Stuff I’m Digging: Tablet in the House

I’ve been running a pretty low-tech household for someone who spends half her life on the internet. We have one TV and DVD player in the living room, a laptop computer, a couple smartphones and a 2G iPod touch with a cracked screen. That’s it. There’s been no video game systems — no Xbox, no Wii, no DS, no PSanything, nada — no desktop computer and no magical fridge that will place grocery orders for you and have them delivered to your door. (Why is that fridge not a thing yet?!)

Until now.

Rogers generously gave me a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE so I could see how it fits into our family. And, boy, does it fit.

And tablet makes six.

I had been in possession of the new Galaxy Tab for all of ten minutes before I started using it as a bribe. So much more effective than cookies, let me tell you! But that is also how Angry Birds became the first thing downloaded to the tablet and how I really didn’t get to play with it myself until the next day.

Eventually, I did get a chance to hang out with the Tab and get to know its ins and outs. I really like using it for online recipes in the kitchen and it’s a fairly good e-reader as long as you’re not trying to read in the backyard while your two little girls nap in the car — damn you, sunlight!  It has a half-decent camera, and if you suddenly need to record your baby’s first steps, you’ll be able to hang onto several thirty second videos of her falling out of the frame to show to your grandchildren.

For the most part, though, it’s good for games (and helps postpone the inevitable whining and begging for an actual video game system) and it’s really, really good for TV and movies.

Rogers has given me limited-time access to the full slew of their Anyplace TV on-demand programming that compliments your cable subscription (limited-time for me since I don’t have cable).  But even without cable, Rogers internet, home phone and wireless customers can access a decent selection of  shows and movies. So, streaming from Sportsnet on Anyplace TV,  Colum can actually watch a Blue Jays game for the first time. Colum can watch a game while Irene watches cartoons on TV and I cook dinner. (Mary is presumably pulling books off the shelf and eating rasins off the floor.)

I can even let Colum take the tablet up to his room to watch the last inning in bed without all the concerns that go with having an actual TV in a kid’s bedroom.

Plus, since it’s an Android, you can stream anything that runs on Flash, too, which opens up a whole range of viewing options. I even sprung for the $40 HDTV adaptor so we can use the tablet to stream things right onto our TV.

You guys, I’ve been watching a lot of tv. A lot, a lot. I’m all caught up on the new Parenthood episodes and also, ahem, season 2 of Grey’s. Is Derek going to leave his wife for Meredith?? I have no idea how this will end! It’s really not good. I may need an intervention.

My own personal productivity issues aside, I really like the versatility of the tablet for our family. It fills the technology gap left by the sad passing of my dear Acer and more. And maybe one day I’ll even let the kids download a second game.

Who else has a tablet or iPad at home? What more can I be doing with mine?