Study Tablet-What NOT to buy!

[GrumpysWife]

When I first started using a tablet, I had one of the first Kindle Fires. It worked ok but the Wtlib app would get stuck when going to scriptures. I gave a new small 8 in. Kindle Fire to a friend who didn't have a tablet and she has the same complaint. 

[retroHelen]

So many in our congregation are not tech savvy, yet have a tablet. Every time a brother updates their ipad/tablet for them, the sound is not muted and they don't have any idea how to notice this or how to set it and make sure it is muted. How many times has a video or music tripped off at the meeting and the  person sits waving it about in panic until someone else comes to their rescue and it is so loud that the speaker has to stop until it's all sorted!  I would help, but I don't have/understand apple Ipad.

 

I have had a Windows 10 tablet for a couple of years now - Acer like my laptop PC, because I use it for many things/ transferred documents, books, emails, pictures across from PC and not just at meetings/reading/research and I got it really cheap off ebay as a 'graded' 'refurbished' item. I got an extra memory card for the highest amount the tablet can cope with. The only snag I found was that sometimes it closes down at the meeting suddenly whilst it decides that it should now integrate all the updates it downloaded at home while it was recharging. I'm sure there is a way to stop it doing this at meeting times, but even I am not that tech savvy.

 

The battery life isn't very long either and with a full day at a convention - it 'conks out' before the last talk if I don't act frugal with it and not have it on for songs or breaks and draw down the brightness as far as is usefully possible.

[DancesWithWife]

I have actually gone back to using a "real" Bible, not an electronic one, when Scriptures are read. I still use my tablet for studying, Watchtower, Congregation Book Study, but use an actual printed one to look up passages. But I also use an app that has around 20 translations for comparison too.

[Qapla]

53 minutes ago, DancesWithWife said:

I have actually gone back to using a "real" Bible, not an electronic one

 

 

 

You may use a "solid/paper/bound/pages" Bible - but, you must keep in mind, an electronic Bible is just as real as any other Bible!

[DancesWithWife]

15 minutes ago, Qapla said:

You may use a "solid/paper/bound/pages" Bible - but, you must keep in mind, an electronic Bible is just as real as any other Bible!

I did not say an electronic one was not a "real" one. I have found that I like holding a book instead of a tablet to look up Scriptures I get more benefits. No fight here at all.

[Hope]

I do the same -- I just don't want to lose my facility finding scriptures in the actual book.  I use the paper Bible during any talk I'm not taking notes in (Sundays, mid-week Bible reading).  Tablet is great for assemblies/conventions coz I only need one hand to find scriptures and can keep hold of my notebook... which I do use paper and pen to take notes.

 

 

[DancesWithWife]

4 hours ago, retroHelen said:

How many times has a video or music tripped off at the meeting and the  person sits waving it about in panic until someone else comes to their rescue and it is so loud that the speaker has to stop until it's all sorted!  I would help, but I don't have/understand apple Ipad.

 

That makes for an interesting meeting, no doubt!

[Qapla]

30 minutes ago, DancesWithWife said:

I did not say an electronic one was not a "real" one.

 

 

Well, I guess you did not say an electronic Bible was not real ...... you said

1 hour ago, DancesWithWife said:

I have actually gone back to using a "real" Bible, not an electronic one

 

By saying you went "back to using a real Bible, not an electronic one", aren't you implying that an electronic Bible is not a "real Bible".

 

Now, if you had said, "I have actually gone back to using a "paper" Bible, not an electronic one" or "I have actually gone back to using a "bound" Bible, not an electronic one" that would have been different.

 

So, even if you did not outright say an electronic Bible wasn't a real one, you implied it.

 

I have no problem using either. I use both kinds and I am also very careful not to phrase one to be "real" while therefore indicating, by default, that the other type is not real.

[DancesWithWife]

1 minute ago, Qapla said:

I use both kinds and I am also very careful not to phrase one to be "real" while therefore indicating, by default, that the other type is not real

No reason to get snarky or disrespectful, now you sound like your thinking is superior to mine. Have a good day John.

