Mobility with Hèstia: good practice in Vilanova i la Geltrú
This post is over 1 year old. Content may not be up to date.
- Beast
Hèstia incorporates new inquiries from Via Oberta
The Basic Area of Social Services of Vilanova i la Geltrú wants to share its experience using Hèstia from outside the office with tablets. From the AOC we want to thank them for their initiative and the gesture of wanting to share it with the whole Hèstia community.
“The Department of Social Action of the Vilanova i la Geltrú City Council works with two tablets with the Windows 10 operating system that allow the use of Hèstia software in mobility.
A few months ago we had the opportunity to make a purchase of computer equipment for another project. We initially knew that once they did the service in this project, the Department would keep this material as its own. The requirements of the tablets for the project were not too demanding, as it was a matter of having a material that we could borrow so that some users could test an application that worked via the web. So we started looking at and comparing the few Windows tablets that were on the market at the time.
Not everything is Apple, not Android… The largest range of tablets - and the cheapest - have Android operating system. One iPad it is a high quality product - and also more expensive - but it did not fit the use we wanted to give it. Les Microsoft Surface meet the requirements to use Hestia, as it is a product of Microsoft which incorporates the Windows operating system, but are unaffordable for their price.
Looking for alternatives we found the tablet Lenovo Ideapad D330-10IGM. In fact, more than a tablet we are talking about a 2 in 1 product, which incorporates advantages of a lightweight laptop and a tablet.
After a few months of use, we can recommend this product to other basic areas of Social Services that are looking for affordable mobility solutions and meet the following requirements:
- Windows 10 operating system.
- Suitable for installing Hestia without further requirements of other software.
- Battery with good autonomy: between 10 and 12 hours.
- Price less than € 400.
- Wi-fi and 4G connectivity.
- Light weight
The tablet includes a physical keyboard that can be attached and uncoupled from the screen / tablet unit and incorporates a stylus with very good sensitivity. In fact, once we purchased the Lenovo Ideapad D330 all we needed to do was buy a wetsuit to protect the computer.
The tablet is very convenient for us when we go to meetings in schools and institutes, as they allow us to make inquiries to Hestia as well as document the files in real time. Although some facilities such as schools or civic centers have a connection Wireless, 4G connectivity via a SIM card allows you to connect to the Internet anywhere else, such as homes.
If you have IT support in your organizations, you can also ask them to set up your corporate workgroup so that you can even access your intranet directly. Of course; the only software that comes installed is the Windows 10 operating system and if you want 100% operability with Hestia you will need to purchase a separate Office license so that you can have Outlook (calendar synchronization), Word (documents and templates), as well as Excel (data export and listings).
One of the challenges we still have is to incorporate some standard system trackpad of digital signature like those of the mark Wacom in the tablet; in the same way that we sign contracts when we go to a bank, Imagine how useful it can be to sign a PIA agreement directly at the user's home and give it immediate processing?
For us the 2 in 1 device Lenovo Ideapad D330-10IGM it has allowed us to gain time, agility and mobility at a fairly reasonable price. Even in the first weeks of confinement, he did a very good service to colleagues who at that time did not have a personal team to be able to telework.
A couple of clarifications to keep in mind: the screen is 10,1 inches, so in this aspect it is more tablet than laptop. The other issue to consider is that you need to purchase the 4G LTE version that will allow you connectivity with a data SIM card, as this model has different versions and equipment (there is a version that is only wifi). Finally, the price: between 330 and 380 euros depending on where you buy it.
We hope that our experience will help you in your mobility with Hestia.
Joseph Ma Ranchal
Social worker
Department of Social Action
Vilanova i la Geltrú City Council ”