Tablets

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gugoodoll

gugoodoll

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Here goes another thread about tablets. And yes, I have searched through previous related threads!

I'm seriously thinking about getting one for the upcoming school year and have narrowed it down to a Lenovo or a Samsung Galaxy. I have a Macbook Pro right now and adore it, but I want something lighter to carry around for lectures. I've considered an iPad but it seems like most people favor a PC because the iPad doesn't support as many programs.

I'm not a computer dummy, but when it comes to specs (RAM, processor, hard drive, blahblah) I'm at a total loss. (Ah well, I guess I am a computer dummy). I read in an old thread that you want to look for something with 4GB RAM...? But I wanted to ask again what minimum specs I should look for in a decent tablet.

I know a bunch of you use the Lenovo x220 but I can't seem to find it on the website, so I'm assuming it has been discontinued, although I'm sure they are still being sold elsewhere on the Internet. Is there an equivalent (or newer, I guess) version that anyone can recommend?

Also, another stupid question: what's the difference between the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab?

EDIT
Nvmd about the last question, am reading up on the difference now...
 
I'll contribute my experience with the Galaxy Note 10.1 since I bought one for school. (The main difference between the Note and the Tab btw is the stylus). FYI I did not look at a laptop type tablet, only the handheld ones.

I think the main thing you need to consider when looking at a tablet for lectures is your note taking style. Do you prefer hand-writing and want to maintain digital files? Or typing but you want a lighter load to carry to class? This is what needs to be considered when looking at the different tablets.

I prefer to hand written notes, so I went the Galaxy Note route. It has a stylus and S-Note (a great note taking app) and greatly reduces the weight on my back compared to my 14" Vaio. One feature of S-Note that pushes this tablet ahead in note-taking is the ability to freeze the screen and not have it affected by your hand resting while writing. It has been my experience that simply buying a stylus for another tablet will not allow this.

That being said, I have since discontinued using it for lectures solely because I just couldn't keep up on it. I found it to be too much work...downloading the ppt (and converting to pdf) or pdf, importing into S-Note, exporting as pdf and then moving onto my laptop via dropbox. With so many lectures each day, it became too time consuming to be worth it for me. I know it's worked for others on this forum though and it depends on how invested you are in your note-taking style. For the classes that I have printed notes, I bring it along so that I still have an internet device (can't live without the internetz), so it has been great otherwise.

If you just want to lighten your bag weight and would be happy typing, your range of options is much greater between manufacturers imo. For hand-written notes, the Galaxy Note is the top.

Hope that helps! 🙂
 
I currently have nothing to add other than I would also like to know what tablets other students (vet and non-vet) are using and any opinions y'all may have. I've considered the iPad, but it's a little more than I'd like to spend. I'm also interested in something that can be used for drawing/sketching--which I've heard the Samsung Note is quite good for, given that is has a stylus.

Edit: Whoa. The Galaxy Note 3 is super expensive sans contract. 🙁 Is a contract really necessary with the WiFi? Saving $500+ is kinda tempting, though. Boo. :\
 
I have the Note 10.1 and love it and I'm sure the 2014 edition is even better. It comes with a pretty good stylus and has the ability to add a microSD card which is a huge bonus. S note is a great note taking program as well. I think mine only has 2GB RAM but I honestly think it works fast enough for what I use it for. It can be a little slower uploading PDFs from dropbox(I convert on my PC to save space on my tablet) but I honestly think it's somewhat dependent on the wifi since sometimes it's faster. 4 GB RAM would definitely be better but I don't think having a little less than that is necessarily a deal breaker. I wouldn't go less than 2 though.
 
To be completely honest, if you haven't started vet school yet, I would feel out the lectures before investing in one....you might find what you previously preferred changes in vet school and given how much money these are, I would wait before making the commitment.

And to add to my post above. I also print fairly big, which became a bit of a problem since I also write quite a bit during lectures. So with zooming in and out, it didn't work as seamlessly as I had originally thought. So it really depends on the person and the lecture. 🙂
 
Escalla said:
I'll contribute my experience with the Galaxy Note 10.1 since I bought one for school. (The main difference between the Note and the Tab btw is the stylus). FYI I did not look at a laptop type tablet, only the handheld ones.

