OneGuyFromBarlick

Pluggy mentioned tablets above and that prompts me to ask - what would be the best choice of gadget for someone who simply wants to have access to web browsing `on the sofa' to look up information, consult maps and view photos and doesn't want to do any writing, emailing or phoning on it. Just a decent sized screen for connecting to the wireless network and good battery charge life, and no need for a keyboard. Is there such a thing, that doesn't need an account with a mobile service, just buy it and use it. There probably are such gadgets but I'm not up to speed in this area as you all know!

I got Sally a Google Nexus tablet, (made by Acer) nice job, she loves it. Android based and WiFi enabled. We take it on holiday to connect to local WiFi for local information and access to Internet and webmail etc. Any similar would do the job, you can get tablets down to about £50 now but the Nexus is a nice solid job.

I bought P a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 a few years ago. As Ian says, does exactly what you describe, Tizer

Thanks for the suggestions. I presume that means they can be bought and used without any need for contracts, PAYG etc and the devices can't trick you into having to pay by sneakily seeking out mobile signals? Yes, I'm a bit paranoid about such things! I noticed that some of the ads for tablets seemed to suggest they could be used as mobile phones too which is what makes me concerned about them picking up signals and texts although I wouldn't want it to. One of the things I love about my PC is that it can't detect a mobile signal!

You can get tablets that require a sim and contract etc just like a mobile or just WiFi only models. If you search for them they will say in the specs whether they are WiFi only which is all you need to do what you describe.

Here is the Wiki on the Nexus series, the platform is available as a smartphone, tablet or media player devices.

Google Nexus

All run Android which is designed to be platform transferable. Our Motorola phones run exactly the same version of Android as Sally's Nexus 7 tablet. The only difference is the tablet is not mobile network enabled.

Sally has a second generation Nexus 7 (2013). The tablets are generally very fast using quad core processors and a decent amount of ram. Nexus 7 is discontinued now but but you can still buy them reconditioned, there are later generation devices available from Google and many other suppliers. I would recommend that you don't go absolutely at the bottom of the price range or right at the top.

I came across a gadget today offering to speed up my computer. Just 25 dollars for a miracle. Quick research showed it was just UIbuntu on a stick. I remembered that I've had it installed on my little emachines M250 notebook for a while, but never got to grips with it at all.

Well what do you know - I've tried it again, and started to get a grip of it.
Still struggling to do the basics such as finding opening and and closing files, but some progress. Could do with a one to one tutorial which I'm sure would resolve matters.

Must be doing something right -though, this post is from Ubuntu. Hooray.

David, Pluggy is the expert and when I got him to set me up with Ubuntu I asked him to give me a desktop like windows, a series of icons for my essential programmes that I just click on to open them. I never bother with the facility that gives me the small black screens where they tell me I can work miracles.... This way of using it works for me. Perhaps Pluggy could give a few clues??

How long do tablets like the Nexus last without a recharge? I'd be using it like an encyclopaedia, to pick up when I wanted to check a fact or look at a map and wouldn't want to be switching it on and waiting for it to load (that's the great thing about books - no warm-up time and no power needed!). That raises a more general but interesting question - how much electricity do such chargers use, is it minuscule or significant?

Tripps, I'm pleased to hear you're having some success with Ubuntu. Don't hesitate to ask questions! It seems quirky at first but then we've all been raised on windows machines. The system file management layout seems alien after windows but you can ignore it. If you want more software than is already shown on the default screen icons just click on the icon for the Ubunte Software Centre (the bag with bubbles coming out of it!). Everything there has been tested on Ubuntu. If you install an application and try it then want to uninstall just go back to the Centre and click its Uninstall button and it will disappear without trace. Anything to do with the system just click the System Settings icon (tool and cogwheel).

Stanley, what you asked for from Pluggy is what the Ubuntu default install gives you. A set of icons for the main applications which you can have on the edge of your screen vertically, horizontally or sprinkled at random if you wish. The small black screen (Terminal) is always available if wanted but otherwise you never see and these days you never need it.

Tripps, for your information, I always have the default applications plus a few others. My full set is Firefox browser, Thunderbird email, Nautilus File Manager (it's usually labelled as Home Folder), LibreOffice Writer and Calc, Gthumb Image Viewer (it also does a lot of editing), Gedit text editor, Screenshot, Document Viewer (for PDFs). I also use Gimp for fancier image editing, Xsane for scanning, Avidemux for audio/video editing and sometimes XFE File Manager when I need a split screen file manager. System Settings and the Software Centre are there by default. However it's so quick and easy to install/uninstall other applications that it's not worth keeping ones that you only use once a year say.

Tizer wrote:How long do tablets like the Nexus last without a recharge? I'd be using it like an encyclopaedia, to pick up when I wanted to check a fact or look at a map and wouldn't want to be switching it on and waiting for it to load (that's the great thing about books - no warm-up time and no power needed!). That raises a more general but interesting question - how much electricity do such chargers use, is it minuscule or significant.

