Laptop VS Tablet PC

[biyanir]

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So, I was wondering how useful a tablet pc would be in medical school compared to a laptop. Is having the ability to make your own notes directly onto the lecture notes THAT useful in Medical School or is having a laptop sufficent? Any thoughts...?

 

[vkhalsa]

So, I was wondering how useful a tablet pc would be in medical school compared to a laptop. Is having the ability to make your own notes directly onto the lecture notes THAT useful in Medical School or is having a laptop sufficent? Any thoughts...?

you would get a better idea if you posted in Allo.

 

[mshheaddoc]

my $.02 - find out how most students take notes at your school and if it be worth it. I have yet come across a non-buggy tablet PC that someone was happy with.


There is already a thread like this in Allo so please refer to that! Thanks!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=284543

 

[maestro1625]

meh, get a macbook, and a notebook (ya know, the paper kind).

-not a mac user

 

[chewsnuffles]

I have a toshiba tablet and it works really good, I love it. With that said, I can't hand write fast enough that I can keep up in some of my undergrad classes still, LET ALONE med school classes. (which i'm not in yet)
it is great for equations, but shear notes get a new mac. The reliability > handwriting. I have keys fall off every now and then too. If you dont get a mac get a IBM, then ur notes will still be safe if you throw it down the stairs.

 

[Gotcha!]

I have a toshiba tablet and it works really good, I love it. With that said, I can't hand write fast enough that I can keep up in some of my undergrad classes still, LET ALONE med school classes. (which i'm not in yet)
it is great for equations, but shear notes get a new mac. The reliability > handwriting. I have keys fall off every now and then too. If you dont get a mac get a IBM, then ur notes will still be safe if you throw it down the stairs.

I've heard good things about tablets especially in terms of Fujitsu (4000 series) and IBM (x41) and even the new toshibas...

 

[63768]

only get a tablet if you are proficient at writing on it. otherwise, you'd be floundering around trying to figure out how it all works. otherwise a laptop is your best bet. i'd still stick with pen and paper because i'm fastest with that and i won't annoy the people around me with keystrokes.

also why would ever get a macbook over a thinkpad?

 

[maestro1625]

well the abillity to properly run both windows and mac OS helps the decision...

/again, I'm not a mac user.

 

[yanky5]

I would be cautous. I used to own a pocket size pocket pc that let me write on the screen. So I figured "hey, this will save me lots of note taking time". WRONG. Writing on a computer screen is much more difficult than writing on paper since:
1- It doesn't have a normal feel to it when you write
2- You can't touch the screen with your wrist when you write, so you have to keep your hand elevated.
3- Due to reasons one and two, you write much sloppier and much slower. I estimate you can type 5 times faster than you can write on a tablet and write the old fashoned way three times as fast.
4. You have to fiddle around with all those controls and buttons.
Therefore, I would try one out before buying it.

 

[Creightonite]

u cant beat reliability of normal paper for thetaking notes though. I do not know about using laptop or tablet PC in class... there is some connection between handwriting and memory so I prefer the old method. Tablets are not as powerful as laptops though. I am lookinf for a laptop too so might end up with some dual core goodness.

 

[chaeymaey]

I have a gateway convertible pc. it's a laptop and tablet in one, and i love it! It was very useful in biochem cuz i could write out mechanisms on the prof's ppt slides.

 

[Wrigleyville]

u cant beat reliability of normal paper for thetaking notes though. I do not know about using laptop or tablet PC in class... there is some connection between handwriting and memory so I prefer the old method. Tablets are not as powerful as laptops though. I am lookinf for a laptop too so might end up with some dual core goodness.

Finally, a voice of reason. Buy yellow pads for taking notes or write on syllabi/print-outs during class. If it weren't for the fact that I need internet at home I wouldn't have bothered with buying a computer at all.

