getting a tablet pc

I would personally, but I'm a bit of a techie who has to be ahead of the curve. I definitely think that you'll see more and more tablets in the wards, and eventually they'll be more prevalent in school too (the educational pendulum swings slowly ).

If you get the tab, you may be interested in One Note 2003 for school. Click on the orange "start demo" button to see it in action. I can't afford a tablet right now, all I've got is this desktop, but I'm dying to try that software out. Looks very 21st century.

No, I don't work for Microsoft.

NS

go to Case, class of '09 gets tablet PCs

Im in undergrad right now and have been using a toshiba m200 convertable for 2 semesters...

Its been fantastic!

visit: http://studenttabletpc.blogs.com/

PM me if you have any further questions...

I have a tablet that I got about a week ago (Toshiba M205) and I LOVE it! I can't wait to use it in med school next year. I've gotten a lot of attention over the past week with it. Prices recently went down considerably, I paid about $1900 including tax at CompUSA.


Let me Know if you have any questions. A good site to check out is www.studenttabletPC.blogs.com Also, the note taking software I've been using is called Go Binder, I like it a lot. Easier to organize than One Note.

-Jesse

I am seriously considering getting one for med school. I am waiting until the summer though so i can get the lowest price possible. They seem soooo awesome and helpful!

RunMimi said:

I've wanted one of these for years! Maybe med school will be the excuse I need to finally get it. I'm afraid about making big purchases in the face of so much debt though. Anyone else feel this sentiment?

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I would like to hear from someone who is currently in medical school and also has a tabletPC. I agree they are reallly cool, but how useful are they compared to a regular laptop?

RunMimi said:

I've wanted one of these for years! Maybe med school will be the excuse I need to finally get it. I'm afraid about making big purchases in the face of so much debt though. Anyone else feel this sentiment?

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I just decided that for as much as it will help my studying and productivity, it was worth $2,000, especially when med school is 19-40K per year.

And I've babysat like crazy since last August to pay for it.

But it's the third computer I've bought, and the first when I haven't felt like I've paid for features I'll never use.

Ok, so I'm totally behind! What's the difference between a tablet and a regular laptop....?? Thanks!

davidthegnome said:

i've heard some first year financial aid budgets account for up to 2500 you can allocate for technology in your student loan. its not like its free but at least you don't have to pay for it now. does anyone know on benefits of a convertible over a slate pc.

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what is a convertible versus slate tablet?

how user-friendly are they for taking/organizing notes??

my laptop is six month old (and paid for!!!), so i am debating if a tablet is worth the $$$ for lecture or if i should stay with my dell.

i am sooooooo out of the loop with tablets. thnx for your input.

does anyone know if you can take a powerpoint file, like one you could get in for a particlar lecture, and write directly on the file using a tablet pc?

For those who aren't "in the know," a tablet PC is basically a computer that is a screen without a keyboard. It has a pen that you can use as a pointer and write in certain programs. Most can be used as a normal notebook computer with either a detachable or fold-under keyboard and touchpad. The advantage is that you can write on them like a pad of paper and the "ink" is stored digitally.

I'm got mine a little over a year ago when they were first starting to come out at reasonable prices. I have a Toshiba Portege 3505, which I've found to be very useful. I used it for my last semester and a half of undergrad and for the past year or so. It has the keyboard that folds under so I can flip from a "tablet" to a normal laptop on a whim.

I used MS One Note for the whole time and I absolutely love that program. I keep all of my notes in my own handwriting (the conversion soft-ware is good, but not close to perfect). The best part is that I can search my hundreds of pages of hand-written notes from a year ago and come up with a description from a 15 minute thought in my genetics class. I have my drawings and everything. It really is brilliant.

I'm currently having some hardware issues though. At about a year and three months post-purchase there are regions of the screen that don't recognize the tablet's pen. It actually has prevented me from using the tablet mode in a while because I can't write or point or do anything in that area of the screen with the pen. Sad part is that I spent $500 dollars on CompUSA's service package that covers these things but I just moved over 100 miles from the nearest CompUSA so I don't really have anywhere to get it fixed for free. Bummer.

