Computer Geeks arise!! I need help !!

[A4sForever]

Anyone have a tablet PC ???? Do you know anything righteous about them???

I am in the market for one --- have looked at IBM, Toshiba, HP for starters. No decisions as yet -- still looking and still very much open. It appears all are @ 2,000+ bills, so price is not really the issue.

I wanted one a year ago when I started writing the great new American novel --- but not too many solid platforms were (are?) available -- I thought the concept might even die early. I think I'm locked into the MS/PC side of the world, so Apple is out (I think) --- I don't even know if they DO tablets.

Any input .... well, most any input ..... will be appreciated.

MABUHAY

 

[mkoch]

First off, I'll try my one sentence to convince you to take a laptop over a tablet. No real reason, just a holy war of mine.

Beyond that, to actual advice. Tablets tend to be alot like the laptops from the same company, with the exception of 2 things: how well the thing to spin the monitor around is constructed, and handwriting recognition stuff. The consctruction thing used to be a big issue over a few months of use, but it seemed to be related more to the abuse it took and not the brand. Handwriting recognition was absolute crap when I was using a tablet briefly, but it may have gotten better. Basically, if you're writing a novel, I hope your proofreader/editor doesnt charge by the hour for typo correction.

As far as brands, I think you're right about apple. Too bad, their mobile stuff is probably the best in the market. Toshiba mobiles have always been fairly solid, with decent battery life and low weight (unless you buy their aircraft carrier 17" model). I use an HP laptop, which has been nice, but I've heard some horror stories from people that used older models. HP follows a sine wave pattern between weight and power. Last I checked they were selling bricks with 12 cylinder engines powering the processors. IBM focuses on "business" machines, meaning ugly, heavy, and no rounded edges or corners. Least likely to be stolen But the hardware will probably work reliably if you can get over ergonomic and cosmetic issues.

If I had to pick one "right now" I'd probably take the toshiba, though I concede I'd probably spend a few days in and out of retail outlets test driving them.

 

[raptor10]

Tablet PC's

Check out this site here, I swear buy it when purchasing any computer equipment and for looking for honest reviews on equipment and companies.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=534/sortby=rating

I came this close > < to buying the Acer Travelmate C314 until I realized I didn't really need the novelty of tablet platform. Im holding out for the Vaio SZ180p with its Centrino Duo core which will start accepting preorders on the 17th.

 

[TheBubba]

What exactly do you want to do with it? Is it just for the "Next Great American Novel" (I want a free auto graphed copy when you're done... please... sir... your highness...) or do you have other, more sinister plans for it. I.e. engineering the annexation of Europe or something?

As for brands, I'd go with IBM or HP... Though you could probably get a comprable lappy (with more capability) for half the price... or drop the 2K on a lappy that can double as a complete home theatre system...

 

[mkoch]

Okay, just to ward off the bad demons, if money is a factor, DONT BUY A LAPTOP OR TABLET. PERIOD.

Laptop hardware is VERY sensitive, and cheap ones WILL die. My own experience with writing a novel came to an end after 7 chapters and a dual hard drive failure (hard drive in the laptop died, and took with it the controller chip, which in turn fried the USB backup drive).

Don't be afraid of a machine with lighter specs. Unless you want to play games, you dont need the power. I would suggest maxing out the RAM to whatever your wallet can afford. 512megs is the minimum I would put in it. With that you'll be ableto handle a webbrower, MS office, some music, with plenty of zip to it. An entry level machine these days beats the socks off of anything I'd trust to run DVD's 5 yrs ago. Reliability is the biggest issue.

Speaking of which, some things to go with that. A portable key drive is a wonderful thing. Don't actually store your live files on it, just backup every 24 hours. They're nice and convenient, but remarkable fragile (snap in half like nothing). However, they're not prone to the same harsh conditions as your hard drive, which is the only moving part in your machine. If one dies, the other can be locked in a firesafe til you get a replacement.

