Tablet for video chat

[AstroManLuca]

My wife and her mother have been begging me to get an iPad so they can do Face Time video chat between grandma and the baby. I do not like Apple at all but I have to admit, having used Face Time on grandma's iPad a few times, it really is good quality.

We have Galaxy Nexus phones - not the greatest front facing cameras on those. I set up grandma with an app called Vtok that allows her to video chat with us via Google Voice, but the quality isn't that good. Really choppy and with some lag. We've also tried Skype and Fring - but Skype is even worse quality than Google Talk, and Fring doesn't even work at all.

Our only tablet is an original Kindle Fire with no camera. I'm thinking about caving and just getting an iPad since it's a known quantity. I would probably cheap out and get a reconditioned iPad 2 since they cost less and I honestly don't care about anything other than having access to Face Time.

My question is - are there any Android tablets with good front facing cameras? Are any of them meaningfully cheaper than a $320 iPad 2? And if so, is there any decent video conferencing software that works across platforms? Or should I just bite the bullet and get the iPad?

 

[MrX8503]

I think you can get an iPad 3 even for $320. I thought the quality was more so from the app rather than the camera. I know that when I use other video chat software, the video is noticeably worse than FaceTime.

Edit: my bad, its $380 from apple.

 

[ponyo]

Don't get the iPad 2 or iPad 3. The front camera on those are VGA. Get the iPad Mini or iPad 4 for the HD camera. My wife uses FaceTime every day. The improved camera is one of the reasons I bought her iPad 4 over the cheaper 3. You can easily see the video quality difference between the two when you use FaceTime.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Don't get the iPad 2 or iPad 3. The front camera on those are VGA. Get the iPad Mini or iPad 4 for the HD camera. My wife uses FaceTime every day. The improved camera is one of the reasons I bought her iPad 4 over the cheaper 3. You can easily see the video quality difference between the two when you use FaceTime.

Not spending $500 on this, the $320-380 for an iPad 2 or 3 is absolutely as high as I'll go as it is. Resolution is not at important as smoothness and lack of lag.

 

[MrX8503]

You can get the iPad mini on sale for 300, if you're ok with the smaller screen.

 

[s44]

Just get them to install G+ on their iStuff and use Hangouts. Works great.

 

[emerninearoxy]

Hmm.. and whats next?

 

[sarav]

Have you tried Tango? Even my technophobe mom is able to use it, but admittedly I don't think the video quality would be as good as what FaceTime offers but could potentially save you a lot of money.

 

[bearxor]

Is an iPod Touch an option for you, since you're the one using it?

You may check stock of local Best Buys for old iPad 3's. I think they're clearances down to $320 now at BB.

Otherwise an iPad 2/iPad Mini/iPod Touch would work fine.

 

[JoeMcJoe]

Get a Nexus7 tablet, then use google talk, wors great for me. Less that 200.

 

[lenablue]

I think you can get an iPad 3 even for $320. I thought the quality was more so from the app rather than the camera. I know that when I use other video chat software, the video is noticeably worse than FaceTime.

Edit: my bad, its $380 from apple.

I got ipad mini $330 on other shopping site.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Just get them to install G+ on their iStuff and use Hangouts. Works great.

Ah, I didn't realize that was an option. She has that Vtok app on her iPad for Google chat, but I didn't think about hangouts.

Is an iPod Touch an option for you, since you're the one using it?

You may check stock of local Best Buys for old iPad 3's. I think they're clearances down to $320 now at BB.

Otherwise an iPad 2/iPad Mini/iPod Touch would work fine.

Yeah I'll probably just bite the bullet and do this. We really do need a tablet for this to work right - the baby pays much more attention to big tablet screens than little phone screens and I think she can even recognize people on them. With the phone she just tries to put it in her mouth and doesn't notice the person on the screen

 

[Rottie]

Get an iPad 2 if the price is important and VGA on front facing camera for FaceTime is big deal because I don't know about you and your wife will use FaceTime EVERYDAY or just few times a month? My friend has a MacBook Pro with HD FaceTime and can't say the difference from my iPad 2 VGA but we had a good time on FT!

 

[Oyeve]

Why not just by a used touch for FaceTime? I use an old iPhone 4 just to FaceTime with. I hooked my mom and niece up with tango on their androids but the video quality is meh and they hav touches so I use my old iPhone that is just laying around for face timing them.