Tablet pc for college:good or bad?

[spazo]

Are they easy to take notes with or would it be better to stick with pen and paper?

 

[Glendor]

They are okay, but there is no substitute for the dependability of a pen and paper

 

[imported_mashimaro]

In my honest opinion a tablet PC for taking notes is not a good idea. I know a couple of people who have them. They seem to take alot of time
searching for files. A regular pen and paper notebook is more appropriate. I do recommend a laptop if you are frequently out of your room.
I have a T40 and it rocks.

 

[SKC]

It also depends on what classes you're taking. If you're a bio student, needing to draw diagrams every so often but also trying to keep up with typing the professor's notes, a tablet pc might not be a bad idea. I've rarely seen them around campus, but the utility is there: I had a similar experience before I got my T41. I was using my ipaq to type in notes during a physiology class, and the professor put up a diagram I couldn't approximate using the drawing tools, so I used the stylus to make a drawing.

If you're taking text-based classes, a notebook would most likely be a better solution as you'll get the most bang for your buck in terms of performance and battery life. I prefer typing notes to writing them by hand; I find I can type a lot faster than I can write.

 

[EvanAdams]

If you also have a desktop the cost of a tablet imho would be better used on a nice gaming vid card for the desktop.

I can only see huge benefits for a tablet pc in an engineering or math class. It seems to me that someone will eventually make a diagraming program for all those enginering diagrams.

I was a poli sci major / food science. (not been much help in the job hunt) So I know jack about those other majors. I'm speculating on future programs.

I view tablet pc like I do SPOT. Good idea but not even microsoft is puting in the effort to make it worth the extra money.

 

[Hallis]

I'd say pen and paper. If your pen runs out of ink usually a classmate will have a spare you can use. If your Tablet PC craps out on you you're SOL and back to using pen and paper anyway. Never seen a pad of paper crash and lose all my notes..

 

[nageov3t]

you really can't beat out a pen and paper notebook.

on a tablet, you can't draw 'leet flip books in the corners plus, what if some cute girls wants to borrow your notes?

 

[Chu]

Originally posted by: spazo
Are they easy to take notes with or would it be better to stick with pen and paper?

I was in a class where everyone got free tablet PC's for a semester. I think 2 people out of 16 actuially used them for anything except the projects we needed them for. Paper + Pencil is much better. A tablet PC is not the same. Super glossy (no friction) + Parallax (the screen is a couple millimeters below the pen, screws you up a bit) make it inferior.

-Chu

 

[herkulease]

I dunno from my brief use I found it to be pretty good.

I used in bio and chem and it wasn't a pain. I think trying to use a notebook in those clases much tougher. since you can't draw. well you could but as fast.

using the stylus to write/draw is pretty cool too. Its alot tougher for me to lose my notes. since I use binder paper rather than those spiral notebooks. I don't know why but I just don't like them.

the conversion to text isn't bad either. amazing it it was able to convert my handwriting. and I have really bad handwriting. especially when I'm half a sleep. If I were to hand you my papered notes you'll know where I was about to just fall asleep. a few letters it didn't pick up though it couldn't recognized my U's keep thinking it was V's but supposedly sp2 with tablet xp increases recognition ability.

What you could do is try it for yourself, head to a best buy and try it out. they only have the hand writing part though. they said the demo only has that feature. so you won't be able to try out how IE or something else might work.

I didn't get to either with a tablet but I"ve used webpads a few years back until mine broke and I doubt it be any different.

I plan on getting one now too. since I'm heading back to finish up poly sci so draw isn't a big issue to me.

as for what if a girl wants to borrow you notes. Just ask where she lives so you can go home print them out and bring them over.

 

[OrByte]

it does kind of depend on the type of schooling you are in. My classes are all lecture, a little math, diagrams. For my needs the tablet I got works great, it keeps all my notes in one place, it is so much better with tabletXP (the handwriting recognition works great, not perfect, but certainly useable) and I love being able to highlite using windows journal, my notes with the tabletPC turn out to be more useful than with a regular paper/pen, maybe I was just a horrible notetaker before.... shrug.

another thing, the tablet replaced my franklin too. Franklin Covey has a great software suite, helps with scheduling, notes, contacts etc etc just like the planner. More useful than Outlook because the software is suited for the stylus input.

anyway just my experiance.

 

[ChuaChua]

hello,

how about a normal desktop/notebook with just a graphics tablet?
Is performance also depends on software? Anything good/bad to say about OneNote?

 

[ChuaChua]

*Does* performance ... *depend* ...