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Note Taking Devices for Students?
Gavin Scott asks: "I'm looking for solutions for a college student who needs an inexpensive mechanism for note taking in class. She suffers from a condition that makes writing notes out by hand slow and painful. One of the small sexy sub-notebook computers would be ideal, but at $1,500-$2,500 these are completely out of reach budget-wise. She has a perfectly good desktop system at home, so something that simply allowed typing in notes that could then be transferred to the PC would be ideal. I've considered things like a Palm-type device with an external keyboard, but I'm interested in knowing what other options people might suggest. Or any opinions on what kind of lightweight almost-laptop devices are good in, say, the sub-$500 range?"
Battery life.
Even a brand new battery may not have the kind of battery-life required for a daily class schedule. A pda will last much longer. Either way, expect to have to recharge daily.
Recently finished degree, had palm 3xe and folding keyboard, took all my notes, super easy to carry and small enough to use on any desk. No problems with battery life either, no way any laptop can make it thru a full day of classes without being plugged in...
the woman has trouble writing, but is apparently ok typing. this is the exact opposite of what she needs.
whatever happened to using a micro cassette recorder?
There is no technical substitute for hand written notes in a technical class (math / ee / cs / whatever.) Good luck on a keyboard trying to enter a differential equation like delta x/xy over a limit as x approaches 0, big S n(x)^n-1 hey fucker slow down I'm trying to type this shit ... damnit. Hell it's hard enough doing it by hand in ink, no way it's going to happen on a palm or a laptop - and God forbid the prof make a quick verbal aside about something said three pages ago.
Get copies of the notes from someone else. She might even make a friend in the process - which is what college is all about.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
Whining that the taxman is keeping you from going to college is baloney.
That's not what he's whining about, and I think that's obvious. You're using his comment to start an argument of your own.
He was dissatisfied that no one was there to help him go to college, yet he now has to pay for many others to do so. He's right, it isn't fair, and he has a right to complain.