Kids love this erasable tablet

Grocery lists. Notes to spouse. Sketches of my next billion dollar idea. It seems we're always needing a way to record something important - or trivial.

This LCD writing tablet provides an easy way to capture words or images without generating more paper waste. It's been very popular with our pre-school grandchildren who use it to draw cartoon figures, practice letters and numbers or play tic-tac-toe.

The Tecboss tablet has a 10-inch LCD screen that responds to a stylus that rests in a groove along the top of the screen. Use the stylus to record doodles or notes, then flick a lock switch on the side of the tablet to preserve them or click the button on the front of the tablet to erase them.

The tablet runs on a tiny button battery that should last for more than a year and some 10,000 scribbles.

The Tecboss tablet is available in a pink or gray case $15.99 on Amazon.

By: Ric Manning On 3/12/2021

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Alexa is a welcome addition to Amazon's tablet

Gizmo Editor Review

What’s the first app you install on a new tablet computer? For me, it’s Amazon’s Kindle app. I have to have my book library close at hand and tablets have become my preferred reading platform. Close behind come Amazon’s music and streaming video apps along with Amazon’s  shopping app.

And now there’s Alexa, the voice-controlled personal assistant that we have added to the household through two stand-alone devices, the Amazon Dot and Tap. Alexa delivers news updates and weather reports, dims the hall lights, plays music and reads my current Kindle book, picking up where I left off.

Clearly, I’m all in with Amazon, which is why I was pleased to get my hands on the Amazon Fire Tablet after Xberts chose me to write this review and provided the product for free. Amazon’s line of Fire tablets are the first tablet devices to include Alexa built into the operating system, making it a tablet you can talk to and one that talks to you.

The Fire Tablet I received is Amazon’s starter model that has a 7-inch high-resolution screen, 8GB of memory and an SD slot for additional memory. It’s the version Amazon sells for $49.99.

How can a tablet with those specs have such a low price tag? One reason is the Fire Tablet contains ads. When you wake the tablet you see a screen selling a variety of products. So far, I’ve seen ads for Band Aids, bottled water, Starbucks’ fancy drinks and a leasing deal on a Genesis, Hyundai’s new luxury car.

But more important than the ads are the myriad offers buy or sample Amazon products like audio books from Amazon-owned Audible or a subscription to The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon’s founder.

The Fire is not designed to be a multi-purpose tablet computer like the iPad Mini or the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Its job is to help you live inside the Amazon ecosystem where it’s easy to play music from your Amazon-housed collection, stream movies and TV shows from Amazon and shop for things like dog food or kitchen appliances. In other words, all of the things we’ve come to rely on Amazon to provide. And it does that job very, very well.

Setting up the Fire Tablet took a little longer than I had expected. It had previously been registered to someone else - perhaps it was a returned or refurbished item - so I had to start by re-registering with my own Amazon account. That instantly got my books and other Amazon stuff loaded into the tablet.

The Fire Tablet runs Google’s Android operating system, but you would barely know that by looking at it. The home screen is populated Amazon apps and as you swipe left, you drill deeper into your Amazon world.

Each swipe shows pages that display your books, music, videos, games, audiobooks and the digital newspapers or magazines that you have subscribed to. The book or movie you’ve most recently accessed is featured on each page along with related content that Amazon’s algorithms think you might want to purchase.

There’s no Google Play store on the Fire Tablet. To get new apps, you go to the Amazon’s app store where you can download Pandora, Netflix, YouTube and other popular apps.      

That was fine so far, but where was Alexa? The app was not pre-loaded with all the other Amazon apps as I expected. It turned out that the operating system needed to be updated - twice, actually - before Alexa was ready to ready to run.

With Amazon’s Dot and Echo, the devices are always listening for someone to say “Alexa” to launch the service. On the Fire Tablet, the process is slightly different. Alexa appears when you press and hold the Home icon for two seconds. When you hear a chime and see a blue line at the bottom of the screen, Alexa is ready to hear your question or command. You don’t have to say her name to get her attention.

