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What Kind of Tablet PC to Buy?
nic barajas asks: "I'm going to be attending college this fall, so I have been looking into a computer to use on campus. My preference has been to looking at the Tablet PC, although they are still in their proverbial infancy. I have been looking at a multitude of vendors, including Sager, Acer, and Toshiba. I'm looking for something that has a sizeable screen (at least 12"), decent storage (40GB+), and a long battery life. What are some of the better models on the market with these characteristics?"
Has anyone tried any of the Linux tablets?
Is there more than one?
Would they replace the Windows tablets in functionality?
I don't use Emacs; it uses me.
If I had money to waste on such a thing, I'd love to have a tablet pc for wireless web surfing on the couch while watching TV or playing games... Being able to look stuff up without having to go to the PC and print it out would be rather nice...
A tablet would be less bulky than a full blown laptop, and a bit more appropriate for this.
/sig
Yea... When the MS tablet pc came to market I thought "who wants that?"
Was there a demand for this product or is this a market that Microsoft thought should exist? The last thing I read about those (maybe about 6-12 months ago) was that they were bombing.
All you really want is decent note taking right? Instead of a $3,000 POS, get a decent PalmOS PDA and a Stoaway folding keyboard. Spend the >$2,500 you save on beer and condoms.
Q:How many libertarians does it take to stop a Panzer division? A:None. Obviously market forces will take care of it.
Still not as nice and easy as paper and pencil. Unless you simply have to have everything in electronic format. Let's be realistic here... Wouldn't you rather study of physical paper notes? I would.
I admit, a lot of the tablets out there are useless. But a minimalist (or maybe maximumist) tablet would be a notebook with a rotating screen and pen input.
I'd be very pleased to spend an extra couple hundred dollars over the cost of a notebook for that. (Apple, are you listening? Because my preferreed laptop to add this feature to would be my 12" Powerbook G4!)
I agree. Of the 3 people I know that own them, not one is happy with it. Battery life and crashes are the reasons, too. Although, the crashes tick them off more, cause it usually happens at a seminar or meeting when it is most needed.
Don't you know that your tablet PC sucks because Apple didn't come out with one first?
Had Apple come out with one all shiney and metallic the press would have heralded it as "visionary", "inventive", "out of the box" and whatever other nonsense terms the marketing dreck could muster.
Now for the useful part of this post.
I've spent a few weeks with the Toshiba Portege 3500 and found the handwriting recognition was excellent and the performance excellent as well. It was a bit pricey and I wouldn't have paid for it if I had to
Karma means nothing to me, so suck it...
Stay away from Tablet PCs. When I was at Microsoft, we *begged* for one, because they seem so cool: they aren't. What you are going to get is an underpowered laptop for the same price as an expensive laptop. As laptops, they suck. As tablets, they are too bulky to carry usefully.
Don't believe the hype. KISS.
what about searching? is a notepad easy to search?
also, some people dont want to transcribe their notes onto computer.
A notepad and paper are less distraction-inducing. Especially with wireless networks.
I have my own laptop, and I also was given a tablet for a few weeks to test out. I was really glad that I hadn't paid for the tablet, because I found it cumbersome and after a day of showing it off (well, a few days), I barely used it. I continued to use my laptop in seminar classes, for access to information for use in the discussion, as well as taking notes.
My laptop was faster (and it's an old 500Mhz iBook) and more comfortable to use; the graphics-drawing ability of the tablet was highly overrated, and the handwriting recognition was not very good (then again, my handwriting is not too legible).
But overall, I'm still a fan of the pencil and paper.
I agree. I'm a PC user at heart, 5th year college student in MIS. This summer I bought a 2 year old iBook...one of the first white ones. I use it to take notes in all my classes since its small and light and fits easily on a desk and in my backpack. Also, the wireless internet connectivity is a good distraction in class... did I mention I am a 5th year?
I was breifly excited about the current Logitec IO pen - until I found out it needs "special paper" with little dots all over it. [why? to know its absolute xy postion? - I know optical mice don't need special surfaces, but you don't generally pick them up and set them down again...]
Anyone have any input on this? It seems like maybe [even with "special paper"] something like a Logictec IO pen could fulfill the "tablet" notetaking function + you get a "real" notebook to download it to and have the best of both, with an extra step?
My personal interest is that I keep "engineering" logs in cheapo composition books and I would love to be able to dump it to a PC - make PDF's whatever, rather than keep the chicken scratch hardcopies forever... [although, truth be known, I could probably transcribe the "good stuff" in an hour or so, per book, If I weren't so lazy.]