I think the main thing you need to consider when looking at a tablet for lectures is your note taking style. Do you prefer hand-writing and want to maintain digital files? Or typing but you want a lighter load to carry to class? This is what needs to be considered when looking at the different tablets.

I prefer to hand written notes, so I went the Galaxy Note route. It has a stylus and S-Note (a great note taking app) and greatly reduces the weight on my back compared to my 14" Vaio. One feature of S-Note that pushes this tablet ahead in note-taking is the ability to freeze the screen and not have it affected by your hand resting while writing. It has been my experience that simply buying a stylus for another tablet will not allow this.

That being said, I have since discontinued using it for lectures solely because I just couldn't keep up on it. I found it to be too much work...downloading the ppt (and converting to pdf) or pdf, importing into S-Note, exporting as pdf and then moving onto my laptop via dropbox. With so many lectures each day, it became too time consuming to be worth it for me. I know it's worked for others on this forum though and it depends on how invested you are in your note-taking style. For the classes that I have printed notes, I bring it along so that I still have an internet device (can't live without the internetz), so it has been great otherwise.

If you just want to lighten your bag weight and would be happy typing, your range of options is much greater between manufacturers imo. For hand-written notes, the Galaxy Note is the top.

Hope that helps! 🙂
Click to expand...

That was very helpful, actually. Thank you! I'm actually in between. In undergrad I did well with both typing out and hand-writing my notes in class, so I'll have to see what I prefer when I actually start vet school. What other options would you suggest for people who prefer typing their notes? I'm looking for a handheld tablet, not a tablet-laptop. I'm assuming that the tablets you're referring to require a separate keyboard like the following, or are you thinking of something else?

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/ultrathin-keyboard-cover
 
I got the galaxy note 8 and really like it for its compact size. I am not a notetaker, however, so I am of no use there. I use it to look at the ppts and that is about it. I only have ebooks so carrying around my macbook is not a big deal cause it and a paper notebook (just in case) and pens/pencils are the only things I cart around in my bag. I use the Note for when I walk to school.
 
IDK I have an iPad that I got the day before class started (a refurbished one) and don't have any complaints with it. Seems to work great for all my needs! And, I'm usually one who likes to take notes on paper- but that just isn't feasible in vet school for me.
 
gugoodoll said:
That was very helpful, actually. Thank you! I'm actually in between. In undergrad I did well with both typing out and hand-writing my notes in class, so I'll have to see what I prefer when I actually start vet school. What other options would you suggest for people who prefer typing their notes? I'm looking for a handheld tablet, not a tablet-laptop. I'm assuming that the tablets you're referring to require a separate keyboard like the following, or are you thinking of something else?

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/ultrathin-keyboard-cover
Click to expand...

I can't comment on iPads as I'm only just getting one this week and not overly Mac familiar....

However, if I was going to get a tablet for typing and essentially replace my laptop, I would strongly consider the Surface Pro. Expensive, but our anatomy lab provides them to us for each group and I love it! I enjoy Windows 8 as well though, so that's also a factor. I remember @Coquette22 was investing in one, maybe she can provide a better comment. 🙂
 
I have an iPad for a several years and I have had no issues with it, but with that being said I still use my computer primarily for school stuff (I have an Mac Air, so it is super light and not a pain to carry around). It had a fair amount of programs for reading pdf's and making notes (Notability is a great app if you have professors that post PDFs because you can directly highlight and make notes through this app).

My boyfriend is a computer nerd (he is in grad school for computer networking). He just got a Dell Venue Pro (Windows Tablet) and we have been poking around at it and we are both pretty impressed. It is kind of small, so it might be hard to look at for extended periods of time. He really likes it and may be retiring his iPad to home use and carry around the Windows tablet for school stuff. As far as Windows 8 goes, it is WAY better suited for tablets then regular computers. I despise it when I use my mom's laptop, but when I am poking at the tablet it is really nice 🙂 There are a fair amount of apps available for the Windows tablets, but I was jsut scanning through and did not really see what was available for productivity.
 
