Laptop Computer

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NCF145

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I am getting a new laptop for medical school, and was wondering if the new tablet pcs (hp) would be helpful for taking notes in class?

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I personally dislike the glossy screens HP laptops have. go with a dell or an alienware FTW (same company, different styles)
 
I don't see many of my classmates using PCs to take notes, and those who bring them into lecture generally spend the time surfing the web or chatting on IM. (You know who you are!)
 
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I am getting a new laptop for medical school, and was wondering if the new tablet pcs (hp) would be helpful for taking notes in class?

I don't like them, but many do. This is definitely a school-to-school decision since curricula and campus IT departments vary significantly.

Be sure to check with your school. One place I interviewed at last year was requiring students to buy a new notebook (incidentally an HP tablet) from the school.

Maybe ask the folks on the UT-Houston forum over at the allopathic class threads.
 
I used a tablet. It made me more likely to follow notes, and made .ppt files easy to write on. .pdfs are harder, you have to have a real version of it, or print into OneNote or GoBinder. Whatever you would like to do.
I rarely use the tablet functionality anymore though, sometimes for surfing the web. I can't stand the text recognition though.
 
I have a Lenovo X41 tablet. LOVE IT. :love: I can highlight, make notes, draw, circle, clip from powerpoints to onenote or MSWord or GoBinder. Different colors of pens, different thicknesses, different highlighters at the touch of a button. And it's really handy to pass it around if you're doing a team project.
 
I used a tablet. It made me more likely to follow notes, and made .ppt files easy to write on. .pdfs are harder, you have to have a real version of it, or print into OneNote or GoBinder. Whatever you would like to do.
I rarely use the tablet functionality anymore though, sometimes for surfing the web. I can't stand the text recognition though.

How do you directly write on PPT's? Do you have to select some tool? I've been trying to figure this out, not that I've tried very hard.
 
I have a Lenovo X41 tablet. LOVE IT. :love: I can highlight, make notes, draw, circle, clip from powerpoints to onenote or MSWord or GoBinder. Different colors of pens, different thicknesses, different highlighters at the touch of a button. And it's really handy to pass it around if you're doing a team project.

This is what I have too, and I think it's been very useful so far - especially in pathology lab and histology (it's nice to draw directly on the slides). I write almost all of my notes straight onto the lecture handouts (.pdf), and love that I don't have to carry around a big binder of notes whenever I want to go somewhere to study. Plus it helps keep me organized - I have a folder for 'school' and then create a new folder for each day (ie 112806) with all of the notes for that day inside.
 
How do you directly write on PPT's? Do you have to select some tool? I've been trying to figure this out, not that I've tried very hard.
There is a pen/marker tool that shows up in the bottom left (with 2003), along with the arrows and other things.
 
i would ABSOLUTELY recommend buying one....at KU they require us to buy them (all the same one with books and everything already on the hard drive), and i think it's the best thing to ever happen to the school...lugging books around sucks. now i just have one bag with the computer in it and maybe a board review book from whatever subject we're on. Also, if you don't know something in class, you can look it up right away on emedicine, pubmed, or (yeah, that's right....) wikipedia (don't let the prof's tell you it's not useful). Also, if you're in path or something, you can get supplemental info from some pretty commonly used websites right there during class if the prof's slides aren't helping. i gotta say, it opens up a ton of doors and makes everything go faster (if you can stay off facebook...)
 
I use a macbook and love it.
 
Dells are overrated pieces of cheap garbage.


I have a Sony Vaio SZ and I love it. Very small, lightweight, beautiful screen, tons of storage, and exceptional performance. This laptop outperforms my desktop.
 
everyone i know who got a tablet first year no longer uses it for notetaking.

i've got a powerbook and i love it. get something tiny, you won't want to lug something over 4 or 5 pounds with you everyday. when i do take notes (which is less often than i go to class - which is never) i take notes on my laptop mostly to keep myself awake. but seriously, the notesets from notetaking society are probably better than anything that you will write down.

i'd say save your money and get a standard laptop.
 
They write on paper? You take notes on your laptop - but the tablet (not a slate, mind you) has a keyboard and functions just like a laptop... they don't use their computer at all?

sorry - not meaning to come off as pissy, just confused. I don't think I can comprehend of going back to pencil/paper when I can type and draw on my computer screen. Of course, if you aren't required to go to class (I may try this next semester) then you may indeed not need notes.
 
They write on paper? You take notes on your laptop - but the tablet (not a slate, mind you) has a keyboard and functions just like a laptop... they don't use their computer at all?

sorry - not meaning to come off as pissy, just confused. I don't think I can comprehend of going back to pencil/paper when I can type and draw on my computer screen. Of course, if you aren't required to go to class (I may try this next semester) then you may indeed not need notes.

i think the idea is if your gonna lug your computer to class every day, you might as well be typing on it to take notes because the majority of people are way faster typers than writers. Why would you waste the time writing on a computer screen which is 10x slower than typing when you could just be typing.

howerver, i do not have one of these tablet pc's. i'm just talking from anectodal evidence.
 
ah. I see. I do have a tablet, and honestly, if there are downloadable handouts, I will often switch between typing stuff (usually) and drawing stuff (when necessary or when it can't be typed). I highlight on screen with the pen (and I can do this is more programs than plain keyboard programs). But if there's a ppt file, I usually just make notations directly on the screen. Very handy. As for noteservice - our noteservice is a literal word for word transcription of the class. I find it terribly difficult to wade through it all and will generally just listen to the downloaded audio at 2x speed instead.

If there aren't handouts and I go to class, I'm apt to just type and not write. And I really love not having a binder of paper -- especially when my laptop is thinner than a binder and weighs less than 4 lbs. :) I hear lots of folks love their mac powerbooks. Personally, if mac had a tablet out, I'd have bought one in a second. But I'm finding I really love the tablet features and would have had a more difficult time with anatomy with a regular laptop.
 
just like to add my $0.02, i have a toshiba tablet (tecra M7) and i love it!

if you decide to go with a tablet, i would strongly recommend you NOT go with gateway. their customer service is absolutely HORRIBLE. :mad: i started with a gateway tablet that didn't work out of the box and i'm taking them to court because they refused to replace it (after trying to repair it 4X...the thing doesn't even turn on now).

as others have said, most people type faster than they write. i use my tablet as a notebook but i keep my pen out so i can circle, highlight or draw on the presentation as needed (this is especially useful for classes like histo).

(someone earlier was asking how to write on powerpoint presentations. if you have office 2003 or later, and you go to the "review" tab, there should be a "start inking" option.)
 
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