 

[MossPoh]

In reference to the "can't rest hands on it while writing" thing or whatever..they are starting to fix that now and many of the new ones you can do it just fine and are actually able to take quite a bit of pressure. They are slowly starting to realize that people don't like the feel as well and are trying to make more textured screens since the main difference is just that weird gliding feeling like you are trying to sign those stupid credit card things. Personally my main issue is price..once you subtract the writing on the screen thing you really have mediochre stats for the price compared to others. I mean..I either print off power points or do a referencing technique where I'll just have the number of the slide on the paper next to what I write/draw. Tablets can be nice...but I also know that if I kept all of my notes on them I'd be doomed to get distracted by other stuff on my computer as well. Sometimes it is just nice to have papers to shuffle through.

 

[jojocola]

notebook!

 

[chewsnuffles]

OK, maybe I hated on tablets earlier, BUT HERE IS THE RUN DOWN
As a constant user for the last 5 months, it is good
paid approx 150 dollars more for the tablet functionality, AND it is worth it
Don't like to hand write, then type for god's sake, IT HAS BOTH
If you can affoard a duel core, get the IBM tablet! Best of both worlds, reliable and a tablet
PLUS, I can record lectures, which is priceless if I'm hung over. Think about it, the ability to write down mechanisms just might be worth 150 dollars, as long as reliability isn't ****
BOTTOM LINE, if you have a pc at home and don't need to be a power user get a tablet, then do the heavy stuff at home. ALTHOUGH, I can do photoshop on it, and if I can do that, what more do you want really... I can't play HL2, but I also paid 1000 dollars for my tablet

 

[jojocola]

OK, maybe I hated on tablets earlier, BUT HERE IS THE RUN DOWN
As a constant user for the last 5 months, it is good
paid approx 150 dollars more for the tablet functionality, AND it is worth it
Don't like to hand write, then type for god's sake, IT HAS BOTH
If you can affoard a duel core, get the IBM tablet! Best of both worlds, reliable and a tablet
PLUS, I can record lectures, which is priceless if I'm hung over. Think about it, the ability to write down mechanisms just might be worth 150 dollars, as long as reliability isn't ****
BOTTOM LINE, if you have a pc at home and don't need to be a power user get a tablet, then do the heavy stuff at home. ALTHOUGH, I can do photoshop on it, and if I can do that, what more do you want really... I can't play HL2, but I also paid 1000 dollars for my tablet

hrm, is "writing" down mechanisms easy, fast, and clear?

 

[dnw826]

Which ones have a record function for recording lectures, and which ones have the camera built in??? 😀

 

[chewsnuffles]

Writing mechanisms = easy as hell
My toshiba has a great built in microphone, 2 of them which noise cancel except for the source which can be designated by a piece of software.
Yeah, its pretty easy, infact, I prefer it to paper. Count on a week to make the transistion, but its good.

 

[Ski2Doc]

So, I was wondering how useful a tablet pc would be in medical school compared to a laptop. Is having the ability to make your own notes directly onto the lecture notes THAT useful in Medical School or is having a laptop sufficent? Any thoughts...?

The tablet is the best thing for med school, EVER. Worst case scenario you just use it as a laptop, but if you use it as tablet its AWESOME.

 

[dannylee718]

i think printing out the ppt slides before class and writing on the printouts is best. i would prefer studying off the hard-copy than an electronic copy. (you can argue that you could print out the tablet copy, then whats the point?)

yeah a tabby would be nice, but i think im gonna opt for the macbook pro. 😀

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

The tablet is the best thing for med school, EVER. Worst case scenario you just use it as a laptop, but if you use it as tablet its AWESOME.

dude, it's time to change the avater photo.

 

[szhao]

get a tablet, but i never take notes because i am lazy, but yea tablet are super cool though macbooks are super chill too. haha, if i had both i don't k now which one i would chose

 

[njbmd]

I would suggest that you wait until you start medical school to make this decision. Some schools will include a laptop when you start and at some, you can make your own choice as long as your computer meets their specs.

I have found the tablets useful for some things and cumbersome for others. I have a very tiny Viao that I used during medical school (for downloading powerpoint slides) but I use my tablet for making notes at residency lectures now. My tablet was great for data collecting too. It took a bit of time to get used to the tablet but it works fine.

Wait and see what you need, otherwise, explore and purchase after you have taken the time to try some of demo models or play with a classmate's tablet.