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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?"
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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"...
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).