Technology $1500 Budget....what to get?

[jammin06]

Hey guys,

So I'm looking into getting as much as I can within my $1500 budget. I'll have to buy a laptop for med school, but I'm wondering if it's worth getting a really souped up one that allocates my whole budget, or would it be better to get a middle range laptop and then get a PDA to sync up with it? I'm looking at the Palm TX for a PDA, but not really sure about laptops.

I have seem some reasonably priced tablet PC's, any thoughts on those? I haven't bought a computer in about 5-6 years. Thanks

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[southerndoc]

I had a tablet for a while. They're cool, but not very useful... just too big.

 

[DOctorJay]

just got a brand new dell 710m which is super portable (12" beautiful widescreen) with optical drive internal (most pcs this small are making them external which is a pain).

got this machine for just over $1000. I also like your choice of PDA. The T/X is a solid little machine and will be useful during your first 2 years if you make use of it for scheduling exams, following grades, and especially loading books - my most used program is probably my Stedman's dictionary plus I have a flashcard program and epocrates which is helpful when in the clinic to figure out what the doc is prescribing and why.

most will say you do not need a PDA during first and second year but I find it very useful and I utilize it's functionality more than most I would say. I also think it's better to know the ins and outs of these things early on so when you hit the wards you're not fumbling around with it, not that it's hard to use but it takes a while to get fast with graffiti etc.

get "4.0 student" to manage your school work and record your grades/averages AWESOME program and then load up any free programming (and games) you want on there.

good luck to you!

 

[theblastopore]

Hey guys,

So I'm looking into getting as much as I can within my $1500 budget. I'll have to buy a laptop for med school, but I'm wondering if it's worth getting a really souped up one that allocates my whole budget, or would it be better to get a middle range laptop and then get a PDA to sync up with it? I'm looking at the Palm TX for a PDA, but not really sure about laptops.

I have seem some reasonably priced tablet PC's, any thoughts on those? I haven't bought a computer in about 5-6 years. Thanks

I have the IBM X41 Tablet. Not very useful at all. I don't think I ever used the hand-writing function yet (except for playing around). I'll would get a Dell 710m, too. Nice and cheap. You can sometimes find coupon for Dell at this website: http://www.xpbargains.com

If you can find a little bit more money, a Sony S series or S(something) series would be nice. I used to have an S260P. Like the 710m, it had a built-in optical drive but with a 13.3inch widescreen. I think 13.3inch is a perfect size: not too small to use but small enough to be VERY portable

 

[prettymd05]

so is it the consensus that tablets are not very useful? I remember being very impressed with seeing one for the first time during one of my interviews in a classroom.

 

[lord_jeebus]

The most important things to me in a computer for school were weight and battery life. I got a Fujitsu P7010D, but that would be over your budget. I would recommend nothing bigger than 13" monitor, and a minimum of 4 hrs battery life. My sister bought a Dell 710m and it's a good value for a small computer. You can always hook it up to a big monitor and keyboard when you're at home.

I would save your PDA money for 3rd year.

 

[DOctorJay]

I really don't see the point to tablets, at least in the classroom. I think most of us can probably type faster than write (thanks to instant messenger) so the option of being able to write on the screen just doesn't add anything for me.

If you do decide to go with the Dell 710m be sure to get the extended life battery. it's a little bigger in the back but definitely not a big deal and you'll be happy in lecture that it doesn't die. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse hooked up to mine when I'm at home and use a stand like this http://cpbotha.net/laptopstand.html to get it up in a more ergnomic position (decreasing neck strain).

the screen on this machine is fabulous, I don't right now see a need to buy a monitor but that is always a possibility if you need something bigger.

-J