Am I a fool to return the ipad minis I got on black friday for a different tablet?

[jerseygirl07067]

I promise, my last tablet question!! I scored the ipad minis on black Friday with a $75 dollar gift card. I happened to be in Toys R Us today and started talking with another customer who was looking at tablets for his kids. He is a teacher in the same county and said that a lot of the school websites, online textbooks won't work on the ipad, due to the flash issue, so he has gotten Kindles for his kids for that reason. My friend, who has an iphone, can't get on the school website either, or some of the other sites. She also warned me that a few of her friends who have ipads have had issues with then occasionally crashing and losing a bunch of stuff on it...and she is an Apple person herself, lol...

I know there's an app to run flash, but honestly, the darn thing is was already $299 -$75 gift card, plus another $99 each to insure and I got nicer cases for them due to the glass screen, wanted to keep it protected. I shouldn't have to pay for another app just to run flash, so hoping there are some good free ones? A lot of money already invested here....

My daughter recently told me she wants to use it also for making videos, and I was just wondering if I should just return it for something else, one of the newer Kindles, the Nexus, or the Galaxy with the expandable SD card slot. My youngest is already getting a refurb Kindle, so this way they could all have the same type of device if they just had all Kindles.

Am I nuts? I know apple gets a lot of love, but I have no allegiance....just want something easy to use right off the bat for the kiddos. :) I'm so used to Android, but I'm sure they're all pretty easy to figure out.

[TwinFoxes]

If your kids need flash, then an iPad is not the best bet. I can't even remember the last time I went to a site with flash! I'm really surprised your district's site has it, since so many kids have iPads.

I've never had a problem with crashing. And I don't think it's a widespread problem.

Does a a kindle fire have video capabilities?

[squimp]

I hear you. I was thinking about a Mini but ended up getting my DD a laptop with a touch screen because she needs flash to get to her dang Houghton-Mifflin book online and lots of other school programs. She also loves doing Scratch programming and other sites that really need flash. I love my iPad for surfing and fun stuff but for real work a real computer is better, for my 4th grader.

Around here another tablet would probably be a better option that an iPad. I don't know the kindle world but those Dell Venues or Galaxy or something like that might be a better bet right now. there is so much on Google you can get to.

Puffin and Photon apps both supposedly allow iPads to use flash, but they BOTH crashed my iPad. I had to get rid of both of them. I really tried because my work email needs flash too. It's a real obstacle with the iworld and driving me crazy right now.

[wallawala]

If you really need flash, then nix the iPAD for now. It is such an issue for many that I think it will be fixed in the future. I know some site are switching to youtube from flash as a work around- but you have no control over your schools choices.

For ease of use? My almost 2yr uses the iPAD without a problem. I'm a PC all the way kinda girl, but really do like the iPAD!

[PZMommy]

My district uses iPads. Never had a problem accessing sites or crashing. Many educational companies know schools are using iPads and have made their materials available online or as a free app. I don't think you can take video with a kindle. I love the iPad. I would not want a different tablet.

[AnnieW625]

TBH if you think your kids are going to use the Kindle more for school as they get older I would do that. A few of DD1's friends have Nooks and Kindles and are happy with them. Our school doesn't soo line textbooks though, but the parents bought them a Nook or Kindle as a cheaper alternative to an iPad.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt though because I have neither an iPad or an ereader, but for me the iPad mini or air would be do I don't have to do so much tablet like stuff using my iPhone.

[jerseygirl07067]

TBH if you think your kids are going to use the Kindle more for school as they get older I would do that. A few of DD1's friends have Nooks and Kindles and are happy with them. Our school doesn't soo line textbooks though, but the parents bought them a Nook or Kindle as a cheaper alternative to an iPad.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt though because I have neither an iPad or an ereader, but for me the iPad mini or air would be do I don't have to do so much tablet like stuff using my iPhone.

Honestly, I'm thinking once they're a bit older, maybe middle school age they'd probably get more use of out a laptop. But we're not there yet, so who knows!!

