STACK #207 Jan 2022

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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TABLETS Get I nsp i red

GETTING CREATIVE Being a user-friendly display, the tablet invites creative interaction. That’s where a pressure-sensitive pen might come in handy. It offers a level of precision and dexterity that our cumbersome digits just won’t provide. With the right painting software, you’ll get all the colour and fun without the mess to clean up. If drawing and creative projects are likely to be done on tablet, do look for one that is compatible with a digital pen. The pens are generally sold separately. Also note that digital pens are different from a stylus, which you can use on any tablet. The stylus doesn’t offer pressure sensitivity nor any of the compatible features found in the manufacturer’s proprietary pen. PERFORMANCE Like all devices for work and play, performance is a key consideration. For the tablet, it’s mainly the blend of speed and battery life. If your child is just starting out at school, the apps they will be using might be via services such as Google Classroom, which aren’t resource intensive. An entry-level tablet is fine. As their tablet use grows in sophistication, they’ll multitask and even do some video editing, so a more responsive tablet running a more powerful processor would be ideal. And of course, during down time, the tablet is ideal for streaming and gaming, so a fast tablet with a high resolution display will be appreciated by the teenager.

Thanks to its slim form factor and generous display area, the tablet makes an ideal canvas for learning, in class and at home.

SAFETY FIRST Online safety is important for any young learner. For peace of mind, some tablets come with parental controls that make it easy to monitor usage and playtime. Additionally, exclusive to select Android tablets, Google Kids Space is a mode for kids under nine to discover, play and create. Kids Space recommends quality content based on the interests they choose. And as a parent, you can also use Kids Space to set boundaries such as screen time and content management via the Google Family Link app.

T ablets are designed around touchscreen interactivity, which means they’re great for reading research, watching videos, and students can use a virtual pop-up keyboard to type in a pinch or if they don’t want to use a keyboard case. Ultimately, a touchscreen provides versatility, with touch interaction that recognises simple one-touch commands or multi-touch input for easy zooming and other extended functionality. The tablet may be a standard looking device, but depending on how you want to use it, there are still features to consider. So, the tablet that’s right for a student depends on where they are in their educational journey.

ENTRY LEVEL TABLET:

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite Wi-Fi 32GB The Galaxy Tab A7 delivers bang for buck. Measuring a thin 8.0mm and weighing 366g, this highly portable tablet packs easily, and its light weight makes the ideal first device. It’s a wide display with 1340 x 800 resolution and the 8.7” screen won’t overwhelm little hands. It boasts an eight core MediaTek MT8768N processor clocking in between 1.8GHz – 2.3GHz that will easily handle most learning apps and tasks. The A7 comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB SSD storage, which is expandable up to 1TB via MicroSD. You also get battery life up to 12 hours with video playback, so there’s plenty of charge to get through a school day. The gesture-based menu makes navigation easy, plus the Samsung Kids environment is a nice inclusion for safe exploration of native apps. It also gives you parental control options to set screen time and monitor usage. Stereo and Dolby Atmos rounds out a great set of features for this pleasing price point. We like: Form factor and weight that’s right for a first device. Samsung Kids for hassle-free safe entertainment Entry-level tablet with decent features like 8MP front facing camera and Dolby Atmos.

12 JANUARY 2022

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