Also, they don't have an internal cd drive. Mine came with a PCMCIA external CD/DVD drive that runs just as fast, but isn't exactly portable. It's not that big of a deal because none of the things I use on the run require a CD. I usually do a full install on my software anyway cause there's plenty of hard disk space.

Those're really my only complains. I was afraid that they would be kindof fragile (they look fragile) but mine's been tough as nails. Not even the little plastic port covers have broken off. I've really abused it and I haven't had problems with anything except those regions of the screen, which might be a driver issue in the end.

Anyhow, as soon as I move to medical school, I'm going to get this sucker fixed up like new. They're great conversation pieces too--people really take notice for some reason.

Happy hunting,

-dope-

bb88 said:

does anyone know if you can take a powerpoint file, like one you could get in for a particlar lecture, and write directly on the file using a tablet pc?

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I'm pretty sure you can. I have not tried it myself, but a friend of mine, who knows all about high tech stuff, explained to me that with a tablet PC you can expand each powerpoint slide to fit the whole screen, take notes on it, and save the powerpoint presentation. Sounds pretty cool.

I wonder how sensitive are the handwriting recognition capapilities of tablets?

There's a rumor out there that the matriculating students this year going to Michigan will be getting Tablet PCs for starting rotations. Now they give you a PDA, but a tablet would be SWEET!

bb88 said:

does anyone know if you can take a powerpoint file, like one you could get in for a particlar lecture, and write directly on the file using a tablet pc?

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yes, you can. That's the reason I bought mine initially... I was doing several important presentations in just a few months. The best part is that you can annotate the slides as you go. You really get the best of the powerpoint, overhead, and chalkboard presentations all in one. It allows for a very dynamic presentation.

samsara said:

I'm pretty sure you can. I have not tried it myself, but a friend of mine, who knows all about high tech stuff, explained to me that with a tablet PC you can expand each powerpoint slide to fit the whole screen, take notes on it, and save the powerpoint presentation. Sounds pretty cool.

I wonder how sensitive are the handwriting recognition capapilities of tablets?

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The handwriting recognition is the best that's ever been out. It's much, much better than PDAs. There still are problems when you have drawings and there are an inevitable 5% of words that it can't recognize with most peoples' scrawl. That makes for a pain-in-the-abs editing time after you've got it converted. The funny thing is, if you want it in text, just type it. Most people can type much faster than they can write anyway. I keep my notes in handwriting just because that's exactly what they are--notes.

exmike said:

go to Case, class of '09 gets tablet PCs

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is that a for sure thing? do you happen to know if CCLCM also gets them?

There are several tablet pc threads floating around. Do a search. Alot of good info.


For everyone who thinks that they have to spend a fortune to get a tablet, you are mistaken. You can find a great slate style "NEC VersaLite Tablet PC" for about a grand online. It is slightly older in terms of specs, but it is certainly capable for everything you will need it for during medical school. Why spend 2K+ on a new tablet when you get a brand new operating system from MS for a free download. With your savings you can buy a very decent desktop computer as a main computing system at home and to back up your stuff (as you should do because any laptop can go with one stupid drop to the ground).

thanks for the solid advice guys.

do you have specific model/brand recommendations? i noticed that dell sells non-dell tablets, and i'm not tech-savvy enough to know which brands are reputable.

exmike said:

go to Case, class of '09 gets tablet PCs

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Really? When I was there, I saw the laptops for M2s, b/c I saw some M2s, and they were the crappiest cheapest Dells you have ever seen! Dell makes some cheap crap; they make some nicer things if you pay, but their low priced stuff is bad.

I have a laptop already; and I am sure I can get whatever software to work on it (Ive been a network admin for the past 6 years!), think I could get out of the laptop thing and save some dough for schools like Case?