To the other PP, I need to check on the Fire and video capabilities. The one I was looking at only has a front facing camera, so I'm hoping you can do video with it, I have more to research!

[ahisma]

Call the school, see if they have a tech person on staff who you can talk to. Or, talk to some teachers there.

Our elementary uses iPads without a problem, but they don't use Flash.

[SASM]

Call the school, see if they have a tech person on staff who you can talk to. Or, talk to some teachers there.

Our elementary uses iPads without a problem, but they don't use Flash.
:yeahthat:

I will say I use my Mini all the time. I was able to access my e-text and program last semester without a problem, although I preferred to use my laptop for assignments. My children are in 5th, 3rd, and 1st grades and can use my Mini for all of their online assignments - Ten Marks, Raz Kids, and That Quiz. No online textbooks for them. The Raz Kids works great (read-to-me, recording, and quiz) but they cannot access the full site for buying their alien rewards. They prefer to use my laptop but in a pinch the Mini works perfectly. I am not techie, though.

Not sure if DS's Nexus 7 can accommodate these programs. Even though I am more comfortable with IOS, I really like that device for the price. I've responded to one of your posts in regards to the N7.

In regards to kindles, I really do not know much about them. I was going to get a Fire for DD2 but went in another direction. I DO remember that one of my classmates had a kindle (I think it was just a Fire) and she did not like it for her textbooks. She didn't elaborate.

[larig]

if your kid wants to do video, there is no comparison--the ipad, hands down. The kindle's front camera is not even close to the front camera on the ipad mini, and it doesn't have a back camera at all (the ipad has a 5 MP one, which is what your kiddo would use for the movies). iMovie comes free with new iOS devices and is great for making videos. Pay for some cloud storage, like dropbox, or iCloud and you're issues about storage are irrelevant.
http://www.gizmag.com/apple-ipad-mini-vs-kindle-fire-hdx/29200/
and flash is such a dinosaur. It is dying a slow death, but NO ONE supports flash for mobile devices anymore, not even Adobe!
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/nov/09/adobe-flash-mobile-dead

[jerseygirl07067]

:yeahthat:

I will say I use my Mini all the time. I was able to access my e-text and program last semester without a problem, although I preferred to use my laptop for assignments. My children are in 5th, 3rd, and 1st grades and can use my Mini for all of their online assignments - Ten Marks, Raz Kids, and That Quiz. No online textbooks for them. The Raz Kids works great (read-to-me, recording, and quiz) but they cannot access the full site for buying their alien rewards. They prefer to use my laptop but in a pinch the Mini works perfectly. I am not techie, though.

Not sure if DS's Nexus 7 can accommodate these programs. Even though I am more comfortable with IOS, I really like that device for the price. I've responded to one of your posts in regards to the N7.

In regards to kindles, I really do not know much about them. I was going to get a Fire for DD2 but went in another direction. I DO remember that one of my classmates had a kindle (I think it was just a Fire) and she did not like it for her textbooks. She didn't elaborate.

Yes, you did help me a lot. The N7 was one of the other tablets I was considering too. Yes, I believe the ipad can still access spelling city, moby max, etc, it was the textbooks online that were an issue, but I can still use my laptop for that in a pinch too.


if your kid wants to do video, there is no comparison--the ipad, hands down. The kindle's front camera is not even close to the front camera on the ipad mini, and it doesn't have a back camera at all (the ipad has a 5 MP one, which is what your kiddo would use for the movies). iMovie comes free with new iOS devices and is great for making videos. Pay for some cloud storage, like dropbox, or iCloud and you're issues about storage are irrelevant.
http://www.gizmag.com/apple-ipad-mini-vs-kindle-fire-hdx/29200/
and flash is such a dinosaur. It is dying a slow death, but NO ONE supports flash for mobile devices anymore, not even Adobe!
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/nov/09/adobe-flash-mobile-dead

I know, and I thought I saw that with the newest Google Nexus 7, you have to use something else to run flash too, like Puffin. I have to double check this. The problem is the site that has the kids online textbooks requires flash, from what I've been told. It's ThinkCentral from Houghton Mifflin, though I guess for that they could still use the laptop. I am going to play with one in store tomorrow to see if I can get on, it's still a small portion of what they'd be using it for, not a deal breaker, but an annoyance. Yeah, I'd need to use cloud anyway, if they do a lot of video. You are correct, the Kindle that is in our price range only has the one camera. That's a dealbreaker!




