tablet/portable movie player?

[scrubbyfish]

A few hours each week, while I'm in appointments, etc, my kid watches movies on our Macbook. It's heavy and bulky to carry, and would be a horrific expense if lost. (I really have it for work.)

What is a cheap-to-buy, cheap-to-replace-if-stolen device that would be a better fit?

Ideally he would be able to:
-plug in headphones
-watch DVDs or downloaded movies (we don't have Wifi at all appointments)
-maybe play some games
-maybe do some schoolwork or learning

But the movies is what he tends to do, and would suffice.

I wonder if I should just get him a phone that can do all this -I want him to have one for safety soon anyway.

I'm also considering a lighter device for me to attach a keyboard to for my mobile work.

Is there one device that would meet all of these dreams for under, say, $400?

[LibrarIan]

I always did well with a book or a baggie of Legos. What's happening to kids these days? ;-)

[scrubbyfish]

I always did well with a book or a baggie of Legos. What's happening to kids these days? ;-)

He does those (and school work, swimming, walking, etc) the other 91 hours he's awake each week.

He has a disability that makes him talk a lot (really!) as well as loudly, a characteristic which people in reception areas find burdensome when it's happening for 60-90 minutes at a time. With a movie, he doesn't talk much, and with headphones I can bring him into the room I'm in and still have the privacy I need for my appointment. Cheap, onsite child care for this sole provider!

Any ideas for lighter devices that would do the trick? Or whether a smartphone is a solution?

[ajasquared]

You can get a small Trio android tablet that will link to google play, allowing you to access books, movies, songs, ect. I see some on amazon for as low as $50

[scrubbyfish]

Wow! I will check that out. Thanks, ajasquared!

I have gotten as far as laptops and, more recently, an Android smartphone (with too little room for Apps). I still am not familiar with other devices, what they're for, etc. I do see one friend pulling out three small devices at a time and don't want that to be what we do. Also, I didn't know that Google Play offers movies!

[ajasquared]

Through the play store you can purchase movies music ect, but you can also upload your own. I like to do this with books. I can upload an epub to google play and then read on my phone when on the train. The one thing with movies is you may have to watch how much room you have on your storage space, though I believe the Trio has a micro SD card slot.