Tablet PCs, good, bad, or ugly?

[Newreeflady]

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I am going to be transferring as a junior to a Chem Engineering program this Fall (probably GA Tech, but i'm still waiting to hear from a couple others.)

So, first I was considering a notebook, but it looks like a tablet may be a better idea just for the fact that you can take handwritten notes/drawings in class. So, then the dilemma became tablet or convertible.. But, seeing as I will have access to desktops in the library and at home, I may not need a convertible, but just a tablet with a portable keyboard.

So, what are your experiences with tablets? I know that many of you are in college, have been there, etc, so I'd love to hear from you all on whether this seems like a reasonable buy or not. And, of course, recommendations on which would work the best, what features you can't live without, etc, would be great!

Thanks so much
Angela.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I have several clients using tablets - most are on Compaq/HP TC1100's, a few have a model from Gateway sold by Motion Computing - the model name eludes me right now.

I really like the Compaq, and would reccomend it over any other cheaper tablet. They're around $1700 - $2000 depending on options. It comes with a fair list of features for that price, has decent battery life, and seems to be pretty reliable. After a year or two of heavy use, the pivot/hinge that attaches the keyboard to the tablet gets a bit sloppy, but that's more or less expected, IMHO.

As you've noted, the big advantage tablets have over laptops is that you can hold the tablet in one hand and draw/write with the stylus in your other hand. Don't get one without wireless, and buy an external CD-ROM drive unless you have another computer you can network with the tablet.

Overall though, don't count on excellent handwriting recognition. It's too slow and cumbersome to take extensive notes - but if you're just jotting occasional thoughts or drawing simple diagrams, it should work OK. The on-screen keyboard works pretty well, too.

[Newreeflady]

As I understand it, it doesn't need to even have handwriting recognition, you can just store the notes as written, which is fine by me.

I am not sure I need the convertible, but the hp does look like a nice piece of equipment! The only thing I don't like is that it is a 10" screen. I really didn't want to go <12".

I can network this with my desktop, so i'm not planning to buy an external cdrom.

Thanks! Other opinions are welcome. It seems these are not widely known of/used, really.

-A

[beerguy]

If you ever have to reload the OS, and we are talking about winders here, you'll want the CDROM.

[pnosko]

Hey Angela, nice to see your keystrokes again.

[dinoman]

Originally posted by pnosko
Hey Angela, nice to see your keystrokes again.

I was about to say the same thing, even though you had pretty much left by the time I became active (your buttfish thread is now famous, though it hasn't surfaced in a few weeks).

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Originally posted by Newreeflady
As I understand it, it doesn't need to even have handwriting recognition, you can just store the notes as written, which is fine by me.

That's correct - you can just store the exact images you scrawl. It's still not *quite* as convenient as it sounds - again, I'd use it for jotting thoughts, simple diagrams, etc - but not for taking extensive notes during a long lecture or anything like that. The note taking, handwriting recognition, etc is all built into Windows XP Tablet, which is simply XP with some added features built in.

If you already have a desktop, just use the monitor from it when you're sitting at your desk. You can stretch the tablet's desktop to an external monitor, so you'll have tons of space that way. My experience with tablets much bigger than the TC1100 (12" screen models) is that they're so big it's not worth going with a tablet over a laptop.

I don't think tablets are ready for mainstream consumers yet. They're awesome for certain applications though, that's for sure.

[Newreeflady]

Thanks for the help. I will be looking at them this weekend and i'll let you know what I find!

Thanks, guys, for the warm welcome! I may be gone but not forgotten I am finally moving this year, but one day i'll have to set up my dream reef and you'll be seeing a lot more of me again! I doubt i'll find time while in engineering school, but maybe??

Any other opinions would also be helpful!

Angela