[Qapla]

I did not mean to imply I am better than you .... I am sorry if you took it that way.

 

When the electronic Bible first came out, many in the Congregations and ones on this forum were very down on them. Labeling them as "not a real Bible". Many thought we should not use them on the platform or in the Ministry.

 

Then, when the FDS said it was OK to use them and even started providing videos demonstrating their use, their was still resistance to accepting them as "real Bibles".

 

I was hoping you would take my comments in the lighthearted way I posted - I did use a cartoon character.

 

Again, I hope you will not remain upset with me ....

Edited October 27, 2017 by Qapla

[DancesWithWife]

7 minutes ago, Qapla said:

Again, I hope you will not remain upset with me ....

Not upset, thanks for the reply. Lot of things going on, so I took this too personal. We both agree, so that is the most important thing!

Edited October 27, 2017 by DancesWithWife
added clarity

[Toy Poodles]

23 hours ago, Peanuts said:

Has anyone brought a kindle fire recently and still experienced problems? I knew there were issues but i thought they were resolved now. I am tempted  to get one as they are £50 right now.

 

 

I bought a Kindle fire this year because my iPad Air wouldn't charge anymore.

 

So far the Kindle Fire works great and it does as well as my iPad. 

I have had it for 4 months.

Hope this helps.

[jwhess]

7 hours ago, DancesWithWife said:

I have actually gone back to using a "real" Bible, not an electronic one, when Scriptures are read. I still use my tablet for studying, Watchtower, Congregation Book Study, but use an actual printed one to look up passages. But I also use an app that has around 20 translations for comparison too.

Not unusual by any means.  I imagine the same discussion every time the faithful ones upgraded the form of scripture documentation.  Moses copying data from Stone Tablets onto Parchment or Vellum scrolls.  Early Christians copying Scrolls into Leaved Codex books.  Renaissance printers formatting hand written Codex into printed and bound Books.  Now we linger with our Printed Books while our faithful brothers burn the midnight oil copying our Books into Electronic Digital format.

 

Each successive generation probably had the same feeling.  "I don't want to lose my expertise in finding Isaiah in my scroll by using that new-fangled book thing".  Or "I really like th efeel and smell of a genuine hand-written, wooden bound Bible over one of those new-fangled printed things."  Or....well you get the drift.   

 

None of the stone tablets or scrolls or codex or whatever is "better" or "worse" in transmitting the thoughts of God.  They are different formats.  Usually the change came from a need to make the Word of God available to more people or less restrictive in cost or easier to carry and dispense the Truth.

[DancesWithWife]

1 hour ago, jwhess said:

our Books into Electronic Digital format.

 

As long as we have power! Another reason I switched! 

[MizPeg]

On Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 9:54 PM, Danni said:

not that old but im hurt. 

in my opinion, ipad is a more pricey but it's worth it. just take care of it physically. they have good processing power. choose the storage size that suits your need. when it comes to updates, even older ipads gets it. for example, the ipad air and ipad mini 2 were both released 4 years ago. but still, they are able to be updated to the latest version of ios which is ios11! 

That must be why I was told,that if I planned on upgrading, I-pad should be the best choice.

 

[Qapla]

My oldest daughter would not trade her Surface Pro for an iPad if you offered to her for free.

 

We each have our own ideas as to what is "best" and "worth the money"

[GrumpysWife]

2 hours ago, DancesWithWife said:

As long as we have power! Another reason I switched! 

I have a solar charger and also a backup power pack. Neither cost very much and I always have power. My Samsung Tab A has a great battery. It lasts all day long on the one charge. 

[DancesWithWife]

47 minutes ago, GrumpysWife said:

Neither cost very much and I always have power. My Samsung Tab A has a great battery. It lasts all day long on the one charge. 

Always? My point being no power is needed for a book. This thread is reminding me of the beard thread. There are definite views that probably won't change! Just glad people use their Bible no matter the format. 

