best budget tablet?

esperanza · 09-23-2016, 06:32 PM

Dh would like a tablet for doing school work. He would like a USB port, ability to use a stylus, a keyboard, and will be using it to read a textbook, some word processing. Nothing fancy. We've done some reading online. It will likely be a gift from my mom (early Christmas gift), and we don't want to ask for something too outrageous. We aren't even really sure what we're looking for as we don't have a tablet. We don't have any Apple products, so we're not thinking of an iPad.
Ideas? Good ones or one to avoid?

2sunshines · 09-24-2016, 01:52 AM

I was recently in the market for a tablet. Purchased one January of this year and did all the thousands of years of research at that time.

Forget most of it now.

BUT I ended up with a Samsung Galaxy. I bought the Tab A. Bought a certified refurbished one so I got a good deal. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use it pretty much daily. I have been VERY happy with it. I am glad I went with the 10 inch screen as opposed to the smaller one. I mostly use it for quick convenience at home, easy portability, and my biggest use is to utilize it in the kitchen when cooking as I do most, if not all, of my recipes from online.

esperanza · 09-25-2016, 07:44 PM

Thanks! That is one we were looking at, as it seems to have good reviews. Dh was looking at one that mentioned it came with some kind of Microsoft programs (like Word), but maybe a mobile version?? Is that hard to get/expensive for tablets that don't have it?

Quiteria · 09-25-2016, 07:54 PM

We ended up getting a budget 2-in-1 laptop/tablet so that we could install things like Dragon speech-to-text and eventually Word, Powerpoint, Photoshop, etc. The cheapest one doesn't use the stylus as effectively as the next step up, but oh well.

You may want to look into Open Office as a free alternative to Word, IF he can get by submitting things in that format. Saving things as rtf (rich text format) is another way around not having the right word processor, but it depends on whether there are also files from the teacher to open. It looks like there may be some Google extensions to handle things like that on Chromebooks, but I'm still researching.

2sunshines · 09-26-2016, 04:40 AM

Truthfully, I don't really know much about the word processing aspect of tablets. I use them primarily for internet and such... I still default to my laptop for those sorts of things. When I have the need on my tablet, I just tend to lean towards using google docs.

tazmom · 09-27-2016, 07:26 PM

For college I used a Galaxy Note 10.1 with a Bluetooth keyboard. The ability to write on the screen was really helpful in physics class. Microsoft has apps for Office on Android.

esperanza · 09-27-2016, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tazmom

For college I used a Galaxy Note 10.1 with a Bluetooth keyboard. The ability to write on the screen was really helpful in physics class. Microsoft has apps for Office on Android.

That one looks really nice, but a lot more than we were thinking of spending. Looks like it's about $600? We were thinking more $300 or under. But the apps- are they cheap? So he could get an app that has Microsoft Office for any android tablet?

tazmom · 09-27-2016, 09:31 PM

A Tab A would be my next choice. We have one the kids use for school.

The apps are free, but to be able to save he needs to have a Microsoft account.

Quiteria · 09-27-2016, 11:27 PM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-f...?skuId=4456600

$313 for a 2-in-1 with Windows 10 and a large hard drive.

Some of the Chromebooks are less.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpa...ce%20skuidsaas

09-23-2016, 06:32 PM	#1
esperanza Rose Garden Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 5,240	best budget tablet? Dh would like a tablet for doing school work. He would like a USB port, ability to use a stylus, a keyboard, and will be using it to read a textbook, some word processing. Nothing fancy. We've done some reading online. It will likely be a gift from my mom (early Christmas gift), and we don't want to ask for something too outrageous. We aren't even really sure what we're looking for as we don't have a tablet. We don't have any Apple products, so we're not thinking of an iPad. Ideas? Good ones or one to avoid? __________________ Wife to mi amor Mama to my gift from the Lord (07/2013)

