Tablet pc’s?

pengwinzz · 12 Aug 2006 at 14:18

I was thinking about buying a tablet pc, of the variety that flips round into a laptop (probably a second hand one though) but the small screen size/resolution one the ones I have seen so far is making me think twice, are there any available with a higher screen size/resolution? And does anybody own one? I’m just curious to hear the views of people who have used/bought one, good or bad?

Thanks

Steeps · 13 Aug 2006 at 03:24

i own an acer c302xmi, currently typing this on it. 14" screen and not bad power for what it is, however you might want to think about what you are using it for before deciding if it is too small.

my screen size is about the same size as an a4 sheet of paper, which is a nice size for writing notes on and doing the occational sketch, however when i took it into lectures it felt far too big trying to balance it on my knee and write. when using it for cadwork i found it too small to use efficiently as i was always scrolling and zooming. because it is a full laptop it weighs a ton and will hurt your arm if you try to use it as a jotter unsupported.

it took me a while to get used to 1024*768, however it is not a problem now because i have used it so much.

my brother owns a c110 series which is much smaller and less powerful, however it is more suited to writing lecture notes on and much lighter on your hands.

sometimes i still found it more convenient to grab a notebook and a pen for notes, switching to a tablet is a large step and quite expensive, but if you feel like you really want to burn some cash it is a great toy :cool:

pengwinzz · 13 Aug 2006 at 14:22

I was planning on using one mainly for browsing the web around the house (though maybe some 2d and 3d work as well), I’m not concerned with the weight issue as it would probably be on my lap most of the time

At the moment I’m using a graphics tablet on my desktop pc to save my aching fingers from mouse clicks

1024x768 seems a bit too low for me, it’s a shame no one seems to do a 17” tablet, as it’s just a glorified laptop with a stylus interface, I discovered that gateway do a widescreen tablet but sadly they don’t sell pc’s in the uk anymore. I’m also surprised how few tablets there are out there, even dell don’t sell one

what is it like when you use the pen on the tablet, does the screen deform if you press hard?

Steeps · 14 Aug 2006 at 02:47

i'm mostly using mine for browsing, and streaming video to my tv before i got a htpc, i haven't had any experience with a graphics tablet to compare what switching to a tablet pc is like though.

with a graphics tablet do you have to hold down a button when right clicking? i found that more uncomfortable than using a mouse for long hours.

i've played with a compaq tablet (one with a detachable keyboard, looks quite strange) and 2 acer tablets, i've also briefly seen the toshiba equivalent to the c300 series. the compaq had glass inbetween the screen and the pen which was comfortable to write on and protected the screen, however unless you always used the screen at the angle you calibrated it at there would be a gap between the tip and the screen.

my acer does not have anything between the screen and pen like most laptops, when writing normally it is fine, but i am worried when other people use it as they tend to press quite hard, however it has not damaged the screen. yes the screen does deform, moreso in the middle than around the edges. there is a forum that is dedicated to tablet pc's, however i am not sure if i can discuss it here.

a 17" tablet? i wish! would probably be a bit big though. what size graphics tablet are you using?

also with it being a glorified laptop, i think tablets have much better hinges than laptops. touch wood mine has been fine, no cracks yet 2 of my friends laptops have both cracked on the lids.

pengwinzz · 14 Aug 2006 at 19:59

my graphics tablet is somewhere between a4 and a3 in size, you don't need a button to click with it, you just gently press down (though you do need to press a button if you want to right click, but you can change the button config on some graphics tablets so you use the rubber end of the pen as right click)

Trigger · 14 Aug 2006 at 23:05

Well we've got 40 of the damn things at work if that counts?

Compaq TC1000's to be prescise and they are the biggest pain in the arse ever and the most problematic hardware on the network

The 1024*768 screen resolution isn't bad but the reliability of them is just naff. My advice is don't touch them with a barge pole, get a lightweight laptop

G|mp · 14 Aug 2006 at 23:26

Our Toshiba rep has got one that was very impressive

Cant remember the model but it was a Toshiba summat

fifth · 15 Aug 2006 at 20:06

Trigger said:
Well we've got 40 of the damn things at work if that counts? Compaq TC1000's to be prescise and they are the biggest pain in the arse ever and the most problematic hardware on the network The 1024*768 screen resolution isn't bad but the reliability of them is just naff. My advice is don't touch them with a barge pole, get a lightweight laptop

Been using a tc1100 for about 3 year (and posting this on it now from Ubuntu - dual boot setup). Been a fantastic tablet and i couldnt imagine being without it now. With the exception of gaming its really become my main pc.

Trigger · 15 Aug 2006 at 20:10

Yeah, the TC1100's do seem better but we bought them when they first came out. When you've had to work with them every day for a year you'll understand what I mean

ricky1981 · 15 Aug 2006 at 20:50

I had one of the old Toshiba Portege models, it certainly looked the part but the technology wasn't really up to much and I had to send it back twice for repairs when part of the screen stopped picking up the pen. Overall I wouldnt go for one again, I'll just buy a nice laptop and then a PDA/smartphone and sync the two up.

Steeps · 16 Aug 2006 at 00:22

ricky1981 said:
I had one of the old Toshiba Portege models, it certainly looked the part but the technology wasn't really up to much and I had to send it back twice for repairs when part of the screen stopped picking up the pen. Overall I wouldnt go for one again, I'll just buy a nice laptop and then a PDA/smartphone and sync the two up.

yup thats exactly whats happened to mine right now, got no tablet input (well it kinda works, but is very unstable), luckily i have a 3yr warrenty which i am still to take advantage of. as the hard disk crashed last night i think it is time to return it (really didn't want to format it).

this thread has brought me bad luck