OT- Electronic help- iPad, Tablet, Notebook for a 9 year old

BS9 is asking for an iPad/Tablet, etc. I am kind of clueless when it comes to these things.

He wants something that he can play apps on. (like the ones that you can download on your phone). But he also wants to use it like a laptop. (general browsing, Microsoft office on it)

Any suggestions?

I am looking for something that isnt super expensive but that isnt cheap and going to be a waste of money. He goes to a STEM school and next year they will be required to have a laptop, tablet, etc.

Thanks!

zerostepdrama's blog
Log in or register to post comments

Comments

I'm getting SD a Kindle Fire

I'm getting SD a Kindle Fire for Christmas with the plan to add controls to it.

We bought our boys iPads for $399 from Target recently. I spent a decent amount of money on cases off of Amazon for cases (the ones in Target weren't quality). If they break them, they will not be replaced.

I have a Kindle Fire, and I would never buy another. Poor battery life, and it's next to impossible to type anything on it.

We have iPads for all the

We have iPads for all the kids. BD was 2 when she got hers. I am SOOOOO glad we got ottercases for them. BD has not only dropped it, but stepped on it, spilled milk, yogurt, apple sauce on it. It still works fine. Those otter cases are expensive but well worth the money.

Now you may be asking "What would a two year old be doing with an iPad?".

YouTube's "Disney Collector". Some chick with fancy fingernail polish opening up one Disney knick knack after another. She loves it! Now she has discovered Peppa pig

BS loves the iPad to watch any videos that involve cars. Hot Wheels, Dash cams, etc.

SS uses the iPad to watch soft porn with vegetables.

Totally an aside, but does he

Totally an aside, but does he have the HotWheels Track Builder app? I found it for my BS5 and he ADORES it - he's also into anything "cars".

No. I'll look into that!

Rutherford, your Wicker-man

Rutherford, your Wicker-man algorithm is working!

They said the same thing when

They said the same thing when televisions hit the mass market, or the big video game console boom of the 80s. These things would somehow break down the fabric of family life. And now days its cell phones iPads, tablets,...

But we talked about this before. I don't mind my kids being exposed to the electronic gadgets, so long as its in moderation and that they learn how to cope without.

I don't want my kids to turn out like that med student who almost died of exposure because her GPS led her astray and her cell phone batteries died. I am hopeful for BS and BD since I showed them how to find the North Star. SS? Not so much as he thinks the sun rises in the south.

>I was simply curious what a

>I was simply curious what a 2-year-old could possibly do with a device like that (other than put it in their mouth).<

Are you kidding? At 2, BD knew how to use the voice-recognition feature to get at the videos she wanted on YouTube and she knew how to fastforward through the ads on YouTube.

Plus there are TONS of baby/toddler apps out there!

That's the nature of

That's the nature of technological innovation. Everything that comes out is smaller scale, has more memory, longer lasting battery life AND a very small learning curve to use.

Future tech is both wonderous and scary.

Scariest thing I learned is

Scariest thing I learned is the prediction that the grandchildren of our children will not be able to communicate in writing to each other because the the language will have evolved so greatly it will become indecipherable. I can see it now

BD: "Hello Granddaughter! How R U?"

Granddaughter: *!* i) Y IOé!!! U?

I think so. I'll have to

I think so. I'll have to check.

Its the new way of parenting.

Its the same agurment with every new invention. TV, VCR, Nintendo, Game Boy, DS, Computers, Lap Tops, iPad, phone, etc. This is how the world and play time is evolving. Everything in moderation.

Your judgement though- WOW!

Ever? You're saying

Ever? You're saying EVERYTHING new is automatically bad? I can't get behind that...

I'm with Draco on this. (I think we're both in tech, for what that's worth.) I have no problems with my kids having access to technology in moderation. Hell, my five year old actually NEEDS an iPad for kindergarten! They have a reading app, the school pays for the subscription - they can use it in school, but parents are "strongly encouraged" to have the kids use it at home as well. (You can, in theory, install it on a laptop instead. However it's really designed for a touch screen and much better on a tablet.)

BD's daycare has a "computer

BD's daycare has a "computer room" where they show kids how to work a mouse, etc. They mostly use them as educational aids. It started as a small room with just a couple of computers. Now? It's the same size/capacity as my old computer lab in college.

Actually I should have

Actually I should have specified that they are iPad minis.

They were Christmas gifts.

DW and I originally got an Ipad for ourselves a couple of years back. We did not forsee Scrounger and the Cooler King fighting over it. So we bought them each one and they love them.

No, no kid "needs" and iPad, any more than any kid "needs" a toy but DW and I are glad we bought them.