09-24-2016, 01:52 AM	#2
2sunshines Moderator in Celebrations, Cloth Diapering & EC, Empty Arms, Prayer & Praise, and Swap n' Shop Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 27,024	Re: best budget tablet? I was recently in the market for a tablet. Purchased one January of this year and did all the thousands of years of research at that time. Forget most of it now. BUT I ended up with a Samsung Galaxy. I bought the Tab A. Bought a certified refurbished one so I got a good deal. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I use it pretty much daily. I have been VERY happy with it. I am glad I went with the 10 inch screen as opposed to the smaller one. I mostly use it for quick convenience at home, easy portability, and my biggest use is to utilize it in the kitchen when cooking as I do most, if not all, of my recipes from online. __________________ married 25 years mom to two young adults (23 and 20) and two teens (17 and 15)

09-25-2016, 07:44 PM	#3
esperanza Rose Garden Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 5,240	Re: best budget tablet? Thanks! That is one we were looking at, as it seems to have good reviews. Dh was looking at one that mentioned it came with some kind of Microsoft programs (like Word), but maybe a mobile version?? Is that hard to get/expensive for tablets that don't have it? __________________ Wife to mi amor Mama to my gift from the Lord (07/2013)

09-25-2016, 07:54 PM	#4
Quiteria Rose Garden Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 23,483	Re: best budget tablet? We ended up getting a budget 2-in-1 laptop/tablet so that we could install things like Dragon speech-to-text and eventually Word, Powerpoint, Photoshop, etc. The cheapest one doesn't use the stylus as effectively as the next step up, but oh well. You may want to look into Open Office as a free alternative to Word, IF he can get by submitting things in that format. Saving things as rtf (rich text format) is another way around not having the right word processor, but it depends on whether there are also files from the teacher to open. It looks like there may be some Google extensions to handle things like that on Chromebooks, but I'm still researching. __________________ Homeschooling mama to five: a young adult (graduated!), two high schoolers, a big kid, and a kindergartner And yes, they've all aged overnight since the last time you read my out-of-date sigg.

09-26-2016, 04:40 AM	#5
2sunshines Moderator in Celebrations, Cloth Diapering & EC, Empty Arms, Prayer & Praise, and Swap n' Shop Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 27,024	Re: best budget tablet? Truthfully, I don't really know much about the word processing aspect of tablets. I use them primarily for internet and such... I still default to my laptop for those sorts of things. When I have the need on my tablet, I just tend to lean towards using google docs. __________________ married 25 years mom to two young adults (23 and 20) and two teens (17 and 15)

09-27-2016, 07:26 PM	#6
tazmom Rose Garden Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 7,740	Re: best budget tablet? For college I used a Galaxy Note 10.1 with a Bluetooth keyboard. The ability to write on the screen was really helpful in physics class. Microsoft has apps for Office on Android. __________________ Michelle Bearer of the Sceptre of Sympathetic Strength Wife to the car guy for 21 years Mom to my kids T - Fifteen A - Thirteen Z - Ten

09-27-2016, 09:31 PM	#8
tazmom Rose Garden Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 7,740	Re: best budget tablet? A Tab A would be my next choice. We have one the kids use for school. The apps are free, but to be able to save he needs to have a Microsoft account. __________________ Michelle Bearer of the Sceptre of Sympathetic Strength Wife to the car guy for 21 years Mom to my kids T - Fifteen A - Thirteen Z - Ten

09-27-2016, 11:27 PM	#9
Quiteria Rose Garden Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 23,483	Re: best budget tablet? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-f...?skuId=4456600 $313 for a 2-in-1 with Windows 10 and a large hard drive. Some of the Chromebooks are less. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpa...ce%20skuidsaas __________________ Homeschooling mama to five: a young adult (graduated!), two high schoolers, a big kid, and a kindergartner And yes, they've all aged overnight since the last time you read my out-of-date sigg. Last edited by Quiteria; 09-27-2016 at 11:30 PM.

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