camelalchemist:
Google searches have lead me to believe they are unreliable
This is nonsense, and you are probably just reading what you want to read. Wirelees is so normal that any outfit the can't produce reliable comms would be out of business the next week. You will probably find the normalcy of wireless is reflected in the number and variety of apps using it compared with USB host. Indeed, while USB host is typical in tablets, it is not universal in phones.
Currently, I'm not able to keep the tablet charged while it is being used to control the Arduino. Has anyone been successful in charging a tablet or iPad while it's being used to control an Arduino?
I imagine practically everybody. Tablets typically use a separate socket for charging, thereby avoiding your problem. I have seen splitter cables for phone. I thought it was for audio, but I guess data ones exist.