Tablet vs. Ipad?

Morgans therapist had one today and used it a TON with him with apps that she had. We have been talking about getting me something to use out of the house with the kids (netbook, Tablet, eReader, smart phone) since Morgan has all these appts and what not.

She had an Ipad and a flash card app, touch and learn app (hers was farm animals!) and another one that I cant remember.

He LOVED it and was engaged with it (even if he DOES need to learn some impulse control and not touch the ENTIRE screen everytime)

So give me the pros and cons of each! OR other options.

Preferably something we ALL can use but if there is a better one geared towards kids that do the same thing I'm game for that as well.

I know they have childrens tablets with things like that on them already, but I'm not sure about adding additional apps. It might be a cheaper way to go though.

As far as the iPad, if you get one, invest in an Otterbox or the equivalent for it. Children are rough, and iPads are pretty fragile. The Otterbox is awesome for keeping falls from hurting anything.

If I was going to get something like that, I'd look into Barnes and Nobles new HD tablet. It's fairly priced, it's REALLY REALLY nice, the feel of it is AMAZING, and the screen is awesome. I really want one, but I can't justify getting one since I have a Nook color.

The Nook tablet, different from the HD, is smaller, by a lot, much more portable, and is just as nice, but in a smaller package. It's the same size/everything pretty much as the Nook color. I've rooted my color, so I basically have a really nice 7" tablet, and use it for comics and the internet. I have a kindle for reading now though.

I like the iPad, but personally, the money it costs vs the other tablets on the market makes it not worth it. The Nook HD is amazing, and while the screen is smaller in width, the price difference makes it the best choice I think.

Another thing though, the User Interface may be a bit easier to figure out on the iPad, but part of the challenge for Morgan may be figuring out how everything works. I'm not sure about him, but the task of figuring things like that out is really soothing for me, especially if I'm stressed out/overloaded/having a meltdown.

Then again, it could end up causing more stress for him, it just depends.

I have a Nexus 7 and the interface is easy breezy. I think for what you are looking for a tablet would be the cheaper way to go. I mean, there's nothing that android can't do that apple can.. At least for the "regular" user. It's just personal preference.

I love my ipad. That said, one of my little cousins has a Kindle fire kind of thing and it's much simpler for what they wanted (for books and a few games) and much less expensive
If you do go with the ipad.. get a really heavy duty cover.
I like the kaycase kid case personally, although fisher price also has an ipad cover toy thing
http://www.amazon.com/KaysCase-KidBox-Cover-Apple-iPad2/dp/B00984S7A4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354160051&sr=1-1&keywords=kay+case+ipad

This is the case a few of the younger (4 or less) little guys have. You can carry it, prop it up, drop it.. it's pretty heavy duty.


That said, the kindle fire is less expensive, has plenty of games I believe and the size is more kid-friendly IMO
it has less features/apps but is still a pretty rockin' tablet from what I've seen

Oh and I'm pretty sure android makes a special kid tablet!! You might want to check that out! It's called Kurio!

He figured out the Ipad like THAT but she took it to the games of course and what not. Which is what I would do. If I got one like that it would be MINE and he would just get time to do things on it.

I really don't want to spend the money on the Ipad BUT if it has the best apps for what he needs :\

ETA: are they games or learning apps? or both?

Search both Apple and Android stores for games/learning things.

Android has PLENTY of awesome childrens games

I have to represent Nooks because I worked for Barnes and Noble. It depends on what you want but they are pretty decent e-readers. The BIG bonus is there is ALWAYS FREE in store support. And you can get most tablets 'rooted' to get 'all' the apps that you want on them. The Nooks are fairly durable and one of the better ones for children. They have read to me features and the newer ones (HD) have a cool computer-like set up. There are different profiles on the Nook. You can have a profile for yourself and different ones for each child. I personally love that feature and feel it's under[represented. It depends on your price range. iPads are usually going to get the highest ratings but they're also a lot more expensive than Nooks or Kindles. I don't know if I would get an iPad if my kids would be using it often.

If you don't have a Barnes and Noble in your area, the bonus for Nooks is kind of moot. If you do, they are usually more than happy to answer questions. They might be a little pushy around this time, though.