I hear you. I was thinking about a Mini but ended up getting my DD a laptop with a touch screen because she needs flash to get to her dang Houghton-Mifflin book online and lots of other school programs. She also loves doing Scratch programming and other sites that really need flash. I love my iPad for surfing and fun stuff but for real work a real computer is better, for my 4th grader.

Around here another tablet would probably be a better option that an iPad. I don't know the kindle world but those Dell Venues or Galaxy or something like that might be a better bet right now. there is so much on Google you can get to.

Puffin and Photon apps both supposedly allow iPads to use flash, but they BOTH crashed my iPad. I had to get rid of both of them. I really tried because my work email needs flash too. It's a real obstacle with the iworld and driving me crazy right now.

I was able to get to the online textbooks with the Galaxy Tab 3 tonight, so at least that was good. Will try the ipad instore tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your help!

[larig]

I found this on the houghton-mifflin website....

Note:* Mobile devices such as Apple iPad or iPhone, or other types of Smartphones such as Android or Windows Phone are not approved for use with ThinkCentral.

that's really stupid for an education website.

when you try it out in the store, I'd make sure you tell a salesperson what you want to access. They may have some ideas about workarounds, etc.

[squimp]

I found this on the houghton-mifflin website....


that's really stupid for an education website.


I agree but it is also stupid for apple to not support flash.

[squimp]

Our ipad works with Moby Max. I love the iPad and think its great for so many things, and it would be great for making videos and taking pics. It is just not so great with lots of elementary Ed stuff at our school.

[larig]

I agree but it is also stupid for apple to not support flash.

Why? Adobe isn't even developing mobile flash anymore--for ANY platform (as the link posted . Not for Android, not for iOS. None of the mobile OSes have flash run natively (i.e., no workarounds).

ETA: So, I think my point still stands that it is stupid for a company to rely on flash apps when mobile devices account for about 30% of web traffic, and those devices aren't supposed to be running the platform that you've chosen for your web app?--that's just lazy or short-sighted.

[essnce629]

Honestly, I'm thinking once they're a bit older, maybe middle school age they'd probably get more use of out a laptop.


I hear you. I was thinking about a Mini but ended up getting my DD a laptop with a touch screen because she needs flash to get to her dang Houghton-Mifflin book online and lots of other school programs. She also loves doing Scratch programming and other sites that really need flash. I love my iPad for surfing and fun stuff but for real work a real computer is better, for my 4th grader.


Yes to this! DS1 is 10 and in 5th grade and we just bought him his own laptop this year (he paid half with his saved up allowance). He wanted it to be able to play the full version of Minecraft (not Pocket which is on the tablet) and I wanted him to have a real keyboard to learn how to type on. Next year, in middle school, his school has a rolling cart of MacBooks that go from class to class that all the students use. When we did our school tour all the kids were typing their papers on them. A tablet wouldn't work in that situation.

We just got rid of our iPad (Target trade-in) and haven't missed it. DS1 uses his laptop daily and his 2DS. We do have a Kindle Fire, but that is used only by 4.5 yr old DS2.
DS1 usually takes both his laptop and 2DS with him when he goes to friends' houses.

