TECH Performance Record - Tablets Options & Uses

The top three things to consider when looking to purchase tablets for elementary school aged children.

The first is specification to consider is durability. It is quite obvious that children are more likely to treat expensive devices in a poor manner than adults, this means things end up broken more often than not. If a cheap tablet is not durable, it is probably going to end up broken and cost the school more money overall than if a more expensive but durable option was chosen.

The second specification you may want to consider is the App Store available through the tablet. You want to make sure the tablets can do what you want them too and a lot of this will come through certain apps. Most people would agree that Apple has the best app store in the number of apps available. However, a good portion of the apps available through Apple are paid apps, which can easily add a lot to the cost of the tablet overall. Android market also provides a good number of apps and has a large percent of free apps. The Windows app store, however, is quite lacking in the app store.

Battery Life is the third specification you want to consider. You want to find a tablet that can last at least through the school day. It would be quite a hassle for students and teachers to have to stop a lesson to plug in chargers so the tablets do not die.

Here are 5 of the leading tablets used in schools today, along with their specifications, pros/cons, cellular capability, and price.

Device	Specs	Pros	Cons	Cellular	Price
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9"	9.4 x 6.4 x 0.35 inches, 1.25 lbs, Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), 1920 x 1200 pixels, 32 GB, Battery life 7 hours 14 minutes	Good Battery Life 32 GB Storage Parental Controls Great App Store	Less apps than other tablets	Through AT&T Least expensive data plan available	$499 + data plan charges
Apple iPad mini	7.87 x 5.3 x 0.28 inches, 10.88 oz, Apple A5 Dual-Core, 16 GB, 7 hours 37 minutes	Good Camera Great App Store Fast	Hard to Hold	Not Available	$329
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2	7.63” x 4.82” x 0.41”, 12.2oz, Android 4.1.2, Jelly Bean, 8 GB, 11 hours	Made for Music & Video Easy to Use Long Battery Life Great App Store	Limited Memory (More can be added)	Through Verizon	$249.99 + data plan charges
Nexus 7 from Google	4.49”  x 7.87” x 0.34”, 10.55 oz, Android™ 4.4, KitKat, 32GB, 9 hours	Durable Easy to Use Long Battery Life Great App Store	Volume Level	Through Verizon	$349.99 + data plan charges
Acer Iconia W3	8.6 x 5.3 x 0.45 inches, 1.1 lbs, Microsoft Windows 8, 64 GB, 9 hours 24 mins	Lot of Memory Smallest Windows Tablet Long Battery Life	Very Expensive Terrible Display Limited Apps Available	Not Available	$429.99

Cellular capable tablets come with either 3G or 4G capability, which means that if you do not have access to Wi-Fi the tablet can still use the internet. This capability usually comes with a data plan from a cellular device company like Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint, which require contract and are billed monthly or sometimes yearly. If you go over the allotted data given for a month (or other specified time length) than overcharges are billed and can add extra expenses fast. 

Each of the tablets shown above would do well in what we need for our students. 

Nexus 7's low volume level may cause a problem in the classroom if not given something to help amplify the sound. However, if students are using headphones during personal projects or if the teacher is using speakers while presenting to the class, this should not be a problem.

Acer Iconia W3's app store could pose a problem in that we might not be able to download all the apps that we would want or need for use in the classroom. In addition to this problem, along with the Apple iPad Mini, there is no cellular capability. 

Another problem with the Apple iPad Mini is that it is hard to hold and slippery, which may cause accidents in the small hands of elementary students, which would cost the school more in the long run. 

The Kindle Fire and Galaxy Tab 2 seem to incorporate the needs we have for Apps, Books, Internet, Magazines/Newspapers, Movies/TV/Video, Music, & Software as well as having cellular capabilities.