A young person told me yesterday that you can download free Skype onto computer or phone,or if the people in contact both had a Tablet you do not need a webcam but can get immediate contact.

A retired friend has a daughter working in China for three years and perhaps the Tablet idea might be best as it could be used anywhere and the vision would be better than on a phone.

Can anyone advise as what Tablet best to buy and if daughter needs to have the same model, and if anyone local can show how to use the Tablet. The main computer is an Apple but I don't know if that is relevent.

We are slowly coming into the Internet Age but all the new inventions floor us and with some knowledge it could enhance our lives. The only Tablet I know is the one I take each morning with water!

Try googling - this may be of some help
I found this

If your main computer is an Apple then FaceTime might be a good idea.

Skype works with most computers/tablets and the majority of smartphones.

Skype is also part of the latest Messenger (MSN) so downloading that should set everything up for you and link with your contacts.

The only part that concerns me is that you say the person needed to be contacted is in China, I seem to recall that Skype is barred in China, and even the new Messenger Programme doesn't have Skype integrated if you download it from a Chinese IP address (like everything, ways around it, but I think the penalties are severe).

if your main comp is an apple then maybe an ipad may be the best thing

all apple devices have something called 'facetime' which is basically apple's version of Skype.

it doesn't have to be the latest ipad with all the bells and whistles, you can pick up a used 1st or 2nd generation ipad on ebay for a healthy sum of money and again, they will all have facetime on them.

it may be worth looking into rather than installing skype on a tablet as some tablets have different operating systems and so may not be compatible with skype, i'm aware the blackberry playbook tablet can't download skype from the blackberry app centre but you can mess about with it and be able to download android apps but android tablets (such as the samsung galaxy one) can have skype, but need a wifi/3g connection which they don't generally have unless paired with a phone.

as i said, a used ipad with wifi & 3g seems your best bet as you get all the benefits of it being apple so you're used to it and also not having to mess about downloading skype, just facetime each other.

Dont buy the first generation of Ipad as it doesnt have a camera

just a thought ,can she actually use this if she is in china dont they have some sort of block on the internet there ?

sorry doc didnt read your comment before jumping in

I have the Kindle Fire HD and I can Skype on this. The other person doesn't need to have the same thing as long as they have Skype. (I constantly Skype people who are on computers and it works perfectly)
This costs £159 which is a lot cheaper than an iPad but as it was mentioned further up,check about Skype being banned in China first

Nexus 7 £150 Skype away

Front Facing Built in Camera.

Hotmail / MSN Messenger is being merged over to Skype.
So if you would prefer to chat then its just like messenger.

You can also buy a web cam for your computer with a built in microphone. Allowing you to chat.

Its not perfect but for video over distance is amazing when compared with just chatting.

* Find out what your china friend has access too or you may be throwing money out the window.

If you want to try it out drop me a pm as i can show you skype working

* Google + Uses Hangouts (Same thing as skype).

From what I've read to use Skype in china you have to download a different version called TOM which is a joint venture between the Chinese government and Skype however this software keeps a track of what is being typed and logs anything that could be seen to be something the government want to censor,

However according to the source below FaceTime works as normal. Let me know if you're going to get a new ipad as I may be able to sort you some discount out.

http://www.chacha.com/question/can-you-facetime-someone-from-china-to-america

Thanks everyone for all your info and offers of help. There is alot to take in and I think to contact daughter in China to discuss with the knowledge Wikki has given--Cheers--Pax