tablet/ or whatever at a time so only one user at a time. By using the iBoost this became the one user and I was able to connect multiple users at the same time through the router Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Had Enough - 2013-12-05 3:05 PM Tea Cup - 2013-12-05 2:47 PM I have a Kindle 3g which I used to use alot abroad because it's free on 3g, but now that hotmail is Outlook it doesn't work on hotmail anymore. I have considered buying a tablet, but have heard little good about them, plus might still not work with 3g on hotmail. It occurs to me that a compromise might be using a foreign sim with my smartphone connected via bluetooth to some sort of display monitor, such as a tablet - but I've no idea if that is technically possible. I do worry about taking my laptop with me on trips, though I've had to in the past I'm a member of the FON network which gives me wi-fi hotspots all over Europe. So are the rest of the millions of BT users unless they opt out, but don't believe the hype about connecting abroad, nor the smartphone app, to find one in Europe is like trying to find the end of a rainbow, one of the reasons being that unlike the UK BT users I believe they have to opt in to share some of their connection. :-( BT forums were the last time I looked were full of disappointed people as far as Fon abroad is concerned, and the smartphone app. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 1footinthegrave - 2013-12-05 4:54 PM Had Enough - 2013-12-05 3:05 PM Tea Cup - 2013-12-05 2:47 PM I have a Kindle 3g which I used to use alot abroad because it's free on 3g, but now that hotmail is Outlook it doesn't work on hotmail anymore. I have considered buying a tablet, but have heard little good about them, plus might still not work with 3g on hotmail. It occurs to me that a compromise might be using a foreign sim with my smartphone connected via bluetooth to some sort of display monitor, such as a tablet - but I've no idea if that is technically possible. I do worry about taking my laptop with me on trips, though I've had to in the past I'm a member of the FON network which gives me wi-fi hotspots all over Europe. So are the rest of the millions of BT users unless they opt out, but don't believe the hype about connecting abroad, nor the smartphone app, to find one in Europe is like trying to find the end of a rainbow, one of the reasons being that unlike the UK BT users I believe they have to opt in to share some of their connection. :-( BT forums were the last time I looked were full of disappointed people as far as Fon abroad is concerned, and the smartphone app. But I'm not a BT user which is were the problems are. I've an account directly with Fon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Fon still means you have to opt in, by default BT users do, although I doubt most realize that, the fact remains finding a font hotspot over the water is far from a walk in the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 1footinthegrave - 2013-12-05 5:31 PM Fon still means you have to opt in, by default BT users do, although I doubt most realize that, the fact remains finding a font hotspot over the water is far from a walk in the park. Once again, I'm a direct FON user. It has nothing to do with my home phone provider or any UK phone system. I don't have to opt in to anything. Most problems reported are with BT users. Sometimes FON signals can be weak as they may be from apartments on the second or third floor but I have a superb wi-fi booster. And many cafes, restaurants and other businesses are FON hotspots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Taken from their website BT is our partner in the United Kingdom, so if you’re a BT Broadband customer, you’ve already got Fon!When you subscribe for any BT Broadband package you receive free unlimited access to Fon’s huge global WiFi network, as well as all BT Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK. No mention of anything like a direct fon account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 1footinthegrave - 2013-12-05 5:54 PM Taken from their website BT is our partner in the United Kingdom, so if you’re a BT Broadband customer, you’ve already got Fon!When you subscribe for any BT Broadband package you receive free unlimited access to Fon’s huge global WiFi network, as well as all BT Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK. No mention of anything like a direct fon account. Why do you keep going on about BT? And why should BT mention the direct FON account on its website? I'll say it again. I am not a BT customer. I am a direct FON customer. I purchased my FON router directly from FON. It plugs into my Virgin Media router and makes my home a FON hotspot. People who do this get access to all the FON hotspots in Europe. Instead of spending ages challenging what I'm saying why don't you just look it up? Google - FON, couldn't be easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Perhaps for the benefit of others you could have explained that to begin with if you wanted to pass on some useful information. The fact remains not according to me but Fon that BT is the UK partner so that can only lead to confusion, and as I said