Users who are new to Alexa can use the Alexa app to personalize the service by selecting applets from a library of skills. If you’re already an Alexa user, your library of skills will be linked to Alexa on the tablet. One feature that I particularly like is how Alexa will read any of my Kindle books that allow that functionality. I just have to say “Read 1984” and Alexa picks up where I left off.

Alexa is a welcome and useful addition to the Fire Tablet. It’s an non-threatening introduction to voice control that greatly expands the tablet’s usefulness. Now I have another way to get my daily news briefing, tune in to my local NPR radio station, play goofy music for the little kids and get answers to like “How hot is the sun?” And, of course, buy more dog food.

By: Ric Manning On 5/01/2017

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Tablets for seniors to include Uber

GrandPad, a tablet computer customized for use by seniors over 75, is slated to get a new feature that will help the tablet’s users be more mobile: a dedicated button to summon an Uber ride.

The tablet links with a mobile phone or desktop computer to create a private network that restricts outside threats and annoyances such as spam and phishing email.

The grandPad interface lets seniors launch a video chat with family members, check emails from the family and designated friends, share photos, play games, get weather reports, make phone calls and do other things using large buttons and a stylus.

The new Uber button will summon a car and driver for trips to the grocery, drugstore, medical appointments and social events. The Uber integration also will offer features that are not available in the regular Uber app. For example, a caregiver can preset a menu of travel destinations. And with the user’s permission, the app will send real-time travel updates to a selected family member.

For more details on the grandPad and the Uber connection, check the grandPad website.

By: Ric Manning On 2/26/2016

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X-Systems has rugged waterproof phones and tablets

I never want to go to the beach or hike in the woods without bringing along my mobile phone. After all, you can take this “back to nature” business too far and I remember all too well that time my phone went for a swim in Florida.

My search for a rugged and waterproof smartphone took me to the X-Systems Store where they sell a special version of Android phones and tablets that are wrapped in a heavy-duty protective case.

A good example is the X-Tel 7500, which sells for €399. Its features include dual SIMs, a 1.2GHz Quad Core processor, 1GB of RAM, W-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and an 8 megapixel camera. A front panel made of Gorilla Glass protects a sunlight-readable screen and he case protects against shock damage, water, dust and freeze conditions.

X-Systems also sells tablets, phones for the elderly and disabled and a rugged navigation device. You can see the full lineup at the X-Systems website.

By: Ric Manning On 9/08/2015

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New Peacock tablet will have free Internet

I have friends of a certain age who could get a lot of use out of a tablet computer, if only they weren’t intimidated by apps, operating systems and Internet access. Those are the folks who will want to hear about the Rooah Peacock tablet.

The tablet, scheduled to be available this fall, has two features that will appeal to the techno-skittish: it’s easy to use and the Internet is not only built in, it’s also free. That should be good news to the people in many parts of the world where fewer than half of the population go online.

The Peacock tablet has the specs of a high-quality tablet: a 7.89 inch LCD screen, a quad core processor, 16GB of internal memory, front and rear cameras and Bluetooth support. It supports streaming video and movie services and it can play Android-based games. And its developers say the Rooah OS “learns the user as they are using the device and will suggest apps, people, websites, and content that it believes the user may like or find useful.”

The Peacock Rooah builders are in the wary stages of an Indiegogo campaign that hopes to raise $20,000 by Oct. 5. Anyone who pledges $199 will get the Peacock tablet running Android 4.4. A pledge of $499 puts you in line for a tablet with the Rooah OS. Take a closer look at the Peacock Rooah at this Indiegogo page. 

By: Ric Manning On 8/23/2014

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LG G Pad fits nicely in the middle

Think of the LG G Pad as the tablet Goldilocks would choose. With an 8.3-inch screen, it's smaller and more portable than a full-sized iPad or Android tablet but larger than an iPad Mini or the popular 7-inch tablets like Google's Nexus 7 or Amazon's Fire.

The G Pad has a solid feel when you hold it with two hands in landscape mode. It's almost too wide for one hand in portrait mode, especially if it's in a case.

The tablet has a gorgeous high-definition screen that makes it an attractive device for videos on-the-go and its size gives you a larger keyboard for serious work. It comes with 16GB of internal memory, but you also get an SD expansion slot to add more.

