Laptop or Tablet??

cj265

cj265

cj265

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Joined
20 Feb 2011
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153
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Glenlivet
Hey guys,

i'm stuck between getting a laptop or a tablet. i need something for uni, so i can take notes down that are easy to just switch over to my desktop. i was thinking about a laptop but the size and weight is quite a bit to carry for a whole day, plus some of my lectures dont have desks.

I like the tablets because they are small and easily handled, but i'm not entirely sure about what they can do or how easy they really are for simple tasks such as, taking notes.

Any suggetions?
 
For taking notes in a lecture the easiest thing (by a long way) is pen and paper, which you can then scan/type onto your computer later on. Taking a laptop means you'll be able to type out notes probably faster than you can write, but copying down drawings/diagrams/equations/etc will be a lot more difficult, and you'll probably end up resorting to pen and paper anyway.

As for a tablet, that'll be even more difficult than a laptop, taking decent notes on a touchscreen won't be as quick as a laptop, let alone just writing them.
 
problem with pen and paper is my hand writing :p i know if i practised it, it might get better. Fact is i find it hard to read/decypher my own hand writing let alone anyone else. and my lecturers arn't the slowest people ever when it comes to lecture's. plus i can type really fast and we dont really have any diagrams or equations to draw, just word after word after word.
 
Well if it is only words, then a netbook should do fine, a 10" one won't be much hassle at all to carry around, and will be far easier to type on at a decent speed than a tablet. Plus if you get an android/ipad tablet you'll be fairly limited in programs you can use to work with office, whereas a netbook you can just use word.
 
Also depends on what subject you're doing as to whether this is relevant, but it might be worth looking at the crossover type laptops, IE: those with a touch screen and keyboard - then you have the touchscreen for diagrams and the keyboard for typing.

HP do a model for around £400 if I remember correctly that'd do the job well (assuming that's all it is to be used for).
 
thanks for the input, i will have a look for that. that sounds like it could be useful not just for my uni but for things as well.

i'm a bit weird in the sense that i love to learn something new all the time so i google heaps and attend lots of short term course. Love "how to" sites too :D
 
that's a pretty cool pen but totally over priced lol. thanks for all the help guys :D still no sure what to go for so keep sending the post's and i'll sit down and go through everything.
 
brainchylde said:
Re the pen and paper suggestion - always good - but try this......... pen and paper, with a techie twist - LiveScribe

Evernote compatiable too - if you use that.
Click to expand...

Thing that concerns me with it would be if it was unable to pick up the lecturers voice, as when im at uni, they tell us not to sit at the front, so we have a better viewing angle of the presentation on the screen, and then we are able to download the presentation to gather more notes after the lecture has finished - via Blackboard.

Also batteries, how long would it last, how many minutes of speaking can be recorded and how much would a new pad be? things like this would deter me from that pen, imo of course.
 
yeah as well as the cost of the pen. but it sounds like a great idea. i would not suggest it to those who talk to themselves while they write :p might not be a good thing lol.
 
For taking handwritten notes, do a search for digital notepad - plenty of different versions about.

They record whatever you write on normal paper - and the handwriting translation software isn't too shabby of the ones I've used.

Normally come in A4 and A5 sizes - and can be used as a drawing tablet when connected to your PC
 
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