Tablet PC's and you!

GrobbeeTrull · 01-29-2007, 03:20 PM

So, today in class, I saw one. A decent one, I think it was a Toshiba. It was a laptop, and had the writing function on the screen when you flipped it around. I was instantly entranced, and did a little research and saw that you can write on .pdf's, .pps, and other things.

Can anyone recommend a decent Tablet Laptop? Or does anyone have any general experience with them that they can impart to someone?

My primary uses would include note-taking at University, leisure reading of .pdfs, and basic internet functionality.

Any help would be grand!

Rune · 01-29-2007, 03:34 PM

I'm fairly sure PDF files were originally associated with blood sacrifice and satanic worship, as I find it utterly impossible that someone sane thought that adobe reader and .pdf files were well written programs that constituted a good idea.

Everytime I open a .pdf I feel my processor shudder and die a little inside.

Zeste · 01-29-2007, 04:44 PM

I've used a tablet PC, and I use a wacom everyday, and FWIW, they are NOT substitutes for a pen and paper.

Handwriting on a tablet for anything more than a word or 2 is cumbersome, sloppy, and waaaay more time consuming than it should be.

I know I know, it SOUNDS like a good idea, but taking a class worth of notes on a tablet PC is pretty horrible.

I can't recommend it for the reasons you stated. If you were a doctor or nurse or something and had those medical specialty tablet programs, then yeah, they're great. But for writing with the stylus, no.

GrobbeeTrull · 01-29-2007, 06:38 PM

Hrm, weird, because this woman was writing reasonably fast, and it was picking up every word, etc.

I guess I'll just have to ask her if I can try it out.

Soriak · 01-29-2007, 07:01 PM

Maybe it works with practice, but the resistance you get writing on a screen is nothing like paper. I've tested tablet PCs and to me it's like handwriting on my PDA... a few words? sure, but certainly not pages.

Can't you use a normal laptop for note taking in class?

Otherwise you may want to look into a digital pen, such as the one from logitech: Logitech® io™ Digital Pen and Accessories > Logitech® io™₂ Digital Pen

Basically you write on special paper (it has tiny dots so the pen recognized where you write) and it's just like writing with a normal pen. At the end you plug it into a USB dock and it uploads everything you wrote on the computer and you have it in digital form. The pen comes with an OCR software that works very well once you set it up with a sample text.

The advantage to scanning is that it recognizes drawings, so you can easily make an odd-looking circle a perfect one, or change the color of your hand-written text. It also has codes (you write a capital letter and circle it) so you could write an e-mail on paper with the recipient and once synchronized with your computer it'd automatically load the text into your e-mail program and use the recipient/subject you have on the paper. Pretty neat, actually.

Zeste · 01-30-2007, 10:06 AM

I used my laptop for my last 2 years of college in every class.

Typing notes is so fast and easy, it was really awesome. Plus, I had google at my disposal for those tough questions.

I never once had a single person or teacher complain that I had my laptop open and typing in class.

that's the way I would/did go.

Soriak · 01-30-2007, 11:40 AM

Digital pen might still be useful for drawings though - that and math formulas are a huge pain on a laptop.

01-29-2007, 03:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
GrobbeeTrull Banned Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Springfield, Ohio Posts: 1,685 +0 Internets	Tablet PC's and you! So, today in class, I saw one. A decent one, I think it was a Toshiba. It was a laptop, and had the writing function on the screen when you flipped it around. I was instantly entranced, and did a little research and saw that you can write on .pdf's, .pps, and other things. Can anyone recommend a decent Tablet Laptop? Or does anyone have any general experience with them that they can impart to someone? My primary uses would include note-taking at University, leisure reading of .pdfs, and basic internet functionality. Any help would be grand!

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01-29-2007, 03:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rune Bonafied Misanthrope Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: ATX Posts: 899 -1 Internets	I'm fairly sure PDF files were originally associated with blood sacrifice and satanic worship, as I find it utterly impossible that someone sane thought that adobe reader and .pdf files were well written programs that constituted a good idea. Everytime I open a .pdf I feel my processor shudder and die a little inside.

01-29-2007, 04:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
Zeste Ben's Secret Assassins - HIPPITY HOP RABBIT Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,784 +24 Internets	I've used a tablet PC, and I use a wacom everyday, and FWIW, they are NOT substitutes for a pen and paper. Handwriting on a tablet for anything more than a word or 2 is cumbersome, sloppy, and waaaay more time consuming than it should be. I know I know, it SOUNDS like a good idea, but taking a class worth of notes on a tablet PC is pretty horrible. I can't recommend it for the reasons you stated. If you were a doctor or nurse or something and had those medical specialty tablet programs, then yeah, they're great. But for writing with the stylus, no.

01-29-2007, 06:38 PM	#4 (permalink)
GrobbeeTrull Banned Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Springfield, Ohio Posts: 1,685 +0 Internets	Hrm, weird, because this woman was writing reasonably fast, and it was picking up every word, etc. I guess I'll just have to ask her if I can try it out.

01-29-2007, 07:01 PM	#5 (permalink)
Soriak Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Switzerland Posts: 4,325 +15 Internets	Maybe it works with practice, but the resistance you get writing on a screen is nothing like paper. I've tested tablet PCs and to me it's like handwriting on my PDA... a few words? sure, but certainly not pages. Can't you use a normal laptop for note taking in class? Otherwise you may want to look into a digital pen, such as the one from logitech: Logitech® io™ Digital Pen and Accessories > Logitech® io™₂ Digital Pen Basically you write on special paper (it has tiny dots so the pen recognized where you write) and it's just like writing with a normal pen. At the end you plug it into a USB dock and it uploads everything you wrote on the computer and you have it in digital form. The pen comes with an OCR software that works very well once you set it up with a sample text. The advantage to scanning is that it recognizes drawings, so you can easily make an odd-looking circle a perfect one, or change the color of your hand-written text. It also has codes (you write a capital letter and circle it) so you could write an e-mail on paper with the recipient and once synchronized with your computer it'd automatically load the text into your e-mail program and use the recipient/subject you have on the paper. Pretty neat, actually.

01-30-2007, 10:06 AM	#6 (permalink)
Zeste Ben's Secret Assassins - HIPPITY HOP RABBIT Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,784 +24 Internets	I used my laptop for my last 2 years of college in every class. Typing notes is so fast and easy, it was really awesome. Plus, I had google at my disposal for those tough questions. I never once had a single person or teacher complain that I had my laptop open and typing in class. that's the way I would/did go.

01-30-2007, 11:40 AM	#7 (permalink)
Soriak Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Switzerland Posts: 4,325 +15 Internets	Digital pen might still be useful for drawings though - that and math formulas are a huge pain on a laptop.