Help with Ipad vs Kindle Fire

[Rattus_norvegicus99]

So my son wants an I Pad to play his games and watch videos and such. I am not very good with comparing electronics. There is a Kindle Fire that claims to be just as good as an I Pad, at half the price. Does anyone know anything about these two gadgets?

Examples of games my son wants to play - Minecraft and Plants vs. Zombies.

[Dalenger]

Be sure to check out nexus, too. Less expensive than an iPad but thinner than a kindle

[Dalek Caan]

Apple Fanboy here!

You probably won't need the latest and best iPad for your kid. An iPad mini of the last generation will probably do!

I am not a fan of the kindles, they are ladden with ads and have a very... clunky set of software. It's basically a sales-machine for amazon wares. IMHO.

Generally, I find Apple devices extremely useful for professional use. They are extremely user friendly and easy to use, and rather robust too. If you want to tinker with your device, get your hands on the heart of the soft- and hardware and want to have a little more freedom in customization, I'd recommend an Android tablet.

For all practical purposes, this will have your kid covered.

Alternatively, the Samsung Galaxy devices are quite good!

[Rattus_norvegicus99]

Dalek, you are my hero!

[Cortex]

Apple Fanboy here!

you made me google "apple fanboy"

was not disappointed

[Dalek Caan]

Dalek, you are my hero!

Thank you, I do what I can

Apple Fanboy here!

you made me google "apple fanboy"

was not disappointed

I have one system with android, 2 Windows machines, a macbook and an iPhone. I do prefer the Apple stuff by now, simply because it's the best thing for audio jobs

[JediMindTrix]

hahaha

I love iPods but anything else I avoid.
Should choose based on what you want your device to do. Does the Fire have solid App capabilities?

[Morderon]

I'd avoid the kindle fire if you want to to do anything but read. They offer some extra benefit if you have the amazon prime sub as you can get a free book i think.

But you're restricted to the amazon market place for apps. The amazon market place, compared to say google play, is smaller and it takes a while longer for apps to receive updates from developers, if they ever do.

A "true" android device (like the nexus mentioned above) can access the google play store AND the amazon market place. But I never used one so going off what I know is possible with my phone.

For gaming I far prefer my android phone compared to my iPad. If you just compare the google play store and the iOS store they're relatively the same. But with my phone I can hook up, using an on-the-go cable, my playstation 3 controller instead of using the often clumsy touch interfaces of games. My phone often functions as a retro gaming device emulating games of yesteryear (right now one of the final fantasies)

Other android tablets:
Sony Xperia (might be worth a look if you have a PS4 in the house given i think you can stream games to it)
Samsung Galaxy Tab
Samsung Galaxy Note

But I can't recommend any of them as never used.

[Seven Sons of Sin]

I've seen a Samsung Galaxy tablet in play, and I've used Apple iPads for years - the thing that gets me, time and time again, is that Samsung/Android devices have removable storage (i.e., SD cards).

Irrevocably topples all Apple products.

[Dalek Caan]

The thing that gets me, time and time again, is that Samsung/Android devices have removable storage (i.e., SD cards).

That is a good thought, considering your kid likely wants to watch movies and have music on their device too. Storage is expensive for Apple products, and while there are extensions for iPads, they are considerably more clunky to use. Most of these devices use some sort of software, it can be annoying to deal with these.

[Morderon]

Yeah the sd card; and a battery I can, very easily, replace myself. Or even just temporarily swap out between multiple batteries for when one died was a major selling point for my phone. I don't know if the tablets have this feature given their batteries should last a good deal longer. And the fact I can use any mini-usb cable to charge the phone. I sometimes even charge it with my kindle fires cord.

Are you already invested into iTunes? Might want to stick with apple.

Google play's walled garden is a bit better given I can enjoy my video content through any device that has a youtube player

Have a USB controller? Such as the ps3 controller? They run on android and some apps support it.

A steam catalog? You can stream to android though you'll want 802.11ac wireless. And even then it might not be to well but it was passable for what i tried.


When comparing tablets don't so much care about the cpu/ram and such. Price/battery life/extendable memory (sd card)/age/brand name are what you want to look at.

Reason for this is is well, yeah, that one tablet might have more ram/a better cpu. But app designers ultimately want profit. They're not going to make apps only the top 5% of tablets can run.

[Rattus_norvegicus99]

I am leaning toward the Ipad, mainly because of the sturdiness and reliability of the product. My son has an older Ipad - was my mother's before she upgraded, that is about 7 years old and it works perfectly well, stands up to his clumsy abuse and is easy for him to work with, its just too old for newer games and TV shows that are available now.

I really appreciate everyone's input on this. I am toast for techie knowledge.