Technology Tablet PCs

[evajaclynn]

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I need to get a new computer, and I've been thinking about getting a tablet pc. I've looked through tons of internet sites for product reviews, etc. and I've searched through other threads in this forum.

I wanted to see what other SDNers experiences have been with tablet pcs. Any favorite styles, manufacturers, etc? Any suggestions on what to look for when purchasing one? Has anyone heard if Mac will come out with a convertible laptop?

Any input would be appreciated! Thanks. 🙂

 

[evajaclynn]

Thanks Samoa! This is the kind of info that I was hoping to hear. BTW, just as a few others have posted before, the following website is great too: http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/

It helps to hear what others are using, particularly med students!

 

[southerndoc]

I have the Toshiba Portege as well. Mine came with Office OneNote (I think it's standard on all models now), and I installed MS Office 2003 on it. You can get a great deal on Office 2003 at www.JourneyEd.com. Academic discounts are $150!!

The battery life is variable. Mine lasts about 4 hours on long life mode (with the scren turned down to level 2).

Pros:
- Small size (easily portable)
- Flip to make it a regular laptop with a keyboard (awesome feature!)
- Thin and light for a laptop (see below about weight)
- Excellent screen resolution

Cons:
- heavy for a tablet (although it's actually the lightest of all the tablets!) - still heavy to write with at times
- poor sound quality because of crappy speakers

 

[waq007]

to all medstudents and doc wannabes, the toshiba is awesome but the fujitsu is amazing and more practical. its comes with an optical drive, yet its light and very feasible to use in class. i just got mine a month ago and love it!!! actually i'm in 2nd year of my undergrad and every knows me by me laptop lol. its great, i would highly recommend it, and compared to the toshiba, its relatively the same price. you can check out the specs on www.fujitsu.com the model is T4010. hope that helps.

tablets rock!

I have the Toshiba Portege as well. Mine came with Office OneNote (I think it's standard on all models now), and I installed MS Office 2003 on it. You can get a great deal on Office 2003 at www.JourneyEd.com. Academic discounts are $150!!

The battery life is variable. Mine lasts about 4 hours on long life mode (with the scren turned down to level 2).

Pros:
- Small size (easily portable)
- Flip to make it a regular laptop with a keyboard (awesome feature!)
- Thin and light for a laptop (see below about weight)
- Excellent screen resolution

Cons:
- heavy for a tablet (although it's actually the lightest of all the tablets!) - still heavy to write with at times
- poor sound quality because of crappy speakers

 

[evajaclynn]

Thanks to all! I appreciate your input. I am trying to hold off on buying a Tablet PC until next Spring - am waiting to see if prices will drop and if newer models will be developed. Who knows what they'll come up with next? 🙂

 

[southerndoc]

Thanks to all! I appreciate your input. I am trying to hold off on buying a Tablet PC until next Spring - am waiting to see if prices will drop and if newer models will be developed. Who knows what they'll come up with next? 🙂

Newer models will likely come out this spring. More manufacturers are now making tablets. (Speaking of which, I'm surprised Dell hasn't jumped on the bandwagon.)

Hopefully the newer models will have improved battery life. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a 10-hour battery life?

 

[HNS]

I have an Acer 302 and have found it great. It had a swappable bay that can contain a second battery or CD/DVD RW drive. As far as I have seen i think it is the only one with this option. I love the functionality and have bought GoBinder to augment the use of power points. I have to admit thought that I do not use it for class much and I also normally use it as a laptop, not a tablet. That said I would not buy a traditional laptop again. The future of charting, I belive, is in tablets, the sooner we get comftorable with them the better.