[jacksmomtobe]

Our ipad works with Moby Max. I love the iPad and think its great for so many things, and it would be great for making videos and taking pics. It is just not so great with lots of elementary Ed stuff at our school. I am co-chairing a major technology fundraiser for our school and we will be buying both laptops and iPads there really seems to be a push towards iPads in certain grades. I was concerned about programs that could not run on an iPad due to flash. As it turns out most of programs used run fine on the IPad but a comment was made in one of the tech committee meetings I attended that iPads are becoming so much more popular in schools that more and more programs are going to be made accommodating use on iPads.

[egoldber]

My older DD12 has on-line text books for her math, history and science classes. She has an iPad mini, but she never usees it for schoolwork. She prefers using a computer with a large monitor. Typically she is reading the text and working on a homework assignment at the same time and prefers a larger screen. Often she is writing a paper (on-line) and referring to the on-screen material at the same time, so she likes being able to split the screen to see the school site and the document at the same time.

I really don't know if her texts are available on the iPad format or not.

They do not use apps for homework at all.

However, she loves the mini. I don't know that I would consider a great homework/school solution.

[westwoodmom04]

Not in the same price range as the Ipad mini, but my husband uses a Microsoft surface. No flash issue, and he likes the keyboard, and the fact that he can use word and powerpoint for work projects. It is comparable in price to the regular Ipad.

[squimp]

Why? Adobe isn't even developing mobile flash anymore--for ANY platform (as the link posted . Not for Android, not for iOS. None of the mobile OSes have flash run natively (i.e., no workarounds).

ETA: So, I think my point still stands that it is stupid for a company to rely on flash apps when mobile devices account for about 30% of web traffic, and those devices aren't supposed to be running the platform that you've chosen for your web app?--that's just lazy or short-sighted.

But it is not just H-M, my employer's email program through microsoft uses flash and I encounter flash on the web All the Time. So maybe it is flash that is stupid for not supporting the mobile world but at least right now, for me this issue made me not buy Apple. Androids at least have a workaround but I have not gotten anything to work on my iPad.

[TwinFoxes]

But it is not just H-M, my employer's email program through microsoft uses flash and I encounter flash on the web All the Time. So maybe it is flash that is stupid for not supporting the mobile world but at least right now, for me this issue made me not buy Apple. Androids at least have a workaround but I have not gotten anything to work on my iPad.

The reason Flash is getting less and less popular is it has huge security flaws. A lot of viruses are introduced through Flash. It's not like Steve Jobs was just anti Flash. Huge, huge security breaches have been caused by flash. Just something to keep in mind when visiting Flash sites. It's a big problem.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/08/technology/security/adobe-security/

[jerseygirl07067]

I found this on the houghton-mifflin website....

Note:* Mobile devices such as Apple iPad or iPhone, or other types of Smartphones such as Android or Windows Phone are not approved for use with ThinkCentral.


that's really stupid for an education website.

when you try it out in the store, I'd make sure you tell a salesperson what you want to access. They may have some ideas about workarounds, etc.

Yes, I found this to be true tonight. So I was mistaken last night when I said that Galaxy Tab 3 can view the online textbooks...apparently I didn't go to the final step. The site loads fine on all the devices, but when it comes to actually downloading the books (which are in Flash format), they didn't load at all. Couldn't load the books on any of the tablets I tried, the Ipad, Kindle, Galaxy Tab 3, and Nexus 7. Thankfully as Squimp mentioned MobyMax works and so does StrideAcademy. I guess for the textbooks they could still use my laptop. I did experiment with downloading the free Puffin app on the Nexus 7 in store, doesn't work perfectly, but I could access the textbook pages with a bit of effort.

I get the need for a laptop as they get older. Perhaps even by the next 1-2 years.

Interestingly, I did find the Nexus 7 to be faster than the Ipad, though hard to tell since both probably were so bogged down with stuff people have been searching in the store, open apps etc. Even when I cleared the open pages, etc. it still didn't seem as fast as the Nexus. I do love the larger screen on the ipad mini though. 1 inch does make for a nice difference.

Still undecided...lol! May just see what's on sale tomorrow and if no great deals may keep them. Whatever tablet they get, they will be thrilled!!