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Might be off topic but didn't know where else to go...

daneoni

daneoni

macrumors G4
Original poster
Mar 24, 2006
11,947
1,782
Alright i love Macrumors but this is a PC question. I read somewhere that this is a pc/mac rumors site.

Anyhue, i'm off to university this autumn and im thinking of getting a tablet pc. I just tend to lose notes easily and end up relying on textbooks which isn't efficient. So if i write on tablets it be saved as long as the HDD lives and some even record lectures which is cool. I only want a full tablet, non of that tablet/laptop convertible stuff. I've been looking at Motion computing's L1600TS (touch screen tablet) comes out to about $2300 which is decent. They have the sleekest machines around and offer decent performance.

However i wanted to get an opinion on tablets in general, are they reliable if treated well? basically whats the consensus?

PS i have a PowerBook so no one flame me. The reason i want a tablet is the flexibility of OneNote ( i can draw charts and illustrations) whereas to do this on a mac you need an extra Wacom tablet which is not worth it.
 
CrackedButter said:
To put it simply, nothing beats a notepad and a pen.

Don't waste your money, save it for something else or wait till the technology improves. It just isn't worth it.
Click to expand...
I agree. tablets really aren't very good. Take the extra seven or eight hundred bucks and buy yourself a nice, $100 pen, and some "paper cotten" notepads.
 
if you really want to take notes on a comp sticj with apple, get boot camp and a wacom tab, and take notes on the tablet with the software for windows. It will act just like a tablet pc and yor staying with apple.
 
fivetoadsloth said:
if you really want to take notes on a comp sticj with apple, get boot camp and a wacom tab, and take notes on the tablet with the software for windows. It will act just like a tablet pc and yor staying with apple.
Click to expand...

I have a wacom and again compared to pen and paper, why bother?

The wacom needs setting up, you need to open up the application then start using it but the output comes out somewhere else onscreen (not down in front of you) which seems again like another protracted way of simply just writing and taking notes with a pen.
 
CrackedButter said:
which seems again like another protracted way of simply just writing and taking notes with a pen.
Click to expand...
So what about something like the Logitech io2 digital pens? You actually write on paper, but can download your scribbles from the pen.

OK so the paper and pen ain't cheap, but neither is a tablet...

B
 
daneoni said:
So if i write on tablets it be saved as long as the HDD lives and some even record lectures which is cool.
Click to expand...

Make sure you get the professor's permission before recording a lecture -- their intellectual property, etc.

I also say "pen and paper." Transferring your notes to your computer later is a good study strategy.
 
CrackedButter said:
To put it simply, nothing beats a notepad and a pen.

Don't waste your money, save it for something else or wait till the technology improves. It just isn't worth it.
Click to expand...

Big amen on that. Paper and pen is the way to go. Feels more natural, no wait time, less to haul around, no expensive equipment. Before my first year of college, I was thinking about how I could bring my PB to lectures and type up the notes; After approximately one lecture, I decided to just switch to pen. And for all the classes I didn't ditch, pen has worked fine.
 
balamw said:
So what about something like the Logitech io2 digital pens? You actually write on paper, but can download your scribbles from the pen.

OK so the paper and pen ain't cheap, but neither is a tablet...

B
Click to expand...
Don't think they're OSX compatible, so the OP'll still need a PC between it and his PBook.
 
Take it from a current university student - Pen and paper really IS the best. Do NOT bother wasting money on a tablet pc, you just will not use it after the novelty wears off because you'll realise nothing is as fast and flexible as paper and pen.
 
spare said:
Don't think they're OSX compatible, so the OP'll still need a PC between it and his PBook.
Click to expand...
Well if he's buying a new tablet, I figured that an MBP wouldn't be out of the question ether...

Something like the io2 though seems liek the best of both worlds to me. pen and paper, with a digital backup.

B
 
daneoni said:
Alright i love Macrumors but this is a PC question. I read somewhere that this is a pc/mac rumors site.

Anyhue, i'm off to university this autumn and im thinking of getting a tablet pc. I just tend to lose notes easily and end up relying on textbooks which isn't efficient. So if i write on tablets it be saved as long as the HDD lives and some even record lectures which is cool. I only want a full tablet, non of that tablet/laptop convertible stuff. I've been looking at Motion computing's L1600TS (touch screen tablet) comes out to about $2300 which is decent. They have the sleekest machines around and offer decent performance.

However i wanted to get an opinion on tablets in general, are they reliable if treated well? basically whats the consensus?

PS i have a PowerBook so no one flame me. The reason i want a tablet is the flexibility of OneNote ( i can draw charts and illustrations) whereas to do this on a mac you need an extra Wacom tablet which is not worth it.
Click to expand...

whats your major?
 
fivetoadsloth said:
if you really want to take notes on a comp sticj with apple, get boot camp and a wacom tab, and take notes on the tablet with the software for windows. It will act just like a tablet pc and yor staying with apple.
Click to expand...