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
I almost forgot, It's handy for playing vertical mame games flipped on it's side. I plug a usb port and go nuts with galaga =P
I've contemplated putting counter-strike on there for headshot's with the stylus/pen, but bet steam would suck on it.
*shrug*
e.
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I've been thinking about buying a tablet computer so I can use it as a portable terminal. Has anyone tried to use anything like the Linux Terminal Server Project (ltsp.org) on a tablet computer? I think you can get some really cheap older tablets from ebay for under $300, and with a wireless card I should be able to connect to my (much more powerful) desktop from anywhere within wireless range. It would be great for browsing the web and doing some simple programming. What are other people's experiences with this kind of a setup?
I really can't wait for wearables to become mainstream.
I would pay $thousands for something that slipped over one or both eyes with a decent amount of transparency (i.e. 80% transparency for the background and 25% for the active window) which took input from speech recognition and a cell phone keypad for data entry.
There are too many situations where it's impractical to bring a laptop with me, and sync issues with PDAs annoy me.
Not exactly a tablet but...
I'm a CS senior in college and I've gone through a dell inspiron, a toshiba portege and now have a 15" Al Powerbook. I've built several computers and fiddle around with them constantly so I know computers. So when I say the powerbook is the best computer I've ever owned, I mean it. It's not a tablet and battery life sucks but I never have needed to use it for more than 3 hours without having access to a wall socket and the adapter is one of the smallest ones I've seen out there so you can't really complain about lugging it around. The primary feature that really sets it apart from the crowd is OS X. Since it's based on Unix you don't have to fiddle around with installing Cygwin or Latex. I do most of my Math homework and term papers in TeX. Apple's X11 user app is a really nice way to connect remotely to the lab computers using SSH. I haven't used xcode much but it looks promising for programming projects. You don't really need MS Office for your own work and if others want to send you a document they just need to "Print to File." Having said that my friend has a Compaq tablet he bought after dropping his Thinkpad multiple times. It seems fine for him but everyone who I've seen playing around with it has ridiculed him about how awkward the writing input is. You'd probably want a tablet to take notes on or doodle in class, but you're better off typing into something like Emacs or Outliner. You can use TeX syntax for taking down equations but you'll probably have a little trouble with diagrams. I think one of the bundled programs is a flowchart app though. The 12" is a lot cheaper and lighter but has fewer ports, no backlight keyboard, and a lower quality lcd, but it's probably a more appropriate alternative to a tablet. Be sure to get a student discount. You can probably save yourself at least $200.
P.S. get the Bluetooth mouse if you go with Apple. It is much easier to use than the trackpad.
I read an average of 1 paper per day and like writing in the margins and would love something where I didn't have to rape trees. Can't do it until someone makes a screen that fits 8.5x11" page without zooming/scrolling. Why is that so hard?
I'm a double major in Microbiology and Immunology(Science) and East Asian studies (arts).
for the sciencey stuff, nothing beats a legal pad and a stiff drink. Drawings come up frequently, diagrams, Rxn mechanisms, metabolism paths etc...
for the Artsy type stuff, nothing beats my ibook, I can type much faster than I can write so I can get down everything prof of the day says. I can also write down a timeline as shown on the overhead projector, then add in details as we go along. Instead of (as with pen and paper) kind of guessing at where the hell the teacher is planning on going today and scribbling in the margins.
for studying, I just pop down to the library, re-read the notes, put them into some sort of format that's presentable form and print them. While I'm doing this I add in my own ideas for good places to start essay questions and maybe future term papers.
Studying in science (FYI): Memorize the fuck out of 400 pages of random acronyms... Promptly forget everything.
It seems like the only people who "love" the Tablet PC is Bill Gates himself and someone named Hahn Choi.
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I watch a great deal of TechTV, and it seems to me that each of the ones that Leo and the rest of the gang dislike them, and nearly every single one reviewed by them seems to claim the same thing.
Under powered
Over priced
Lacking in the basics
Overabundance of headache
However, I myself have never used one. I searched TechTV's website, and I found this article which has several different Tablets. Perhaps this can help you.
http://www.techtv.com/freshgear/products/story/
Well, I for one LOVE my Tablet -- I have a Motion Computing M1200. It's a slate tablet at only 3 lbs, and the battery lasts for 3.5 to 4 hours. MUCH longer than my wife's heavier and bulkier laptop. It's perfect for research, reading, surfing and jotting down notes. I use it for what it shines at and I love it (I use it a few hours everyday). It has never crashed either... So I don't know which one your friends had that "constantly crashed" or had "bad battery life"...