I don't understand the Windows 8 hate for computers...a couple classmates despise it as well. It's amazing when you know the keyboard shortcuts. 🙂
 
I have a Galaxy Note 10.1 as well, and I actually do type with mine--I got a Bluetooth keyboard cover (sort of like this, though mine was not this expensive: http://www.amazon.com/eWonder-Wireless-Bluetooth-Manufacturer-Compatible/dp/B009EG0UII). I don't use it too much for notes since we get printed notes for most of our classes anyway and I just hand write on those, but for anatomy where we don't I find it useful. I use the app LectureNotes, which wasn't free but which I find worth it. You can organize notebooks within folders. For instance, I had "head" "thoracic limb" "abdomen" etc. notebooks within an "anatomy" folder within a "fall 2013" folder. It's only come up once so far, but I really like that I can draw a picture to illustrate something in the middle of my typed notes without taking time to go through another program or something. The one problem I have is that I can't/don't know how to save the notes as anything that I can put on dropbox or send to a computer.

Like I said, I don't take all my notes on it like I thought I might, but I still like it as a light laptop alternative I can always have with me at school. It's super convenient if I need to look something up or play the video we were supposed to be analyzing for our problem solving class when no one brought a laptop (that happened). I've used it for GoogleDrive, too, but it was recently giving me problems and acting like I was offline when I was clearly connected to the internet. I also study typed notes when we get them, class powerpoints, or whatever study guides people put on dropbox from it. It's much easier/more mobile than my computer. Also I use it to read comics.
 
gugoodoll said:
... I want something lighter to carry around for lectures. ...
I know a bunch of you use the Lenovo x220 but I can't seem to find it on the website, so I'm assuming it has been discontinued, although I'm sure they are still being sold elsewhere on the Internet. Is there an equivalent (or newer, I guess) version that anyone can recommend?
Click to expand...

The X220T is not light. It's a normal laptop that also converts into a tablet. There is a newer version - X230T - but still it isn't as light as the other tablets you were talking about (because it's not a tablet, it's a tablet computer). It's also pretty expensive in comparison.

I picked it because I needed a new laptop AND I wanted something I could write on.
 
Oh and one last comment because I just remembered why I originally wanted a tablet for vet school. :laugh:

I was looking forward to having it in the anatomy lab and be able to access any of my notes or pdf textbooks without bringing in any paper. As well as snapping pictures and being able to scribble on them all within the lab.

Then my school stomped on my dreams and wouldn't allow any sort of device, textbook or binder in the lab. We have the Surface Pros to use that they provide that stay in lab and lab copies of the textbooks and that's it. From what I understand, this is not the norm. So that's something else to consider as well!
 
I have the galaxy note 10.1 and I like it a lot. I have been able to take notes directly on the powerpoints via polaris or adobe and it is nice when you are sitting in class and the professors post notes right before class so you don't have to get up and print off notes. I use S note if I need to take notes like I would with pen and paper. I'm not a super organized person so it cuts down on clutter. My biggest complaints are that sometimes it takes stuff a couple tries to successfully download, and our recorded lectures are difficult to watch. I would definitely recommend getting a keyboard because their are times (like right now) that typing can get tedious. Also doesn't have a jump drive which sucks sometimes, but usually I can use dropbox or email something to myself. I don't have a smartphone either, so it acts as that for me, too.
 
equineconstant said:
I have a Galaxy Note 10.1 as well, and I actually do type with mine--I got a Bluetooth keyboard cover (sort of like this, though mine was not this expensive: http://www.amazon.com/eWonder-Wireless-Bluetooth-Manufacturer-Compatible/dp/B009EG0UII). I don't use it too much for notes since we get printed notes for most of our classes anyway and I just hand write on those, but for anatomy where we don't I find it useful. I use the app LectureNotes, which wasn't free but which I find worth it. You can organize notebooks within folders. For instance, I had "head" "thoracic limb" "abdomen" etc. notebooks within an "anatomy" folder within a "fall 2013" folder. It's only come up once so far, but I really like that I can draw a picture to illustrate something in the middle of my typed notes without taking time to go through another program or something. The one problem I have is that I can't/don't know how to save the notes as anything that I can put on dropbox or send to a computer.