This is the most clumsy sounding solution I've ever heard. A Wacom tablet in a lecture hall??????

As to the OP.... I've found that taking notes hardly ever justifies bringing a computer to class. I did it for a while on a PowerBook Duo, which was nice becuase it was small. But really, during a fast pace lecture you're not going to have time to create graphs and illustrations. Plus, lecture halls are rarely roomy and luxurious, usually there are 200 - 500 students crammed extremely close together, half of them trying to use huge laptops on the tiny tables that are designed for, you guessed it, a pen and a notepad.

Honestly, the only good note taking laptops are tiny ones, not big ones or tablet ones. Just a tiny, normal laptop with a keyboard that you can type on. Like a 12" PowerBook G4, or a PowerBook Duo or PowerBook 2400c. Or a small PC. Most people type faster than they can handwrite, so a standard configuration laptop (with a keyboard) is your best bet. You will hardly ever use tablet features I guarantee it.
 
dpaanlka said:
This is the most clumsy sounding solution I've ever heard. A Wacom tablet in a lecture hall??????
Click to expand...

I tried it and it worked okay, if a little inelegant, but I fould it was just much better to brush up on my typing and use my 12" PB.
 
Thanx for all the replies, looks like i'll use Pen & Paper during lectures and transfer them to the Word notepad when i get home.
 
CrackedButter said:
Can I have the money you saved? You were going to waste it anyway! :)
Click to expand...

HaHa, sorry, now going towards a fully tricked out MacPro (3.0GHz/2GB RAM/BT+AP/X1900XT) and an ACD
 
fivetoadsloth said:
if you really want to take notes on a comp sticj with apple, get boot camp and a wacom tab, and take notes on the tablet with the software for windows. It will act just like a tablet pc and yor staying with apple.
Click to expand...

a.) That doesn't work very well if you want to write on your tablet if there's no table available. How would you hold your Laptop AND your Wacom Tablet with one hand such that you can still write with the other one? (My A5 Wacom Tablet has the same size as my 12" Powerbook)
b.) Why bootcamp? As soon as you attach a Wacom Tablet to your Mac Ink is activated.
 
daneoni said:
Thanx for all the replies, looks like i'll use Pen & Paper during lectures and transfer them to the Word notepad when i get home.
Click to expand...
I think if you do this method you'll find that just retyping your notes is a great form of studying. You'll just have to make sure you do it. I never could... :rolleyes:
 
daneoni said:
Thanx for all the replies, looks like i'll use Pen & Paper during lectures and transfer them to the Word notepad when i get home.
Click to expand...

Depending on what the material is, you might want to use the OmniOutliner software. I assume this is still bundled with the latest machines? I know the OmniOutliner and OmniGraffle were bundled with my pbook and OmniOutliner with my iMac. I used both in some courses, such as my Commodities Markets class, and I liked it.

If you are going down the scientfic route, you'll pick up LaTeX along the way (or you should!). If you force yourself to get comfortable enough with this, you can use this to type all the math equations and whatever you want in class. I did this and enjoyed having my notes in such a nice, neat format.

Pen and paper followed by copying them into a computer is great, but good luck having the motivation to do so. :)
 
weg said:
a.) That doesn't work very well if you want to write on your tablet if there's no table available. How would you hold your Laptop AND your Wacom Tablet with one hand such that you can still write with the other one? (My A5 Wacom Tablet has the same size as my 12" Powerbook)
b.) Why bootcamp? As soon as you attach a Wacom Tablet to your Mac Ink is activated.
Click to expand...

yeah i know it isnt that elegent well not at all but just mac alternative and i have heard the pc notetaking software included with the wacom is better than ink, i use ink.
 
daneoni said:
I've been looking at Motion computing's L1600TS (touch screen tablet) comes out to about $2300 which is decent. They have the sleekest machines around and offer decent performance.
Click to expand...
A little OT, but did anyone else find it amusing that this thing has it's own control+alt+delete button?
seriouslysr9.png
 
I love my tablet! I have a Motion 1400 and it's incredibly useful. It's great having ALL of your notes in one place. I'm much better at keeping myself organized in the digital world than the real world, so it's invaluable from that respect. Instead of 20 partially used notepads scattered about the place, I have one tablet pc. You can also scan course packets and some book publishers have digital versions of their course books available. Given your major, you will probably be reading a lot of journal articles. You can keep them (and mark them up) all on your tablet.

As an added benefit, because of the form factor I find myself using it in places and situations where I would never dream of pulling out a traditional notebook computer.

I do have an issue with price point for entry. It's difficult to justify spending $2000+ on a machine whose specs can be had in a sub-$1000 notebook. If you're really interested in a tablet, I'd recommend finding a gently used one. I've seen the Motion 1400 sell for around $1000.
 
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