[tekmantwo]

11 hours ago, Hope said:

I do the same -- I just don't want to lose my facility finding scriptures in the actual book.  I use the paper Bible during any talk I'm not taking notes in (Sundays, mid-week Bible reading).  Tablet is great for assemblies/conventions coz I only need one hand to find scriptures and can keep hold of my notebook... which I do use paper and pen to take notes.

 

 

This is pretty much how I use my tablet.  I found that I can,  most of the time,  find a verse faster than my tablet does. It's slowing down in its old age. I probably have too much junk in it.

 

It works fine if the verse is linked,  like in the study parts of the meeting.  If I have to start from scratch it's easier with the paper copy...

 

At conventions Denise will take notes,  I look up the Scriptures. The lagtime between the speaker citing a verse,  and the actual reading of it, allows her a chance to catch up and then I hold the Bible to where we both can read along.

A lot of times she doesn't hear the verse mentioned and she looks to see what I have opened to...

[jwhess]

6 hours ago, DancesWithWife said:

As long as we have power! Another reason I switched! 

We live in a fairly windy area.  Difficulty holding a page open without wrinkling or tearing so the housholder can see.  Then there is moisture problems (I do public cart witnessing).  You might get a little coffee on your tablet and get it wiped off but not on "Bible paper".  The pros and cons go on forever.  What if......

 

I should mention that my eyesight is not as good as it used to be.  I have difficulty in reading even the Large Print edition.  But I can make my electronic version almost any size font that I need.  I switch color (white print on black background) for greater contrast and less glare.  I use my tablet for most things.  Plus I can carry my tablet with the entire printed library in one hand.  We have almost every book, brochure, magazine and video ever printed since 2000 in one place.....

Edited October 28, 2017 by jwhess

[ste]

If someone is looking for a cheaper but fast tablet then I can cautiously recommend the Teclast P80 Pro From Gearbest. It has an 8” screen, and very good benchmarks for the price (about 68,000 on Antutu). It also boots into both Android and Windows, so you can use Watchtower library.

 

The downside is that battery life is poor - only 3 to 5 hours depending on use. Fine for the meeting if it’s fully charged at the start though.

 

For the next day or two it’s only £65 (less than $100).

Edited October 28, 2017 by ste

[Jmystro]

9 hours ago, jwhess said:

We live in a fairly windy area.  Difficulty holding a page open without wrinkling or tearing so the housholder can see.  Then there is moisture problems (I do public cart witnessing).  You might get a little coffee on your tablet and get it wiped off but not on "Bible paper".  The pros and cons go on forever.  What if......

 

I should mention that my eyesight is not as good as it used to be.  I have difficulty in reading even the Large Print edition.  But I can make my electronic version almost any size font that I need.  I switch color (white print on black background) for greater contrast and less glare.  I use my tablet for most things.  Plus I can carry my tablet with the entire printed library in one hand.  We have almost every book, brochure, magazine and video ever printed since 2000 in one place.....

 

 

Also, you can keep account of your return visits, territory maps, notes, use of videos etc...

 

Publications are updated regularly by the Branch.

 

Downside is if you drop it or gets stolen and don’t have it backed up.

[Rozannnancarrow]

On 10/28/2017 at 8:43 AM, ste said:

If someone is looking for a cheaper but fast tablet then I can cautiously recommend the Teclast P80 Pro From Gearbest. It has an 8” screen, and very good benchmarks for the price (about 68,000 on Antutu). It also boots into both Android and Windows, so you can use Watchtower library.

 

The downside is that battery life is poor - only 3 to 5 hours depending on use. Fine for the meeting if it’s fully charged at the start though.

 

For the next day or two it’s only £65 (less than $100).

 

I have a itel ghana   ..total rubish  but can't buy ANY THING good here .all rejects  from the western  world. 

And I mean  everything  from shoes kitchen  to electronic 

[vern]

gearbest is from China.  fyi....

[Peanuts]

Well, i ordered the Kindle fire today.  i feel like ive gone against the very point of this thread . I will let you know how i get on. If the jw library app doesnt work on it i may donate it to my children and rescue my ipad back from them!