Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Tablets

I know I'm late this morning.


First there was the ipad and now every maker has got their version of this handy tool. For a stroke survivor , it sure beats a laptop. In weight and size alone makes them transportable. But the bells and whistles makes them extra special.

We tend to be technophiles in this house. If there is a new techno gadget out there, we'll have to try it out. More on my husband's part than on mine. I prefer to wait until they get most of the bugs out before I buy although I will go to my nearest store and play with it.

I felt the same way about my Kindle before I bought one. I waited for the Gen 3 with a keyboard before I purchased one. Even though I bought it for my husband's almost exclusive use two years ago, I now use it more than he does especially since my stroke. I'm an old foggy when it came to reading. I love paper books. But with my stroke and being one handed pretty much took the joy of reading paper books away with the juggling act I had to perform turning pages. It is light weight so I can carry it in my tote bag. It turns itself off and opens back up to the page where I stopped reading. The joy of reading is back.

A couple of years ago, my hubby approached me about buying an ipad. While I could see a benefit for him who scans websites, play games, and watches videos, there wasn't the same attraction for me to give up my desktop or laptop. Surfing the web with one of these was fine but I actually depend on my computer to do more interactive processing like novel writing, spreadsheets for keeping track of sales, and database functions for contacts. It had to do work so I asked him to wait. If there is one thing I know about technology, it is always changing and it has a built in obsolescence (of maybe six months) before a newer model comes out. I don't know about you, but I can't afford to upgrade every six months.

I wasn't proved wrong. For Christmas this year, we decided to buy a Surface 2. We usually buy a combined big gift that both of us can enjoy and a few other little things. All the rest of our  budget goes towards our huge combined Christmas gift giving list. With all that is currently going on in our home, Christmas is coming early this year. It is on layaway as we speak. It's due to be paid for before the end of the month while my hubby can still enjoy it.

But for me, the ease of the smaller keyboard or no keyboard is appealing. I fact that it is light weigt a can sit on my lap is another selling point. My laptop puts off too much heat to sit on my lap for very long without burning my legs especially in shorts. The simple fact that I can work on my book anywhere is also a selling point because the Surface comes with MS  Office already installed. The USB port makes transferring files between computers a breeze. I can also use my printer unlike others on the market. Of course now that I think about it my printer is wifi. Okay scratch that selling point.

The touch screen is an added bonus. With a flick of of a finger or two I can enlarge, these eyes aren't getting any younger, searching without clicking a mouse is cool. The prices and aps have come a long way since when they first came out. The prices have dropped drastically. A few months ago I bought my daughter an Android Jellybean for under $75 with a keyboard and cover. Now price has becomes is a very big issue.

Very soon I'll be joining all of you with the nifty handheld devices. Adaptation is key to enjoying life post stroke.

Nothing is impossible with determination.