I've got a T-1000, too, and I like it. It's crashed once, just recently, in the few months I've had it (although, I don't know if it was some software I've installed). It's not like I chose it, I received it as a hand-me-down gift. I was looking to get a laptop for school work, but the tablet works well enough. It is kinda slow, but overall okay. I find that it is good for reading PDFs (in portrait mode).
I did get Linux to work on it using Knoppix. But I couldn't use a USB CD-ROM drive to do it. Instead, I had to setup Knoppix to be a terminal server on another computer. Here are some instructions.
Agreed. I know 2 MS consulting guys who got Tablet PCs about 30 seconds after they were released, and now they're both back on normal laptops.
If these guys, who are both gung-ho MS shills, can't make Tablet PCs work in the way they want, then there's no way I'd consider buying one. These guys both have access to all the pre-release internal MS software, so they aren't even satisfied with Tablets using software that's 1/2 - 1 generation ahead of what us mere mortals are using.
I've had an HP/Compaq tablet for about a month and love it.
There is a tremendous variety of things called tablets and they can be very different. For example, mine is very lightweight (3 pounds?) and the keyboard detaches so the tablet can be a true tablet. The built-in wireless and excellent battery life are significant parts of what make this useful. I go well over 3 hours with wireless on. Would I have been equally or more happy with a 3 pound laptop -- maybe.
I know people who have purchased much more powerful tablets (mine is only 1GHz) with permanent keyboards. They have a machine which is heavier with a fraction of the battery life. The result is that they aren't happy.
I'm a professor and I can wirelessly control PowerPoint while writing on slides while walking around the lecture hall. I can hand it to a student to write something for others to see. In that mode I leave the keyboard off and it is easy to walk around with it in one hand and the pen in the other.
I do use it for notes in meetings and I like being able to use handwriting to mark up documents.
The true test seems to be at home. My kids want to use it all the time. Curl up by the fire with the tablet and surf the internet. My son's teacher requires a handwritten first draft so he can write it and then convert it to text for the later draft.
Would I recommend it for college? Well, for my kid going off to college I'm getting a lightweight laptop. However, by the time my other kid goes to college in a few years, the choice may be a tablet.
For the record, I'm not a gadget person who has to have the latest thing. For example, I never figured out a use for a PDA (yes I do know how it is extremely useful for some, but not for me).
Ok, you guys are totally missing the point of taking notes on a tablet PC. Since it's totally digital, sky's the limit as to what you can do with your notes.
o dd etails.asp?system_id=m275xl&seg=hm
For instance, I use my tablet for notes in physics. It is great to be able to take notes in as many colors as I would like. For instance when I draw an object I use blue, then when I draw force diagrams, I use red. Or for Physics 2, I'm using blue for the charge, and red for the flex lines, etc.
I also have a system down where I use blue/red/etc for what the teacher draws on the board and then I use purple for what he says as he draws stuff on the board. It's invaluable for when I go back and read the notes, I can see clearly what the notes mean.
Then, if I need to send some notes to any friends in the class that need them, I can simply e-mail them the Journal doc and even if they don't have tablet PCs they can view them.
Also, if we are talking about an asignment on IM, I can simply IM them what I did for it.
I know that it doesn't run linux, and believe me if I could I would run linux. Don't knock it til you tried it. It is amazing.
PS. My vote for best tablet PC is what I have, the Gateway M275
http://products.gateway.com/products/GConfig/pr
The reason I chose it is because of the combination of power, screen size and features for the price. I had a toshiba M200 on order when I first saw the gateway and I Cancelled the order I was so impressed with what I saw (I went to the gateway store to check it out).
A sketchbook with unlimited colors, the thousands of tools available in Photoshop, Illustrator, and such, the ability to undo a mistake, to work on a sketch for as long as you like without wearing out the paper....
Yeah, sure sign me up for that. Art can be fantastically frustrating in that to do a colour work away from the studio, I need to carry a drawing surface, my colours, and supporting tools like blenders. There's the weight, the bulk, and the chance of ruining my clothes.
A tablet is clean, small, and I can carry it while I'm wearing a suit.
PCs are tied to the desk... conventional tablets have the screen/drawing surface disconnect... PDAs have small screens, low resolution, are slow, don't have the software, and most of all aren't pressure sensitive.