all BT users since a few years ago are in the system by default.....................the fact remains though that unless your camped right outside someone's window,in my experience it's pretty useless. But take the trouble to look at this link and it's far from clear how you would join or buy into Fon as it states "not a member yet switch to BT, so perhaps it's changed since you joined. https://corp.fon.com/en/microsite/bt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Had Enough Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 1footinthegrave - 2013-12-05 6:33 PM Perhaps for the benefit of others you could have explained that to begin with if you wanted to pass on some useful information. The fact remains not according to me but Fon that BT is the UK partner so that can only lead to confusion, and as I said all BT users since a few years ago are in the system by default.....................the fact remains though that unless your camped right outside someone's window,in my experience it's pretty useless. But take the trouble to look at this link and it's far from clear how you would join or buy into Fon as it states "not a member yet switch to BT, so perhaps it's changed since you joined. https://corp.fon.com/en/microsite/bt I didn't explain at length as the thread was about tablets, not wi-fi systems, apart from which the subject has already been discussed in depth on this section of the forum. And if you'd wanted to know more you could have asked. Instead you chose to challenge everything I said as though I was making it up. https://shop.fon.com/en/product/fonera-20n-0 And there's a cheaper one in the pipeline. I suspect that the cheaper one is sold out as it went incredibly well when it was announced a few months ago. They are probably waiting for for further supplies. So once more, nothing to do with BT. You do not need to be a BT customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I apologise I wrongly assumed it was only BT in the UK that you could use to join Fon, that was only born out of the information given on the Fon home that stated BT was Fons UK partner, no mention of anything else on the home page as I said....................perhaps their marketing is in need of improvement, but I'm curious to know why you state that being on the BT broadband package is part of the problem, as lets face it if Fon is so readily accessible in Europe why would anyone need to bother with expensive data charges when roaming with a 3g enabled phone, but instead sit outside someone's premises / home . I have read however that part of the problem with Fon in Europe is the end user has to opt in, unlike here with the millions of BT users are opted in by default. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Cup Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Had Enough - 2013-12-05 3:05 PM Tea Cup - 2013-12-05 2:47 PM I have a Kindle 3g which I used to use alot abroad because it's free on 3g, but now that hotmail is Outlook it doesn't work on hotmail anymore. I have considered buying a tablet, but have heard little good about them, plus might still not work with 3g on hotmail. It occurs to me that a compromise might be using a foreign sim with my smartphone connected via bluetooth to some sort of display monitor, such as a tablet - but I've no idea if that is technically possible. I do worry about taking my laptop with me on trips, though I've had to in the past Your comment about having heard little good about tablets is puzzling. The iPad is a tablet for example and it's loved by millions. I use my 10" tablet if the wi-fi is close by. It boots up instantaneously and is smaller and lighter than my laptop, ideal for sitting outside a campsite office for example when wi-fi is only available in a small zone. What I meant is that I have no personal knowledge or experience of tablets. I've never even touched one, so I know nothing of them. I can't really understand their benefit, and I wouldn't want to spend that much (ipad), which is why I was interested in this post concerning cheap tablets. I am interested in your comment about a very good wifi booster. I have an Alfa 5db, which I have found helpful, and have just received a longer booster aerial from Hong Kong, but have not yet had chance to test it. It claims to be of much higher gain. I thought of a Yagi, but reviews seem mixed, plus they are necessarily directional, which is fine if you know where the signal is from. To be honest I'm not expecting much from it, but thought it was worthwhile punting £6.60, since it has a long cable and a magnetic base, so I can stick it on the bonnet of the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 In that case I'd stick with a small laptop, as IMO there isn't much benefit to a tablet for the average bod, unless you want a compass app ! ! Loads of laptops go for a song now as everyone it seems has bought into the £4/500 tablet market. And they are obviously attractive to a thief, where as some cheapo laptop all though perfect for what some may want they couldn't give away even if they did bother to nick it, well not mine at least. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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