Ok, everyone. I will try to help everyone out here the best I can. I am a semi-computer geek (i.e., I built my own), but I will try and help with the laptop conundrum we have here.
Tablet PC
What is a this "Tablet PC" everyone is talking about? Very simple. Wikipedia states that a "Tablet PC is a notebook or slate-shaped mobile computer popularized by Microsoft. Its touchscreen or graphics tablet/screen hybrid technology allows the user to operate the computer with a stylus or digital pen, or a fingertip, instead of a keyboard or a mouse. The form factor offers a more mobile way to interact with a computer. Tablet PCs are often used where normal notebooks are impractical or unwieldy, or do not provide the needed functionality." In other words, it is a very large Palm Pilot. The use of a Tablet PC (TPC) offers a great deal of functionality in the way of note taking. Students using this program can scribble down notes in a sort of free-hand fashion. The benefit to this as opposed to typing is simple: no <DELETE> key. Generally, while handwriting, people do not misspell or have the time to correct their errors. While typing, however, it is commonplace to correct grammar/spelling errors on the spot, especially when there is the red/green squiggles beneath them. The downside: their design. Although novel, many TPCs are small in order to be practical. They generally have acceptable specs in terms of processor speed, disc space, and memory, but higher end models can cost upwards of $3000, or more. If you are looking to purchase a TPC, I suggest looking at sites such as
www.tigerdirect.com or
www.newegg.com. They generally have great prices for many top of the line computer parts and accessories. For example, I found this nice TPC at NewEgg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220243.
Laptop (Non-Mac)
Admittedly, this is where the vast majority of computer owners end up. The problem arises when they try to purchase the wrong type of laptop (and yes, there is a wrong type). Laptops can be broken down into several categories which I will attempt to make up on the spot: media, gaming, word-processing, leisure, and business. I am sure you could add/subtract/divide (multiply?) this list more, but we'll just go with that.
If you are looking for anything under the classification of "Media" I would go with a Macintosh laptop. Although I loathe for reasons which I will state later, they have amazing sets of software that provide some of the best video/photo editing mechanisms on the market. You would have to fork out several thousands of dollars in order to beat the Mac, and that is not really necessary.
Gaming laptops, in my opinion, are what many people
SHOULD use, but do not use. Gaming laptops are designed with high-processing power, high memory, and great resolution. They are designed to play some of the newest, most spec-demanding games on the market. Why should you invest in this? A gaming machine will allow for faster load times and better resolution when viewing pictures (especially those ones put up in lecture for Anatomy or OMM).
BE CAREFUL! If you do not know what you are doing or what specs to look for in a gaming laptop, I do not advise purchasing one. Price does not always reflect the quality of the machine for
YOUR specific needs. If you try this route, remember to dumb down the quality of your video and sound cards (if your model has that ability) so that you are not stuck with something like a NVidia Mobility 8600 GT that you will NEVER need.
A word-processing laptop can be anything and everything you will ever need in medical school. It will provide you with all of the necessary programs (PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, etc...) and not hurt your pocketbook much at all. In fact, I would guess that you could get it for approximately $199 if you shop around. You could even invest an additional $80 for an external hard drive to store all of your files you get from lecture, thus never cluttering your main hard drive and always having free space.
The leisure laptop is the one most people have in their possession now. This laptop can do all of the functions of all of the other laptops, just not that well. Like the saying goes: a jack of all trades, but a master of none. It will out-preform many of the other laptops in select areas, and will not generally hurt your pocket-book at all. Make sure when you are customizing this (if you go to a site like
www.dell.com) that you only put in components that you need. Upgrading the video card may be unnecessary, but adding a wireless adapter may be required.
The business laptop, for all intents and purposes, is just another leisure laptop that is more geared towards processing. This can process a lot faster, store more information, but lacks (sometimes drastically) in the graphics department. It does cost more, and usually runs Vista Business, which does NOT have any games on it (that's right.. no Minesweeper). Just make sure you look at all of its components and gauge it against the leisure machine to ensure the best fit for you.
Laptop (Mac)
I despise the Apple company. I do not like iPods or the Mac and I never will. Most of it has to do with its "upgrade-ability" and overall usage. While I mentioned that it does have fantastic video and photo editing capabilities, it can hardly do any of the other necessary functions compared to regular PC-oriented machines. Their performance is EXTREMELY lacking per dollar. In other words, in order to get a Mac that can process normal functions and programs at the same or better speed than its PC-based counterpart, you would have to shell out a lot more money. Not only that, but Macs are hardly upgradeable, if at all. With a laptop, there will almost always be a few key upgrades that you can make as your laptop ages of the four years of school in order to keep it up to speed before you sell it for a newer model, but the Mac will always be the same. If there is an upgrade, I have generally found it to be either impossible to install alone or cost all of your fingers and half of your toes. It is all up to you, however. If you feel that that Mac is best for you, then by all means, use it.
Processor Type
A quick note about processors. When purchasing a laptop, do NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT (and this is not a form of repeating double-negatives, instead a major emphasis) get a Celeron processor from Intel. While Intel is definitely starting to out-perform AMD, especially on the Mobile-level, the Celeron can be equated to Celery: stringy and tasteless. If it costs you an additional $100, $200, or even $1000, make sure that you do NOT get a Celeron. I do not know if they are being made anymore, I would just tell you to not get it. It is a terrible PoS processor that you will regret getting instantly.
I hope that I helped out, even just a little. I wasted about 37 minutes typing this lengthy note, so I am going to go rest my fingers and play some Super Mario Galaxy (yes, I own a Wii, wanna fight about it?). If you have any other questions, please feel free to let me know. Also, remember that this is YOUR laptop, not mine, nor anyone else's. Ultimately, you should purchase the machine that you feel most comfortable with and most compatible with. Make sure that you spend a couple of weeks (and I mean 1 or 2 solid weeks) understanding how your particular laptop works, especially if it is a model you've never used before. Make sure you know how to connect to the internet, both hard-wired and wireless.
Have a great day!
<3