It's true, though, that I can't understand the MS marketing on this AT ALL. They're selling to completely the wrong market. Someone who already spends a couple thousand a year on art supplies may well pop for a tablet instead of a laptop, saving some money and working digitally at the start.... but competing with a pad of paper for scribbled notes? Insane. A napkin works better, and that's free.
How about a sub-notebook? Nice 'n' lite, they usually boast better battery life than regular notebooks and are typically powerful enough to run any modern OS. A sub-notebook would be much more convenient for carrying from class to class. Some of them even fit in large coat pockets.
Get a cheap external CRT monitor for your dorm room for gaming or movies if you don't think the screen's big enough...
They are a bit pricey for a college student, but so is a tablet pc...
I particularly like the JVC Interlink
http://www.dynamism.com/7310/gallery.shtml
I worked on the Tablet platform for 2.5 yrs. Contrary to the claims of earlier posters about business uses, it really has very little to do with typing vs non-typing. Most of my notes are for my use, and have lots of diagrams, tables, flow-charts, arrows etc that are hellish to accomplish in real-time with keyboard and mouse. I annotate documents electronically, and avoid reams of paper print-outs over my desk. All my notes and annotations are backed up and searchable. I do light weight email and web-browsing wirelessly in front of the TV, using my slate Tablet and pen. Very comfortable. Reading is quite easy on the higher-res screen. I edit and compose music with Finale and similar programs. For a look at how cool pen-editing of music is try the free Music Composition power-toy. I do free-form screen-capture of document fragments, maps, diagrams etc for data-gathering, and personal annotation. Again, all easy to email and back-up. I do ink-based messaging as needed, it's easy to sketch an onject or a map and send it to someone else. On road-trips, I have mapping software running, and I just leave the Tablet on the passenger seat. There's plenty of other stuff I do with it, beyond the regular laptop/PC, but my last observation is that a Tablet is more accessible than a regular laptop. I get a greater bang for buck out of it because I can use it in more places. If you're a boring old text-centric person then you won't find any of the above compelling. Yes battery life could improve and a many other things can and will get better. Out of the gate though, it is the best computer investment I have ever made. I'm proud to have worked on it.
I can't believe after 350+ comments there are only 3 people who have said buy a Mac, and this is (as I write) the only one that says buy a G4 iMac.
1. They are very small (esp. thin), very light weight, and very powerful.
2. They have 54g wireless, firewire, usb, etc...
3. You WILL buy an iPod eventually
4. OSX is the best OS - Ever!
5. The body is pretty robust.
6. G4 iMacs are cool. This last one you will appreciate after about 1 month of uni/college.
I just wish this technology was around when I was at uni, and laptops were not soley for the students whose family ran small Gulf Nations.
That said, Mac software can be a bit limited in speciallist areas, but since you have not specified what your doing, I can't say you'll want anything other than a word processor.
Also, if you need to write down formulas, pen & paper are a LOT faster.
Dan. -- So what if it's spelt wrong, nobody's perfect
Speaking of unique situations, one of my instructors uses a tablet with great success during lectures. Rather than simply reading a boring PowerPoint slide or attempting to draw out a complex diagram on the board, he mixes it up and handwrites additional notes on top of a prepared slideshow. Also very, very helpful when you're trying to follow the lecture: his slides are black text on a solid white background.
(BTW, if you go to his website, you'll see he is quite the geek. He spends lab time reading overclocking websites. Maybe he'll read this...)
Logitech makes a digital pen and paper thing, using Anoto paper. A very cool concept, not mature yet. A colleague has one, its cute. Notebook and paper is still superior, IMHO.
I still use one of these.
lightweight, detachable keyboard, on-screen drawing and excellent writing recognition, wi-fi, one month of battery life, 100 bucks. you may fall in love.
My mother went to school and used a tape recorder for all classes. Then she would transcribe those later to handwritten notes (this was in the 80's). Oh, bring a notebook to class to copy down the blackboard as well.
I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work today - except its now possible to take a cheap laptop and rip those recordings to ogg/mp3s and type them up as well.
As the parent poster said, you effectively hear the same lecture twice. Excellent study method.
If you stick to pen & paper, the cost of this setup is well under $100, even considering the cost of rechargable batteries and a few extra tapes. When you graduate from college in 4 years, the tape recorder probably won't be horribly obsolete. And, if worse comes to worse, and the tape recorder is damaged, a replacement is easily purchased.
Personally, I wouldn't go beyond a 500mhz or so laptop for most college courses. For writing papers and typing up notes, any more is a waste of money.
But hey, its your student loans...