The G Pad runs version 4.2 of Android's operating system, also called Jelly Bean, and it comes with a few extra software embellishments. You get Bluetooth tethering to connect other Wi-Fi devices, a double-tap on the screen to quickly wake the tablet or put it in sleep mode, and a way to use multiple apps as layers on the screen.

The G Pad sold at Verizon's stores plugs into the carrier's LTE broadband network. You can get one for $300 without a contract or $200 with a two-year agreement.

By: Ric Manning On 4/21/2014

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Make room for Samsung's Galaxy Note 3

I finally figured out what I'm supposed to put in those square thigh pockets on cargo pants. An iPhone gets lost in those pockets and they're too small for an iPad Mini or Google Nexus tablet. But Samsung's new Galaxy 3 Note seems to be right at home.

The third generation of Samsung's popular Note targets the sweet spot between a large mobile phone and a small tablet. Yes, it can make calls on the major carrier networks, if you don't mind being seen with a outsized slab held to your ear. But it also delivers a welcoming platform for movies and TV shows on a 5.7-inch screen that tops the quality of Apple's best mobile displays.  

If you liked the previous Note - or any of the oversized "phablet" phones, the new Note will please you even more. It has a paster processor, more memory and longer battery life. 

And, Samsung continues to improve its stylus and note-writing software. I thought I was done with stylus writing when I moved on from my Palm V PDA. But Samsung's S Pen system could win me back. The stylus tucks into the bottom of the phone and when you remove it, you get a block of commands that take you to various pen functions. You can tap a selection or let the pen hover over the icons to review your options.

Scribble a note and the software lets you do something with it, like file it in a scrapbook, send it to Evernote or add it to a to-do list. I wrote a phone number in my ugly scrawl. The program turned it into text and asked if I wanted to dial it or create a new contact. It all worked smoothly.

I don't know if I'm ready for an oversized phone (I may need more cargo pants). But when I am, this looks like the one to get. Verizon sells the Note 3 for $299 with a two-year contract.

By: Ric Manning On 10/22/2013

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Get a grip on your tablet

We want our tablets and ebook readers to be thin and light, but that can also mean they're slippery and sometimes difficult to hold. If you've tried to hold a tablet in one hand while you're your other hand is typing or trying some exotic multi-finger gesture, then you know what I mean.

When Denver DJ Kevin "Prometheus" Trotsky couldn't find a device that would let him get a grip on his iPad, he invented one. It's called the Whale Tail and it lets you hold a tablet securely with one hand or prop up the device on almost any surface.

The gadget some in two pieces. The first is a black dome-shaped Vacuum Dock that sticks to the back of the your tablet like those suction cup brackets that mount your GPS on your car's windshield. But this one has a built-in pumping button that insures a tight fit on a plastic case or on the iPad's aluminum back.    

The dock is the perfect size for the palm of your hand. It gives you a solid hold on your device while your other hand is free to point, type or swipe. The other component is the tail, which snaps into place in the center of the dock. Now you have a stand as well as a gripper.

The tail is both sturdy and flexible. It can be attached and bent to hold the tablet at a variety of angles, in either portrait or landscape mode.

I usually keep my iPad in an X-Doria folio case, but I've found lots of uses for the Whale Tail. It was especially welcome when I did a presentation to a group and it finds just the right angle for iPadding in bed.

The Whale Tail cost $49.95 at Octa.com.

By: Ric Manning On 5/28/2012

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Samsung claims the middle tablet

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is one Goldilocks would love.

It’s the Android tablet that slips neatly in between a full-sized tablet with a 10-inch screen and a larger smart phone with a 4-inch display. One is too big for a coat pocket, the other too small for movies or serious work.

For some people, the Tab’s 7.7-inch screen size will be just right. It has a gorgeous high-resolution screen that doesn’t quite match the Retina display on the new iPad, but looks pretty close.

Samsung does match Apple for a clean design and a super-thin body. And the tablet comes with a full complement of features, including front and rear cameras, a memory card expansion slot, Bluetooth, WiFi and Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

Available at Verizon stores and online, the tablet costs about $500 with a two-year contract.

By: Ric Manning On 4/18/2012

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