Low Vision Computing

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Add A Tablet

The tablet you see is is an 11th generation Amazon Fire, which regularly goes on sale for $150 Canadian.



Other Low Vision Users Were Really, REALLY Interested

I had occassion to show off this tablet while waiting for an eye injction with other low vision patients, and they liked it, for sure. And when it's on special, it's a no-brainer. Do not be fooled into buying the new 12 generation It's the same display screen - 1920 x 1080, and not significantly faster.

The only thing worse is the "bundle" - with the too-tiny kiddie keyboard and a touchpad, for more than twice the price of the 11th generation tablet on sale.

Save your money.

Its large size and wide bezels make the tablet comfortable to hold, and it works nicely with a small $20 bluetooth keyboard (the keyboard Amazon sells is 3x the price, it's ugly, the keyboard is too small for adult hands, and a $7 tablet stand will hold the tablet on a table while you type).

A $7 stand and a $20 Bluetooth mouse deliver more functionality on the cheap. Added bonus - the mouse works just fine for both left-handed and right-handed people. Click either button.

The same keyboard and mouse also works fine with LG smart TVs.

There's a browser with a far better bookmark system than my iPhone, a photo viewer, camera app for the front and rear cameras, email that can service multiple email accounts, a file browser (really handy if you add a mini SD card for extra storage - up to 1 terabyte), calendar, weather, maps, contacts, etc.

With a far bigger screen than a phone, the only things I use my phone for now are voice calls, texts, and as a wifi access point for the tablet.

It's not perfect, but for a low vision user, it's a lot more usable than a smartphone.

And with the ability to really zoom in text you're editing on your main setup, it's great for finding and fixing typos, such as the missing "see" in "The tablet you see is" on the second picture's screen.

Even better is 2 tablets, one for finding typos, and the other for keeping a list of what needs fixing. Sure, you can split the screen, but as someone with low vision, that makes each screen smaller - not so great.

And when on the go, just use a big silicon elastic band to hold the two tablets face to face with a facecloth sandwiched in between them instead of buying a screen protector.

Now you have a use for that obsolete laptop bag.

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Email: barbra@lowvisioncomputing.com

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