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Geeky stuff

Which product to get for my 10yo? Laptop, Ipod touch or something else?

18 replies

RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 08:14

Ds1 is going to be 10 in a few weeks. I've to get him something techy...he is asking for an ipod touch because his friend has got one, but they are very £££ and I don't allow him unfettered internet use at present, so by the time he is free to use all its features he'll want the next big thing anyway.

So these are the things he wants to do... he really likes doing minecraft, he uses youtube within limits, to watch how other people play it - and stuff about his Wii games (skylanders etc) also he wants to use the internet for research into current interests, ie ballistics and 'how to make your own grenade' which I don't really approve of - so I want to put decent controls on it.

He kind of wants music on whatever he gets - but that's not crucial - and he enjoys games like angry birds, when he gets a chance to try stuff in shops.

I wondered about the laptop so he could use it for the foreseeable future for homework etc - but how does that work, without a printer?

I'm willing to spend around £150 or maybe a bit more, but want it to be worthwhile iyswim, not just a flash in the pan!

Any info or suggestions very gratefully received - thankyou.

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RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 08:15

btw this will include money from grandparents etc.

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lovesmileandlaugh · 05/05/2013 08:19

You can disable the Internet browser on the iPod touch. My DC have them and can listen to music, watch films (I've put on- not unlimited), play games, iMessage and FaceTime others with iPods/ iPads. You can make them fairly safe as long as you are careful with the settings!

lovesmileandlaugh · 05/05/2013 08:20

My girls are still using them 2 years on btw, they get the occasional new game or music for less than a quid!

RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 08:27

Oh really? They sound more useful than I had thought! Thankyou.

Currys have got netbooks for about 169 - would that be more value for the money? And are they the same thing as a laptop?

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aliciaflorrick · 05/05/2013 08:30

My 10 year old has just got an iPod Touch, internet time is restricted and up till now he's been very good about biding by the rules. He uses it for Minecraft and You Tube and does Google stuff on it. On an evening he uses it for music in his bedroom and he thinks Facetime for messaging his friends and family in the UK (we're abroad) is amazing. I didn't buy a new one, I got my sister to go into CEX or Cash Converters in the UK and got him a second hand one for £100, and he saved up half his pocket money to go towards it himself.

RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 08:37

Ooh I didn't know about facetime. is that relatively safe?
I don't want him to spend 24/7 glued to a screen iykwim, but otoh if it would make him happy...

the other thing is I was hoping to get another pc at some point as ds2 is HE at the moment, and we have a child's keyboard, but nothing to connect it to - so I'm half thinking I want to get another desktop instead.

Or maybe I could have a laptop and they share the pC...I just don't know what is best.

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RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 08:38

Many thanks for the answers btw, I really appreciate it

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Portofino · 05/05/2013 09:06

Dd aged 9 has a Nexus 7. She loves it.

RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 09:06

Oh God Porto what is one of those?

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RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 09:07

btw we don't have wifi

that is probably critical yes?

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dancemom · 05/05/2013 09:18

You would need wifi for IMessage, FaceTime and an iPod to connect to the Internet. Without wifi then an iPod is just a music player.

RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 09:27

aha. Thankyou. I guess that's the same for a laptop as well.

Sorry to be so thick.
We have got a dongle thingy, it's still in a packet somewhere - but currently the desktop runs off a wired connection.

I am hoping this is relatively easy to sort out but it scares me a bit - like, can other people use my connection if it's wireless?

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oddslippers · 05/05/2013 09:31

A net book just won't do what he will want it to do as they are generally a bit slow,.also I expect touchscreen is quite key here. A Samsung galaxy 4.2 player is like an iPod touch but cheaper and on Android so a wider choice of free games. Wifi it's needed to make the most of either.

oddslippers · 05/05/2013 09:33

Wifi is pass word protected so no one else can access it, it shouldn't cost anymore them you are currently paying, I don't think.

RooneyMara · 05/05/2013 09:54

Oh that is brill, thanks - he has been on about Samsung galaxy as well. I didn't know they were similar.

If it's cheaper that is a bonus!

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oddslippers · 06/05/2013 18:56

Samsung galaxy are available as phones, tablets or the player as I mentioned. The phones and tablets are lots of money, I picked up the player at Christmas for £80 so worth shopping around.

PedroYoniLikesCrisps · 06/05/2013 20:55

To make your current Internet connection wireless you will just need a wireless router. There are two sorts depending on your type of Internet. ADSL if you get your Internet through the phone line (BT, Sky, etc) or Cable if you have cable Internet (Virgin Media).

Then instead of plugging the cable from you modem into your PC, you plug it into the router. You can also plug a PC directly into the router if you still want the wired connection but you'll also be able to connect wireless devices.

This won't cost you any more on your Internet bill, just the cost of the wireless router.

Wireless networks can be protected with a password so that only those with the password can access your Internet. When you have a package service like Sky, they tend to come with a password already on, but if you are setting up yourself, you may need to make sure you follow the instructions to set the password up.

Rockinhippy · 07/05/2013 09:31

If you can run to the cost, I would say go Ipad, my DD uses mine more than I do & using the "pages" app which we downloaded for £6.99 she much prefers to use it for doing her homework & loves writing with it in general as she finds the keypad size perfect for her hands.

FaceTime is safe, if like anything else you monitor it/make sure they know there are strict rules to using it & we've found it to be great, as DD can chat to her school friends face to face in holidays, or even just weekends & evenings & its actually solved some school bullying problems as DD is no longer ostracised by one of her classmates controlling the group against DD - we don't live close to the others, so its made it easy for this DC to do this - FaceTime contact has actually helped solve this problem :)

& everyone else has covered the other points, but basically iPad can do much more than the others & no battery life problems as we've seen with friends & family who have bought other tablets, Nexus included

HTH

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