Need computer advice (tablet PCs?)

[chrisv]

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I'm buying a new computer for med school (which I'll use in fall, 08). What are your thoughts on the tablet PCs. As med school students, do you guys ever use it? Do know of others who do (if so, then approx what percent)? Would you recommend it? I was thinking I could use it to take notes on my power-point during class--especially since I've heard that many students don't actually print off notes, and just study from the power-points.
Thanks!
ChrisV

 

[deleted77919]

Personally have never liked tablets (got a free one for a year as part of a pilot program). Either underpowered and overpriced, or oversized and overpriced.

Computers are very school dependent, I would wait until you know where you are going and what they require. If you absolutely need one now, then just know it might need to be replaced when you start.

I have never seen anyone here using a tablet PC in lecture.

 

[geekOCD]

I think you should def. get a tablet if you can, but only if you're willing/geeky enough to actually spend a bit of time to learn to use it (i.e. if you know you're basically computer illiterate and don't want to spend any time learning new software, don't bother).

I bought a tablet for first year and totally love it, and there's about 10-15 others in my class who have them. Everyone I know who doesn't have a tablet wishes they got one. But researching them is important because some manufacturers are worse than others.

Getting a tablet was a hard decision for me because you do have fewer options in terms of hardware/specs (particularly in the graphics dept.), although this is constantly improving. But it's totally worth it, not only for path and histo (copying slides into your notes & then labeling them as the prof goes through them is amazing and always draws jealous stares from those around you) but for flexibility in taking notes (drawing diagrams, tables, & such, or if you're just tired of typing) and for using your tablet in meetings (trust me, you'll have situations/meetings where it'd be rude to have a laptop out but you're allowed to have a tablet, which is not only sweet for note taking but also to surf & use online resources when everyone else just has a notepad).

 

[ShyRem]

I have a tablet, and TOTALLY love it. Love being able to circle, draw, write, highlight directly on powerpoint slides, and you can get a program that will let you "print" pdf files to a format you can write on them (gobinder by Agilix - it's only about $30). As it's also a fully functional "regular" laptop, I don't lose the functionality of a non-tablet.

And I agree -- everyone who saw my tablet wishes they got one. It's been played with more than anyone else's computer, and even professors have come up to see it. Several have ordered one after playing with mine. I highly recommend a tablet.. but also agree that you need to do your homework on finding the best tablet for you. Cheapest is NOT always best. Personally I got the Lenovo.

 

[MrChang]

rumor has it that apple is suppose to release a tablet powerbook this january at macworld (i think its called macworld, well its deff this jan w/e conference it is)

 

[Wizard of Oz]

I don't like them.

 

[OncoCaP]

I have a tablet, and TOTALLY love it. Love being able to circle, draw, write, highlight directly on powerpoint slides, and you can get a program that will let you "print" pdf files to a format you can write on them (gobinder by Agilix - it's only about $30). As it's also a fully functional "regular" laptop, I don't lose the functionality of a non-tablet.

And I agree -- everyone who saw my tablet wishes they got one. It's been played with more than anyone else's computer, and even professors have come up to see it. Several have ordered one after playing with mine. I highly recommend a tablet.. but also agree that you need to do your homework on finding the best tablet for you. Cheapest is NOT always best. Personally I got the Lenovo.

I make heavy use of laptops myself. I'm also a fan of Lenovo (although I have a Compaq/HP that is very nice but big because I went with a large screen, which is nice for many things). I thought that an external tablet should be fine for the pre-clinical years. Up to now (in business, research, and pre-med), I've been able to get away with using a laptop, and, when necessary, an external Wacom tablet. It takes some hand-eye coordination (really not that much different from using a mouse) to use an external tablet. The advantage of this arrangement is that you can get a much more powerful laptop (tablets are typically underpowered and have a small screen which really sucks when you have a lot of documents open) and still have the advantage of a tablet in classroom situations. However, I could see that in the clinical years I would make the switch to a tablet because typing isn't acceptable in a particular situation.

 

[tscottturner]

Save yourself lots of time and headaches and just get an Apple Macbook. Whatever you get, you will only use it for the 1st 2 years of med school - after that you will rely almost exclusively on a PDA. I've seen a few residents here (Univ of Miss) with tablets, but that's it. Tablets tend to not be as powerful as regular laptops, and also tend to wear out a little faster. This may not matter to you, but is something to think about.

 

[chrisv]

I thought that an external tablet should be fine for the pre-clinical years. Up to now (in business, research, and pre-med), I've been able to get away with using a laptop, and, when necessary, an external Wacom tablet. It takes some hand-eye coordination (really not that much different from using a mouse) to use an external tablet.

Thanks for the advice (everyone who posted!). I really like the idea of haveing an external tablet...do you remember approximately how expensive the Wacom tablet was?

 

[OncoCaP]

Thanks for the advice (everyone who posted!). I really like the idea of haveing an external tablet...do you remember approximately how expensive the Wacom tablet was?

The Wacom CTE-440 4x5 Graphire4 is ~$85 from several online vendors.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

I don't like them.

Wow, do you just intentionally say things to go against the grain of ... everything? Your post was not at all justified... "I don't like them" adds no value to the conversation whatsoever. "I don't like them because __________"


In any case, tablets are amazing! I love my handwriting, and tablets allow me to write on electronic lecture notes and saves me the trouble of printing things... also makes it very easy to efficiently diagram. I thought it would be like using MS Paint and a mouse, but the stylus is surprisingly sensitive and picks up the nuances of writing quite well.