June 22, 2026 Miss Sarah Etc.
In my job as a Pilot Car driver or PEVO, I spent 90% of my time in my pick up truck and even sleep in a bunk built in the back where the seats were. I spend about 10 months at a time away from home and my office space is the drivers seat and center console. Space is tight so I choose to work on a tablet with a bluetooth keyboard instead of a laptop.
My old beat-up Galaxy Jellybean tablet from 2014 was gettin’ a bit wonky on me. It was time to replace it and I absolutely couldn’t stand the thought of it. I knew I wanted to stick with the Galaxy devices simply because of how much abuse my Jellybean had taken. I prefer androids and the old one had just been so great, even though I’d dropped it too many times to count, I’d used it way more hours at one time than I’m sure it was designed for and it was just plain abused. All of my computer work while I’m on the road is done on my tablet and I knew it was time to replace the old Jellybean that had been such a great little device.
Unfortunately it takes me forever to decide on a purchase when I’m buying tech stuff. I have to check reviews, talk to people and research buyers guides. But after all that I decided the Galaxy was the brand I really wanted to stick with. I ended up buying one of the new Galaxy Tab A9+ 256g tablets off Amazon. They had the most reasonable price and returns are way easier than going to an electronics store. It took a while to get all my stuff transferred over from the old JellyBean, but I was so tickled to death with it! I’m a gen-xer and not very tech savvy. Like the Jellybean, the new one is easy to navigate and user friendly. I’ve already dropped it a couple times and about had a heart attack thinking “these newer ones aren’t gonna be as tough as the old Jellybean”. No worries though, it’s just as tough as the old one.
I already had a great little tablet holder that clamps onto my steering wheel and although the new tablet had a bigger 11″ screen it fit fine in the holder with a little room to spare. I put a pillow on my lap for my wireless keyboard to set on and I’m dialed in and ready to blog or get work done on my website.
Of course I had to get a new case for the new tablet and my old bluetooth keyboard had the letters worn off of it. It was a folding model and had been duct taped on the hinge and it just wasn’t holding a charge like it had when it was new. I opted for a case/keyboard combo and found one that had a mouse pad on it. Wow! What an upgrade! I also got one which had backlit keys. I didn’t realize I could change the colors on it when I ordered it. So just like my pink hardhat, I chose the pink backlighting. But boy howdy! It was REALLY bright! I needed the lighted keys to be able to work at night, but not so bright as to go blind! I read through the instruction leaflet (actual instructions??? No way! Easy for my old brain to understand too!) and it was super easy to adjust the brightness.
Another thing I got a kick out of was the keyboard had magnets on bottom for attaching onto the base of the case/stand. I didn’t even realize it when I bought it. I don’t usually use it with the keyboard on the case flap, but when I do it sure doesn’t go anywhere. Those little magnets work surprisingly well! A screen protector is a must for me. My sister often calls me “Grace” due to my tripping over air or constantly dropping things. Between the heavy duty case and the screen protector; I know my new tablet is gonna be safe in my clumsy hands.
I’ve hung onto my old one and re-formatted it. Even as old as it is, I use it for my mahjong and solitaire games. I’ve also been able to stream my favorite channels on it as well. Sometimes people laugh about how ratty it looks, but I’m happy it can still be used and will use it until it finally sputters and quits working.
I’ll add links below to my new tablet and the products I got to go with it. It’s a nice feeling to be able to say this is a great product to my followers and these really are! Hopefully this post will save you some time in trying to choose your new tablet and give you some ideas of things to go with it for working while in your vehicle.
*cheers! Miss Sarah
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Miss Sarah Etc. 