For the past five months I’ve been debating buying a tablet to replace my 2007 HP laptop that was a high school graduation present. My laptop is on its last breath and can barely handle playing marathon bouts of 30 Rock on Netflix while I clean my apartment on Saturdays. Cleaning tip: Playing 30 Rock in the background while you clean will put you in a really good mood, almost like you never had to clean at all!
So the big debate is to purchase a new laptop or get a tablet (and Bluetooth keyboard) to use for Netflix, browsing the Internet and blogging with WordPress for Wanderlust and Lipstick. Clearly the perk of the tablet is to be able to take it on the go when I’m actually traveling.
So, as I type this blog post is being created on a Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and a Belkin QODE Bluetooth keyboard. No, I did not actually make a decision in my debate between tablet and laptop. I just borrowed my boyfriends. I was heavily leaning toward an iPad Air but the total bill including accessories would have been over $700. If you’re reading this you probably would rather buy a plane ticket with $700 rather than spend it on technology.
If you’re making the big decision as well here are my Pros and Cons for blogging on WordPress with a Kindle Fire HDX.
Pros
1. The WordPress App for Kindle is actually great. I was honestly expecting a flawed experience but for the most part I’m really liking it.
2. The Belkin QODE keyboard is not too small and the changes with the keys due the small size are easy to get use to. By the third paragraph of this post I had the hang of it.
3. You can view the post before publishing and view the entire site right from the app without having to switch to a browser.
4. I’m loving using the Amazon Cloud to get pictures from my phone onto the tablet and into WordPress. I suppose you could do that on a desktop or with another tablet. With the Kindle and Amazon Cloud the experience is very smooth.
Cons
1. When I import photos through Amazon Cloud I can’t rename them. This matters for anyone using WordPress because they are also probably aware of SEO best practices. Every photo should be named something related to your blog post. If anyone reading this knows a fix let me know and I’ll share it here!
2. I also can’t figure out how to resize a picture in WordPress. I’m crossing my fingers that the picture you see above will be sized correctly. Again, if you know a fix let me know.
3. Without a Bluetooth mouse (Do you really want to add a mouse to the tablet, keyboard, phone and cords you’re already taking on your trip?), you have to use the touch screen to move about the post. It’s not hard – just not ideal if you need to cut/copy/paste within the post.
4. I just held Shift for too long which rendered my Delete button useless. Not sure if that was supposed to happen but it did while I was writing the Cons so sorry Kindle!
5. When I need to use an apostrophe I always mess up. My fingers are trained for the apostrophe and also I type “I’m” a lot. Selfish but true.
All and all, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is good for taking on a trip and cranking out a couple blog posts. For the long run, stick with a laptop.
Do you use a tablet to blog? Tell us about your experience and what you recommend for traveling!
Happy travels,
@laurylkitson