Like I said, I don't take all my notes on it like I thought I might, but I still like it as a light laptop alternative I can always have with me at school. It's super convenient if I need to look something up or play the video we were supposed to be analyzing for our problem solving class when no one brought a laptop (that happened). I've used it for GoogleDrive, too, but it was recently giving me problems and acting like I was offline when I was clearly connected to the internet. I also study typed notes when we get them, class powerpoints, or whatever study guides people put on dropbox from it. It's much easier/more mobile than my computer. Also I use it to read comics.
Click to expand...

Thank you! This was very helpful. I'm pretty sure I would get a bluetooth keyboard if I got a tablet, in case I decide I want to type.

twelvetigers said:
The X220T is not light. It's a normal laptop that also converts into a tablet. There is a newer version - X230T - but still it isn't as light as the other tablets you were talking about (because it's not a tablet, it's a tablet computer). It's also pretty expensive in comparison.

I picked it because I needed a new laptop AND I wanted something I could write on.
Click to expand...

My bad, thanks for the clarification!

Anyone know or have opinions on the Lenovo tablets? Yoga/Ideapad/Thinkpad?

EDIT
I like the Surface Pro but it's a bit pricey for what I'm looking for.
 
HorsesRLife said:
I have the galaxy note 10.1 and I like it a lot. I have been able to take notes directly on the powerpoints via polaris or adobe and it is nice when you are sitting in class and the professors post notes right before class so you don't have to get up and print off notes. I use S note if I need to take notes like I would with pen and paper. I'm not a super organized person so it cuts down on clutter. My biggest complaints are that sometimes it takes stuff a couple tries to successfully download, and our recorded lectures are difficult to watch. I would definitely recommend getting a keyboard because their are times (like right now) that typing can get tedious. Also doesn't have a jump drive which sucks sometimes, but usually I can use dropbox or email something to myself. I don't have a smartphone either, so it acts as that for me, too.
Click to expand...
I bought a little converter that I stick into where the charger goes and can use a USB. The only problem is that the way my case is I can't have that and put it up to type because the spot for the charger is on the edge it should be standing on (which also means I can't charge it and type on the bluetooth, not that that has really come up).
 
epivetlove said:
I currently have nothing to add other than I would also like to know what tablets other students (vet and non-vet) are using and any opinions y'all may have. I've considered the iPad, but it's a little more than I'd like to spend. I'm also interested in something that can be used for drawing/sketching--which I've heard the Samsung Note is quite good for, given that is has a stylus.
Click to expand...

I have an iPad2 that I got right before vet school started. First semester of first year, I typed my notes, which I didn't really care for. So I abandoned it (as a note-taking device) for (brief) hand written notes on professor-provided paper notes. Then most of them did away with paper notes and I've had to go back to using the iPad as a note-taking device. I don't like having notes digital (prefer them hard copy) but the note-taking itself has been easy using the Notability app (I got mine on sale -$3?) I just download the pdf and scribble away. I'm sure there are many other fun features for drawings and whatnot, but I just write directly on the notes as I would with paper.

I also love my iPad for other uses. I read on it pretty much every night, check email, browse Sportscenter, etc. It's a great little thing to have 🙂 I'll be looking into a new laptop soonish (my dinosaur desktop is getting rickety) only because I need something better for word processing - the iPad's only big weakness in my opinion.
 
Escalla said:
However, if I was going to get a tablet for typing and essentially replace my laptop, I would strongly consider the Surface Pro. Expensive, but our anatomy lab provides them to us for each group and I love it! I enjoy Windows 8 as well though, so that's also a factor. I remember @Coquette22 was investing in one, maybe she can provide a better comment. 🙂
Click to expand...

