General Chat

Have a PC & a laptop, both of which are working, but geriatic & want to buy a tablet.
I need to be able to download books & newspapers, e mail & Skype access the internet & watch English TV.
I am a complete fool when it comes to technology & need something with simple instructions in English.
Any recommendations from members who live in Spain?

If you are living in Spain and want a system in English then buy it online from England. Your guarantee will apply throughout the EU. Given the vagaries of Spansih post & delivery systems going to England and buying it is probably safer or if you are somewhere like Malaga go to Gib.

An Apple iPad is probably yr best bet but cheaper options include Kindle Fire and Tesco Hudl2. The Hudl2 is best value lowest on chic and portability.

Internet speeds vary wildly around Spain with slow and very slow being the norm. There are islands of fairly fast service here and there ( using around 10Mbps as "fast" ) . WiFi hotspots offering better than 2 Mbps are rare outside of Madrid and Barcelona. The Balearic Islands are a notable slow zone.

By and large streaming English TV is difficult due to (a) restrictions on viewing imposed by the TV companies and (b) the slow speed of most of the Spanish internet. In order to stream TV reasonably well you need at least 6 Mb/second. The BBC iPlayer has a subscription scheme which allows viewing of some additional stuff from outside the UK. Other options include using a SlingBox and signing up for a VPN sub.

http://www.slingbox.com/en-GB

A VPN sub allows you to access the internet masquerading as whatever country you want. It will also bypass most ISP controls of one sort and another. Most offer a free trial then a monthly sub of £10-30. The free ones do not have enough speed to support TV streaming.

It might be possible to install a FreeSat box. That certainly works in France even as far south as Lyons. I am not sure about Spain though - probably with a nice big dish. I bought our dish in France to avoid border complications.

Other options: buy box sets, learn Spanish, go out with the neighbours and drink beer, eat tapas, buy an umbrella and some Uggs, move to England.

Thank you Rollo.
I speak Spanish fairly fluently, having lived here for 10 years, but don´t understand computers even in English.
I am well aware of the problems with speeds here. Living in Menorca, I should be!!
I have very few problems accessing English TV via Filmon, which I have been using now for several years.
I haven´t been back to England for 7 or 8 years & have no plans to do so.
My husband is Spanish, but speaks very little English, so he´s no help.
All I wanted to know was which tablet others who live in Spain would recommens.
Thanks for your input.

I have an iPad bought in England. My friend, who also lives in Tenerife, has an iPad she bought here. It is easy to change the language to English/Spanish or whatever is your preference. Neither of us has had any problems with them. I also watch FilmOn on mine..

If mine broke today I would replace it as soon as possible. There's not much it can't do.

Wendy x

Wendy.
Thanks for that, it´s pretty much what I wanted to know, especiallt as I had been told that Filmon requires Adobe Flash Player, which is not supported by Apple.
Clearly not the case.
I posted a rely yesterday pm. Don´t know where it went :-(
Must have had yet another senior moment.
Marion

There's a FilmOn app for the iPad, I watch it every day. There are hundreds of apps for all things and all age groups. Most are free, as is FilmOn and an app that is similar to Microsoft Word, or they are really low priced. I pay in sterling if I buy anything. I don't know if setting the language to Spanish would change the currency to euros or whether you can change the language and the currency independently.

Most TV companies regard FilmOn as illegal. It has been involved with non stop disputes with tv companies and rights holder since its inception. The owner has deep pockets and has managed to dance around the court system enough to remain in business for now despite assorted take downs.

Use it while you can but be aware that yr usage is registered in the ISP logs and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the more vengeful US rights holders will go after users as well as FilmOn itself. Not the current incarnation of Aunty though.

I thought it was Imodium! :-D :-D

FilmOn

Terms and Conitions (part of)

RIGHT TO USE FILMON TV EQUIPMENT AND PLATFORM
1. In part FilmOn TV makes available to its Members and to FilmOn TV Try For Free Users remote antennas and satellite dishes to access and manage over the air and satellite broadcast television signals remotely via the Internet utilizing supported personal devices including smart phones, tablets, personal computers, netbooks and certain other types of devices capable of Internet connection. Additionally FilmOn sells these devices to Paying members for an additional price available http://www.filmon.com/products
2. Other channels which FilmOn licenses and or produces are delivered in other more scalable methods that include modern streaming technologies.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
These Terms and Policies reflect Three different areas of business within the FilmOn Group of Companies: Live Television, Antenna Rentals and Video Communities
FilmOn TV, FIlmOn.US/NGAME/BATTLECAM/CAVECAST Communities and FilmOnX.com Antenna Rentals
1. FilmOn.TV
FilmOn.TV is open to eligible members of the public, to enable them to watch live television using the Internet or Over The Air, Satellite or Wired Broadcasts.
Membership is free.
Use of this website is perfectly lawful provided that members abide by the terms of service, the full details of which are shown below.
By using this website, members agree to be bound by these terms and conditions detailed hereunder.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/broadcasters-win-legal-victory-europe-426529