Depends on usage of course. Regarding your second point, Sally never switches hers off for day to day usage. She has a flip leather case for it and when you close the front flap the tablet goes to sleep, open it and it wakes up. As to how much it costs to charge, I haven't really analysed it to any degree, we have two mobiles and the tablet and USB charging sockets in the dual gangs on the kitchen island and we just plug them in when they need it. At a guess with the way Sally uses it I would say she charges the tablet every 2 or 3 days but as I said it really depends on how much use you put it too. Sally uses it for Facebook, Ebay, webmail on occasion, t'internet, Google and she has a few apps for various interests.

Regarding chargers in general, I will have a look in the smart meter energy monitor on my online account and see if it partitions off such stuff. Mobiles and tablets charge at 5v at a few hundred milliwatts. Money Saving expert reckons that if the average household unplugs all their chargers when not actually being used it has the potential to save £30 per year in what they term Vampire losses. The actual cost of charging is a hit you have to take, it's minuscule really compared with the versatility and functionality that the tablet provides.

Further to above I have looked at my account since I had the smart meters fitted. Nearest I can get is my daily electric costs which are running at an average of about £1.20 a day but that is for everything including all household appliances. Charging costs will be minuscule compared to switching the kettle on, I would not vex too much about it really. Charging tip is to do it through the day and remove when done, I have just checked my phone and it has fully charged from 10% to 100% in 90 minutes.

THe £30 a year figure is vastly inflated for chargers left plugged in. £30 a year is more or less a contiuous draw of 30 watts. If they consumed that much power, they would need to be made of metal and a substantial size just to dissipate 30 watts of heat. (With anything electronic, all the power is ultimately converted to heat)

In this world a plugged in charger, consumes a negligible amount of power. All my modern ones give a reading of 0 on my power meter which will comfortably measure a single watt. If you have old chargers with linear power supplies (They are heavy) they consume a lot more than modern ones but even they won't consume anything like 30 watts. When they are in use and putting out several hundred milliamps charging they'll use typically 3-5 watts. When they've fully charged the device, they will typically drop to around 1 watt (£1 a year) if left plugged in to the mains and to the device they are charging. If you use the device whilst its connected it will increase. But again to nothing like 30 watts. Most devices use Micro USB connectors, which with the most enthusiastic of rating can carry a maximum of 3 AMPS (I wouldn't put them above 2 amps myself) which at 5 volts is 15 watts or 10 watts in my world. A cheap crappy switch mode charger (modern type) at the worst will be 70% efficient. A good one will be 90% +

There is a vast amount of total BS on the internet. £30 a year is such.

Nice one Pluggy, somehow I knew that you might have better figures to go from with your home monitoring. If you have enough of the negligible's they will all add up of course but for the average user it's not really worth bothering about.

You're spot on there Ian: reading Pluggy on energy is a bit like reading Bruff on politics - I think Stanley used the word `magisterial'. I certainly won't worry about the energy usage now. The next job is to wade through the various offerings. I hadn't realised until now that a Google Nexus is not really Google, it's a Samsung or an Asus or an HTC or an.... Silly me, thinking it might be straightforward!

Have a look for the basic specs, look for a quad core processor a decent amount of ram, expandable with micro SD, camera capability and the size of screen you are interested in and resolution, battery capabilities will often be quoted as well. You can get tablets in various sizes 7, 9, 10" etc, bigger the screen the more you will pay, 7" are quite usable. Android platform has a huge user base and range of free and paid apps. If you already have a smart phone you will be able to find an equivalent tablet running the same platform which may be useful.

All good stuff there..... Yes, I reckon Richard's posts are magisterial and witty, a good combination!
The new charger Pluggy gave me that came with his phone never gets warm, neither does the phone. I suspect it's very efficient. I charge the phone in the evening and leave it plugged in for about 3 hours, it fi then fully charged. I am sire it does it in a lot less.
As for cost. I never think about it because if you value the convenience of the appliance you just put up with the cost. Only defence is to make sure they have good energy ratings and are efficient.

As I've looked around on the web it's strange to see how many of the tablets, especially the larger screen ones, are now marked as `not in stock' or `no longer available' even though they still have pages for them. Then I realised some are Samsung, including at least one flavour of Nexus, and the absence may be due to the exploding battery problem.

I would imagine that there may be a bit of downer at the moment with the Samsung stable. I would steer clear of the Amazon stuff as well as their tablets are somewhat linked in to the Prime side of things when you want apps and the like. Apple will probably be a no no as well on the cost front. Microsoft driven stuff as well is probably out for you also.

Google themselves don't make hardware neither do Amazon for that matter. Personally I would stick with something that runs an Android platform which as already stated has a huge global user base and range of supporting apps and niceties.

Didn't you get an Android phone?

A year ot two back I'd have recommend the Tesco Hudl/Hudl2 but they don't do them anymore. I'm with Ian on Amazon Tablets, they are very heavily Amazon branded and you can't get rid of it. The Tesco when it was available was very lightly Branded and you didn't see it most of the time.

Tablets like computers in general are now in decline, the current fashion is to get a 'Phablet' or a smart phone with a big screen.