I have a Surface RT and I love it. I like the little lightweight touch keyboard that came with it, the whole set up is light, works well as a netbook and as a tablet for writing on the screen (especially helpful for diagnostic imaging). I'm pretty vocal about the fact that I don't like Apple products (I just don't find them intuitive at all), so I'm not going to compare it to an iPad. I do seem to have less problems with formatting of slides than my iPad using classmates - the Surface seems to play nicer with PDFs and some of our lectures are still in PowerPoint format. I can't comment on Android stuff - I have a Galaxy S3 phone, but that's it and I'm not sure I know anyone off hand who uses an Android tablet for school. I like Windows 8 on the tablet. Once you spend a couple minutes setting up your start screen how you want, it's fast to work with and pretty simple.
 
gugoodoll said:
That was very helpful, actually. Thank you! I'm actually in between. In undergrad I did well with both typing out and hand-writing my notes in class, so I'll have to see what I prefer when I actually start vet school. What other options would you suggest for people who prefer typing their notes? I'm looking for a handheld tablet, not a tablet-laptop. I'm assuming that the tablets you're referring to require a separate keyboard like the following, or are you thinking of something else?

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/ultrathin-keyboard-cover
Click to expand...
I have the keyboard you linked to and I LOVE it. It works great with my iPad. I only bring my iPad to class, and only for 1 class do I take notes by hand. If someone has or is thinking about getting an iPad for vet school (and I recommend waiting to see until you get there), I HIGHLY recommend the iAnnotate app. I also have the Notability app that others have recommended, and I just don't like it as much. The iAnnotate app felt much more intuitive and it's dead easy to markup PDF copies of my notes with scribbles, type text, highlight, stamps, underline, audio notes, etc.

EDIT: I also keep all my school stuff in Dropbox that I have synced to my laptop, iPad and cellphone. It makes life so much easier, so whatever you end up getting I recommend going that route for file storage.
 
that redhead said:
I have an iPad2 that I got right before vet school started. First semester of first year, I typed my notes, which I didn't really care for. So I abandoned it (as a note-taking device) for (brief) hand written notes on professor-provided paper notes. Then most of them did away with paper notes and I've had to go back to using the iPad as a note-taking device. I don't like having notes digital (prefer them hard copy) but the note-taking itself has been easy using the Notability app (I got mine on sale -$3?) I just download the pdf and scribble away. I'm sure there are many other fun features for drawings and whatnot, but I just write directly on the notes as I would with paper.

I also love my iPad for other uses. I read on it pretty much every night, check email, browse Sportscenter, etc. It's a great little thing to have 🙂 I'll be looking into a new laptop soonish (my dinosaur desktop is getting rickety) only because I need something better for word processing - the iPad's only big weakness in my opinion.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much what I was going to say actually. Although, last semester I brought my iPad to class every day and it ended up being more of a distraction for me than anything. I'm too prone to random thoughts in class (I wonder what yoga classes are tonight? Or where can I get my car washed around here...) and having my iPad right there makes it far too easy for me to start googling, facebooking, pinteresting, etc. This semester I am trying class without it and so far I think it's working well. However, I can do that because most of our professors provide typed notes and I just handwrite any extra info in the margins. Not sure what I'll do when they don't 🙁. I've always preferred to handwrite my notes but like rainheart said, it's not really feasible at this point.
 
I've had an ipad for almost two years and I love it. I haven't really had trouble with programs not being compatible with it. I actually found it had more apps than the other tablets. It's not the best at creating a microsoft word document unless you want to pay for the app, but other than that, its great. As far as weight goes, the ipad air should be decently light compared to my version and I really haven't had an issue with the weight of mine (ipad 3).
For note taking, I use notability and it works great. You're able to block out a section on the bottom to rest your hand while you write so it doesn't interfere. You can also buy the Adonit Jot Touch stylus if you want to rest your hand anywhere on the screen (like the Galaxy tablets) but I've really had no issues just using the feature in notability. I have a bluetooth keyboard which I also love because it makes it easy to type notes on the ipad without having to physically connect the two.
I also use the ipad for many other things like social media, web surfing, SDN, games....which can be a distraction like TooLove said, but I think you'll find that issue with any tablet or computer.
 