Sorry not sure on the amount of apps and games on one vs another.. we use ipads for my little cousins because they sync to our other apple products and such
that said..I would think, especially in the case of apple vs. android, the amount of games would be around the same.
I would ask the therapist the names of some of the games he likes and then look them up @ the apple app store and android app place just to make sure

As for the ipad.. favorites around here are fruit ninja, Leapfrog for Ipad (the read along books as well as games), angry birds, ultimate dinopedia (dinosaurs of all kinds..pictures etc..), build a train etc.. the sheer amount of apps are endless, not to mention movies and such we pack on there lol
It's a babysitters lifesaver

Yeah I will have to next time shes out here. I didn't think about it yet. He gets a good bit of money to spend from all the grandparents at Christmas so I can easily get him something (was thinking a older Ipad DEFINATLY not new!)

I have no clue what the stores are or how to get there (i dont have a smart phone so yeahhhhhhhh no clue about apps LMAO)

There are just as many learning apps on both , most are the same. Anything android will be cheaper all
Around. I would get the new google nexus in either 7 or 10 inch.

Lol here is the site for android apps
https://play.google.com/store/apps

and apple apps https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36?mt=8

You can browse through those.. but easiest way is to just look around and download once you are on the table itself

Once you get the names of the games from the therapist you can also just google the game itself and there will be download areas for various platforms

Awesome thanks! I'm so behind the times LMAO.

Nexus 7 or 10, cheaper and more configurable then an iPad. If Morgan is like some of us, being able to mess with things and really figure them out may be therapeutic, iPads are locked down and limited on what can be messed with. Android has a lot of options. For every app in iTunes for the iPad I bet there is the same or similar app for Android.

I have a rooted Kindle Fire running Jelly Bean as the ROM, and I aim to get either the Nexus 7 or Samsung Tab 2 7 in the future.

I don't have any personal experience with tablets but my Mother in law got a kindle fire for Hannah and Brians nephew for Christmas this year.

Brians nephew has autism and he got the kindle fire the other day while they were visiting and he really liked it and did well with it. it was easy for him to use and figure out and theres lots of options for games both educational and fun and books and a lot of times you can get them for free

I have an iPad and I love it. I use it more often than my laptop, just because of the ease and convenience. I think touch screens are really therapeutic- I can imagine them being even more so for someone with autism. It's just so easy and simple to be able to touch, grab, and slide a screen. Much more intuitive than a laptop or a computer.

I haven't researched into them, but I've heard the Kindle Fire is similar and less expensive.

If you do want an iPad, take a look at the refurbished ones on the Apple store. They have new outer shells, new batteries, and have a 1 year warranty:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

And like Fran mentioned, the child safe cases are important! iPads are really sleek and could be easy for a child to drop. I just have a leather case on mine since it's sturdy and protective enough for adults... but I do have a heavy duty Otterbox on my iPhone, and its saved its life way more times than I can count (and I've only had the phone for a couple of months!!!).

I have an ipad and I hate it at times!
It's incompatiable with a lot of stuff. Uploading photos and videos is a real chore. Uploading anything to facebook and even using many of facebooks's features was nearly impossible until the last few updates.
No flash means many sites won't load properly.

I would recommend a tablet instead.

Kevin has some kind of 10 inch android tablet......don't use it, don't even know the brand but he seems quite happy with it, LOL I have the nook HD tablet...LOVE IT!

Dag nabbit Breeze......I wish you'd known you wanted something like this a week ago! I KNOW I saw a couple different kid tablets (had the rubber impact casing and that on it already!) on GREAT black friday specials! Pffft...day late and dollar short, LOL, isn't that the luck we have?

Angie *I* wish I had known since I know they had one for 40 bucks LOL. I thought they would be a waste though but to see him actually messing with it OMG. The difference was amazing. He actually WANTED to participate. So as much as I HATE the idea of buying one of those for a kid (it will be for the family BUT he will be the main reason we are buying it).

I'll have to research all the options yall brought up. Thanks for the input!!!!

We have a bunch of tablets - iPad, Nexus 7, and an ASUS Transformer Infinity. I like the Nexus 7 the best because it's such a convenient size. The only problem would be getting a case for it. I bought mine when they first came out and there were no options for cases, so I'm not sure you'd be able to find anything kid-proof. I've seen so many cases for the iPad, though. If you want an Android tablet (and something cheaper than an iPad) I wanted to get a Nook Tablet, but the Nexus 7 was better specs wise. I just think the Nook feels a lot more sturdy, and I love the bezel around the screen. It's so much easier to hold.