I bought one when Stanley acquired my old Samsung. : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CUBOT-NOTE-S- ... Sw1KxXMwEC

A bit old school because it doesn't do 4G, But 4G in this neck of the woods is a bit thin on the ground anyway. I'm very happy with it, No branding whatever, its just plain Android. It has excellent Battery life and is a dual SIM phone (2 numbers on 2 seperate networks if you wish).

Instead of a Korean or American brand with the phone made in China, its a Chinese brand with the phone made in China.....

I sometimes find myself using it sat watching the telly, when I don't have something bigger to hand.

The 'phone Stanley acquired' is doing fine Pluggy and costing me £1 a week under the EE regime.

I'm in full agreement about avoiding the Amazon, Apple and Microsoft tablets and would go for an Android OS. I don't want the phone so wouldn't go for a phablet.

Ian, is this Nexus 7 from Argos perhaps the same as Sally's tablet? It doesn't say 2nd generation or reconditioned. (Click on their More Info tab.) Nexus 7 16GB
For £10 £20 more there's a Nexus 7 32GB but it seems to have an earlier Android version. Nexus 7 32GB

I'd prefer a bigger screen and Argos have tablets with that but they are brands like Bush and Lenovo and seem to have lower specification.

Yes the 32GB one is what Sally has, it was originally shipped with Jelly Bean 4.3 on release, now upgraded to Lollipop 5.1. The upgrade was flagged shortly after Lollipop was released but I waited a few months before I applied the update. Our Motorola phones are running the same version. Due to the number of different hardware manufacturers and chipsets in devices, Android upgrade deployment is offered on a platform suitability basis. If you got the Jelly Bean version it would be upgradeable to Lollipop but whether or not it would be offered it now when attached to the internet is another matter. There are ways and means of forcing it if required. I did a recovery for friends bricked tablet by forcing Lollipop 5.1 onto it via a flash utility, quite painless if you follow all the instructions.

Here's the Wiki on Android development and deployment.

Android platform is based on a Linux kernel.

Android (Operating System)

Any of the versions will be perfectly functional for what you need and you can always put a Micro SD card in if you need extra storage.

I have just looked back on my post regarding the tablet recovery and it was actually Jelly Bean that I forced on it. That put it back to it's original shipping from factory. The later version of the OS was automatically offered shortly after attaching it to WiFi. I let it upgrade from there, it's been OK ever since.

I got a Hudl for Xmas last year which works fine but now will not accept my password if I want to download something.

We find the 7" perfectly usable Tiz, you can zoom anyway in many of the apps. It's easily transportable as well although I would recommend a case. You can get leather flip cases for about £2.50 on Ebay many with free delivery and a choice of colours. Just make sure that when case buying you get one specific for the model so that all the holes are in the right place.

Moh wrote:I got a Hudl for Xmas last year which works fine but now will not accept my password if I want to download something.

Is there no password recovery or change option Moh?

On another matter I have been suffering one or two computer woes of late. First of all my LG Flatron monitor went up the Swanee, it smells like there are blown capacitors in the inverter or something like that. I installed a spare monitor and have taken the LG up onto my bench to open up and have a look at some point, it is probably repairable.

Next was the AGP video card in the tower that turned it's toes up, looks like the memory has decided to die, it will only run in 640 x 480 VGA mode. The tower is a cast off from our Jack, he built it as a high level gaming machine. It has a three drive raid array for storage and overall is very good spec. It has a downer in that it cannot be upgraded to Win10 as there is no support for the on board raid. AGP video cards are obsolete now although you can still get them on Ebay but I have decided to not put good money after bad. I can access all the stuff on the machine as I can run it up in safe mode so again this has gone upstairs for data recovery when I get round to it.

Main machine is now an up cycled former Smoothwall firewall. The unit is in a 19" 1U rack case. I have taken the rack mounting lugs off and put some rubber feet on, it now stands on the desk with the monitor on top. The original usage of the device was either as a firewall or content management system and as rack mounted device it just has 6 x 100mpbs switch ports, 2 USB and 1 x Com port on the front panel for access control. Inside the box it is fairly conventional the mainboard is micro ATX form factor with a dual core Pentium processor, 4GB ram and onboard video, a slimline ATX PSU and 3 rear mounted cooling fans complete the hardware. There is no power switch other than the mains switch on the PSU at the back. I have found the manual online for the mainboard and it looks like there is an unused header plug on the mainboard which will give access to the power switch line on the ATX PSU. As it is at the moment, the OS can command the PSU off at shutdown but you then have to switch the rocker switch off and then back on again at the back to power the unit up again. The three fans power up at full bore from cold then settle into a tick over duty cycle after about 30 seconds. I will open it up and add a momentary switch to the front panel which should give better control for power up.

I have bought a wireless keyboard and mouse, its tiny USB controller fits in one of the USB's on the front, the other USB feeds a 7 port powered USB Hub. I have bought new USB peripherals in the way of an ASUS DVDRW drive and a USB audio interface as there is no audio on the board, my Brother multifunction laser plugs into it as well. The box is running Windows10 and is very fast. My TalkTalk router is interfaced to one of the switch ports. It's cost me about £50 to kit it out with the new peripherals so all in all a good bit of up cycling.