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So I am also looking into a tablet for vet school and I almost started this same exact thread 🙂. However I really think it's important that I be able to type as that is how I mainly take notes now, but I want to be able to seamlessly be able to draw on my notes as well. I use my macbook pro in school now and it gets most frustrating in things like physics/biochem/etc where I need to be able to draw. I would consider a tablet/laptop hybrid but from my experience they aren't the best things ever (although some of you seem to be very happy with yours). So I'm thinking of keeping my laptop at home and replacing when that time comes and just buying a tablet and a keyboard for it when vet school comes in the fall.

And to add something useful to the discussion: (I'm going to preface this with I'm not super tech savy, but I'm decently good and my brother works with computers/tablets and always helps me out)

I have a ASUS Transformer tablet the TF300T model and let me warn everyone to NOT GET THIS model. ASUS tablet's are wonderful and I recommend them, my brother's fiancee and a friend have the Transformer Prime, my roommate has the TF100 and they are great. The current 300Ts have a defect where the screen cracks if you look at it funny (no really, mine stays safely at home and it has cracked TWICE...but they fixed it for me, it's just a pain to deal with). This defect has not appeared in the other models according to my experience and google research. In favor of the other model's I would like to point out that ASUS sells the docking keyboard which extends the battery life of the tablet and I like the keyboard it works very well. I would say the stylus recognition is better than the iPad but if you're serious about writing on it you would need to get a special stylus like the Jot Pro.

My father just got the 2014 Galaxy Note 10.1 This thing kicks some ass. The handwritting recognition is incredible. I would say that the stylus is very small so if you're writing all your notes I would look into getting a taller stylus so your hand doesn't cramp. Other than that I think it's very cool. I've made some mock notes on it and it seems to work well as others have stated with no problems with your hand resting on the screen. The other problem I would point out in my opinion is that it seems hard to find a great keyboard case for the Note, I have only have found them for the Tab (which they are slightly different sizes so it matters), hopefully this situation improves by the summer.

My mother has the iPad and I would say it underperforms as far as tablets go. It's by far the easiest to learn but I think it's harder to do what you want unless you're really good at modifying your tablets (I am not). But I think apple tends to get better/newer apps more often so thats a plus for them. Also I have drooled over the logitech keyboard for the iPad and wish they sold just as cool ones for android tablets.
 
So I googled "best tablets for vet school" out of curiosity and was led to this NCSU page (http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/cr/StudentComputerRecommendations.html), where I saw this:

"(The Apple IPad is not a recommended device due to lack of support for Adobe Flash learning objects in use at CVM.)"

It seems like there are quite a few pro-iPad people out there. Anyone care to comment on the above? Is it just NCSU that uses a lot of Adobe Flash?
 
dalmatiandoc17 said:
I have a ASUS Transformer tablet the TF300T model and let me warn everyone to NOT GET THIS model. ASUS tablet's are wonderful and I recommend them, my brother's fiancee and a friend have the Transformer Prime, my roommate has the TF100 and they are great. The current 300Ts have a defect where the screen cracks if you look at it funny (no really, mine stays safely at home and it has cracked TWICE...but they fixed it for me, it's just a pain to deal with). This defect has not appeared in the other models according to my experience and google research. In favor of the other model's I would like to point out that ASUS sells the docking keyboard which extends the battery life of the tablet and I like the keyboard it works very well. I would say the stylus recognition is better than the iPad but if you're serious about writing on it you would need to get a special stylus like the Jot Pro.

