Originally posted b🙂y: MagnusTheBrewer
Ok, first thing you have to understand (regardless of marketing hype) is that Tablet PC's are NOT good for general purpose use. Their entire focus is the ability to facilitate use with specific saftware, data bases etc. Forget about handwriting recognition, it's not ready for prime time. If you don't have a need for heavy/repetitive use of a specific program/data base then you do not need a Tablet PC. Why pay a premium for this type of computer if the majority of use will be general purpose?
That being said, if you want to get an idea on pricing/buying a Tablet PC online, I can reccomend Newegg.com and ZipZoomFly.com.
As a two year tablet user (in university) I find these statements to be completely bogus. Using the Toshiba M200, I have found it to be the single greatest asset to my university life. Handwriting recog. is spectacular, with only minor changes needed (coming form someone with terrible handwriting) to get 97+ % accuracy. This is with using both Onenote and the TIP, or windows input tool.
Unless you are looking at a slate - a tablet that does not have a native keyboard, then a tablet gives you every single aspect that a standard notebook/laptop does, with the added functionality. My m200 even has discrete graphics, as do some of the other toshiba models.
Something you'll want to look at is resolution and screen size, along with total size/weight.
You may not think an extra pound or two is a big deal, but if you get put in a spot where you need to carry it on your arm while writing for an extended period, the lighter the better
🙂 Find something that suits your needs, and try to get it in the smallest size if portability is a big factor.
If you want a Toshiba, there are the m400 and M7, along with a few older models. There are great deals to be had on the M200 if you buy used, which imho, is superior to the m400, and can be found with plenty of warranty left.
Other brands do a good job as well - Acer has 2 models I believe, and there is also Lenovo (IBM) X41, and various fujitsu models.
It is difficult to reccomend a store other than the big ones - newegg, etc, and many tablets can only be bought from the manufacturer sites.
Whatever you do, try and take a tablet for a spin hands on first, paying attention to weight and screen size/res.
Cheers
Forgot to mention - I have installed Vista beta 2 on my M200, and it runs very well. MS has increased functionality for tablets with it, and there is a much better handwriting 'learning curve' which adapts to your own style. You write 50 or so phrases and it will then be adapted to how you write. After doing that I found that I really had to try hard to get a mistake in recognition.
Also, many people pick up a tablet and expect to be converting all their handwriting to text. I was one of those people for about a week. Now I leave most of my writing in Ink, as I find it makes spacing and re-reading much easier.
