Tablet PC

[Kinslayer]

As I head off to college in a few weeks, I've been looking at a laptop to take with me. From what I've heard and seen, tablet PC's are a HUGE help and almost eliminate the need to take paper and pencils along, so I think that's definitely what I want to look at.

As of now, I'm leaning towards the Lenovo Thinkpad X-Series (X201). Reasonably priced, everyone says it's VERY durable, and I've had good experiences with Thinkpads in the past.

Before I go ahead and make my purchase, does anyone have any input on the issue/know of a better or similar brand I could look at? Or perhaps whether a tablet PC is even as helpful as I've heard?

 

[Adabiviak]

I've been using several tablets over the course of the last ten years at work. Are you looking at a slate or a convertible laptop? I'd probably go for a lightweight laptop if I were going to be using it primarily for school, since it'll mostly be used while sitting at a desk, no? I use a slate at work because it's comfortable to use while walking/standing. If you're looking for a tablet because you can write and draw on it, Motion Computing's line of tablets have been nice for me, specifically because of the abundance of programmable buttons around the edge.

 

[Kinslayer]

I've been using several tablets over the course of the last ten years at work. Are you looking at a slate or a convertible laptop? I'd probably go for a lightweight laptop if I were going to be using it primarily for school, since it'll mostly be used while sitting at a desk, no? I use a slate at work because it's comfortable to use while walking/standing. If you're looking for a tablet because you can write and draw on it, Motion Computing's line of tablets have been nice for me, specifically because of the abundance of programmable buttons around the edge.

Convertible laptop. Since I'd be using it in school, I'd definitely need the ability to switch it back around to text and keyboard.

I'm going into the mathematics department, so the ability to switch around to do equations and such in notes would be +100 help.

 

[Adabiviak]

The only convertible I tried was some number from Fujitsu (don't recall the model, although it was maybe two years ago). I'm used to a slate, so it seemed unusually heavy to me. Also, one of the battery latch slides was placed right where your fingertips go when carrying it like a book, which meant that this slide would move when carrying it at a brisk pace (alternately, you could put your hand over the cooling fan).

 

[Cancer]

I don't have any personal experience with table PCs, but from what I hear Windows 7 delivers a very nice and optimized experience for the tablet PC and that Microsoft's OneNote is like a godsend note and information manager, especially for a tablet PC setup.

 

[Dan]

Get a tc1100 for cheap off of Ebay. They are the shit. Owned one long after they were discontinued and everyone kept asking me when it would be available in stores as though it was from the future. Eventually I dropped it too many times and now it's a paperweight.

 

[MJ12]

Eventually I will most definitely buy a tablet PC. It will probably be my next "big purchase" in a few years when better models come out. I think I'd prefer it because it has the best of both worlds ("Slates/pads" and Laptops)

Get a tc1100 for cheap off of Ebay. They are the shit. Owned one long after they were discontinued and everyone kept asking me when it would be available in stores as though it was from the future. Eventually I dropped it too many times and now it's a paperweight.

Holy wow those are cheap.

 

[Druckles]

Get a tc1100 for cheap off of Ebay.

Someone's advertising one of these on Facebook for £180. 'Upgraded RAM and HDD', apparently.

It worth it?

Edit: 'Upgraded RAM and HDD' means twice as much memory and 20GB extra hard drive space.

It apparently comes with a docking station and anything pictured here.

I wasn't looking for a tablet, but as it was recommended here, I figured I'd have a look.