My father just got the 2014 Galaxy Note 10.1 This thing kicks some ass. The handwritting recognition is incredible. I would say that the stylus is very small so if you're writing all your notes I would look into getting a taller stylus so your hand doesn't cramp. Other than that I think it's very cool. I've made some mock notes on it and it seems to work well as others have stated with no problems with your hand resting on the screen. The other problem I would point out in my opinion is that it seems hard to find a great keyboard case for the Note, I have only have found them for the Tab (which they are slightly different sizes so it matters), hopefully this situation improves by the summer.
Click to expand...

My ex has the Transformer T100 and loves it for his school work. He's in med school in the UK and also doing a master in cardiac medicine so he's taking a crap ton of notes/writing papers and it seems to get the job done for him.

And I totally agree with you on the keyboard issued for the Note 10.1s. I have the first version and finding a good keyboard was an issue then and I still haven't found a good one. I'd love to find a case that comes with one, but I'm struggling. I have somehow managed to keep up with handwriting my notes, so I haven't really needed a keyboard, but for the few classes I do, it can be annoying to have one. For that reason, I still bring my laptop to class everyday. Plus, lately professors haven't been uploading their PDFs/PPTs until after class has started and I haven't wanted to wait to convert everything on my tablet. I did buy a random keyboard that works fairly, well but some of the keys don't do the functions they should, so I stopped using it.
 
gugoodoll said:
So I googled "best tablets for vet school" out of curiosity and was led to this NCSU page (http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/cr/StudentComputerRecommendations.html), where I saw this:

"(The Apple IPad is not a recommended device due to lack of support for Adobe Flash learning objects in use at CVM.)"

It seems like there are quite a few pro-iPad people out there. Anyone care to comment on the above? Is it just NCSU that uses a lot of Adobe Flash?
Click to expand...

The Galaxy Note 10.1 (at least the older version) doesn't support Flash either. It hasn't really been an issue for me though.
 
TooLove said:
This is pretty much what I was going to say actually. Although, last semester I brought my iPad to class every day and it ended up being more of a distraction for me than anything. I'm too prone to random thoughts in class (I wonder what yoga classes are tonight? Or where can I get my car washed around here...) and having my iPad right there makes it far too easy for me to start googling, facebooking, pinteresting, etc. This semester I am trying class without it and so far I think it's working well. However, I can do that because most of our professors provide typed notes and I just handwrite any extra info in the margins. Not sure what I'll do when they don't 🙁. I've always preferred to handwrite my notes but like rainheart said, it's not really feasible at this point.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely have to agree with you on the distractions. Facebook is all too appealing when I am sitting through 3 hours of lecture. This semester, for at least two of our classes, I was able to buy printed notes for $19! So I definitely went with that. For other classes, I still use my iPad.
 
I play WAY too much candy crush.

And good to know about firefox.

I appreciate all the responses!
 
I just got a Surface RT, and I'm loving it so far. Runs Office, very light, the battery lasts all day, and the clicking keyboard is awesome. There's some drawbacks--you're stuck with Internet Explorer as a browser, and I'm not overly impressed with the games in the Windows store--but for what I need it for (writing notes, viewing PDFs and PowerPoints, panicked googling because I've just been cold-called by Dr. Scary, Chief of Surgery Supreme Overlord of Terror) it's perfect. It makes a better tool than toy, though, and I wouldn't want it as my only computer.
 
I prefer my candy crushing to be a bit more discreet than on my iPad, so I use my iPhone for candy crush.
 
Definitely candy crushing on the tablet. The only time I've really wanted flash was for watching lectures. I have a friend who has the surface and loves it,but doesn't have the options for apps like other tablets.
 
I play Solitaire a lot. I hope I don't tick anyone off, but it keeps the obnoxious part of my brain busy so the other part can actually listen. Lol.

I have an iPad but I don't use it in class much - the exception being the toxicology textbook that we would highlight in fairly often. I would just do that on the iPad in Adobe instead of buying the bound paper book and doing it IRL.
 
I have an iPad, and use it a lot for school - textbooks on PDF, taking notes, good pictures for anatomy/pathology specimens, etc.

There are some issues, like not being able to immediately edit/take notes on powerpoints, and some things not being supported on the it. But I have a laptop at home that I use to change all the powerpoints into PDFs, but them in my dropbox or Google Drive, and then open them in notability or iAnnotate PDF to take notes on them. I have a wireless keyboard which really helps when taking notes, but I use my stylus in classes too, especially when needing to draw or highlight a pathologic lesion.

There are about 10-15 of us in my class that exclusively use an iPad for note-taking. There are a few who use other tablets, and then the rest use a laptop or paper.

I really like my iPad, and it significantly helped with classes where looking at black and white powerpoints just doesnt cut it - Histology, Pathology, etc.

I still use paper notes, and still handwrite a lot of stuff. But while in class I mainly use the iPad.

Hope this helps. I can share a presentation with anyone who would like to see how the Notability app works. Just PM me your email address.
 
Jamr0ckin said:
I have an iPad, and use it a lot for school - textbooks on PDF, taking notes, good pictures for anatomy/pathology specimens, etc.

There are some issues, like not being able to immediately edit/take notes on powerpoints, and some things not being supported on the it. But I have a laptop at home that I use to change all the powerpoints into PDFs, but them in my dropbox or Google Drive, and then open them in notability or iAnnotate PDF to take notes on them. I have a wireless keyboard which really helps when taking notes, but I use my stylus in classes too, especially when needing to draw or highlight a pathologic lesion.
Click to expand...

Do you mind listing some programs that aren't supported by the iPad? Like I said before, this is my only real "concern" about the iPad. It seems like a bit of a hassle to convert PPTS --> PDFs and then upload/download them, especially if some professors don't upload their lectures until 5 minutes before class.

I'm a highly visual learner (I LOVE drawing graphs/picture/tables/you name it), so both the Galaxy Note and iPad are very appealing. Although if I got the iPad I would probably get a different stylus (this one: http://adonit.net/jot/pro/).
 
gugoodoll said:
So I googled "best tablets for vet school" out of curiosity and was led to this NCSU page (http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/cr/StudentComputerRecommendations.html), where I saw this:

"(The Apple IPad is not a recommended device due to lack of support for Adobe Flash learning objects in use at CVM.)"

It seems like there are quite a few pro-iPad people out there. Anyone care to comment on the above? Is it just NCSU that uses a lot of Adobe Flash?
Click to expand...
I use an app called Photon that allows me to view websites that require Flash on my iPad. No issues with it.
 
gugoodoll said:
So I googled "best tablets for vet school" out of curiosity and was led to this NCSU page (http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/cr/StudentComputerRecommendations.html), where I saw this:

"(The Apple IPad is not a recommended device due to lack of support for Adobe Flash learning objects in use at CVM.)"

It seems like there are quite a few pro-iPad people out there. Anyone care to comment on the above? Is it just NCSU that uses a lot of Adobe Flash?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't worry about it too much, even with that recommendation a ton of my classmates use ipads
 
Well it looks like both the Note and iPad are my top two choices. I wish one was significantly cheaper than the other so I could make an easier decision. I won't be getting one for a while, but this is all great to know. Thank you, everyone!
 
gugoodoll said:
Do you mind listing some programs that aren't supported by the iPad? Like I said before, this is my only real "concern" about the iPad. It seems like a bit of a hassle to convert PPTS --> PDFs and then upload/download them, especially if some professors don't upload their lectures until 5 minutes before class.

I'm a highly visual learner (I LOVE drawing graphs/picture/tables/you name it), so both the Galaxy Note and iPad are very appealing. Although if I got the iPad I would probably get a different stylus (this one: http://adonit.net/jot/pro/).
Click to expand...

I download ppts that my profs posted online directly into notability with no issues. I can also download them to google drive and Dropbox. I've found it pretty easy to convert them to PDFs. Also haven't had any issues with not having flash. If a school specifically uses a lot of flash programs it might be a problem but it's fine for ohio state at least. I definitely recommend the adonit jot pro!
 
I went with the Lenovs Helix. It was an investment, but its my work, school, and life computer and tablet plus I got an award that helped defray the costs. I absolutely love it.
 
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