Warranty: 2 years. Every failure I've ever had (note, im a techie, I've had ALOT of machines, some are bound to fail) occured ~14 months after purchase. Or, in terms of what tech support told me, 2 months past my warranty. Also, alot of companies upgrade you to "business class" with a 2 yr warranty. Meaning they next day air you the replacement part and you mail back the old one when you're done fixing the machine, as opposed to waiting for UPS ground to try to find a way to get a part to you from China. Yes, they will try to do it.

 

[TheBubba]

Okay, just to ward off the bad demons, if money is a factor, DONT BUY A LAPTOP OR TABLET. PERIOD.

Don't be afraid of a machine with lighter specs. Unless you want to play games, you dont need the power. I would suggest maxing out the RAM to whatever your wallet can afford. 512megs is the minimum I would put in it. With that you'll be ableto handle a webbrower, MS office, some music, with plenty of zip to it. An entry level machine these days beats the socks off of anything I'd trust to run DVD's 5 yrs ago. Reliability is the biggest issue.

Agreed on all accounts... 512 RAM is more than enough to run pretty much anything save the high-end games. 256 sometimes just comes up a little short. Look at processor specs too... 512 ram means nothing if you've got a 333... at the same token, 3.2 GHz processor means nothing if you've only 128 Mb of RAM...

Lighters machines sometimes are the way to go. I was going to build myself a "supercomputer", but after realizing what I was gonna be doing on it, I decided to go lighter. less money, less PC< but more than enough to do what I need.

Moral of the story: Buy a little extra computer, but don't go over board.

Also check out http://www.newegg.com

 

[ChuckMK23]

My company uses the Thinkpad X41 Tablet PC - (we have over 1200 of them) it is an exceptionally well engineered piece of gear..rugged, well designed. Be sure to get 1 GB of RAM and the internal wireless G. You won't be sorry.

http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/thinkpad/xseries/tablet/

 

[A4sForever]

What exactly do you want to do with it? Is it just for the "Next Great American Novel"...

Yeah .... literally. Writing. Tablets are REALLY are nice for writing --- better than the usual keyboard when you are spontaneous or want to be "creative" and you're at a Tiki bar in HNL. :icon_rast

So I gotta' have a laptop/notebook, compromises aside --- the desktop stays home (obviously). A laptop/notebook is a must when I'm traveling for business and/or research and/or pleasure. The tablet variety seems to be slow to take off with the American buying public --- otherwise they would be the norm today. But for me --- a tablet would really come in handy --- especially if it is light, the screen is good, and the battery is strong. AND ... if MS tablet software is worth a damn.

I buy/upgrade to a new road warrior @ every 1-2 years and I have been ogling the tablets for @ two years. I am going to assume (even thought I know the hazards of doing it) that you can "train" the recognition software to do a 95% + job of getting it right. The screen needs to be good to go in all lighting conditions. My last notebook had nearly 4 hours of battery life --- gave it to my daughter --- the current one --- Sony --- gets only @ 1 1/2 with the issue battery.

I've heard that ACER has (had?) a short shelf life -- not reliable or durable. I don't know --- I should have stolen one off the freighter when I was bringing them back from the Orient and checked it out. Guess I'm too honest (?). And my job wasn't worth a notebook.

I think 512 RAM is O.K. for my uses on a tablet .... most of my machines come in at 1 GB + (I like RAM). And maybe 50-60 GB on the hard drive should be good for a tablet. The processors all seem to be vairations of Intel M or a Centrino (think I'm getting that right without looking it up) and seem to come in @ 1.7 - 2.0 mhz.

Good suggestions --- keep 'em coming. (AW smiley lamp is lit )

 

[raptor10]

About Acer I have only heard that their downfall is in technical support i.e. first time computer buyers wont get the same level of service that they would get from dell etc. I know a couple of guys with acers (not tablet pc's) and have only heard that that was the only downside.

another site to check out is

http://www.tabletpcreviewspot.com

never used it before but it looks like its right up your alley.

 

[A4sForever]

another site to check out is

http://www.tabletpcreviewspot.com

never used it before but it looks like its right up your alley.

Really good website for what I'm looking for ....... many thanks. And thanks to all of you above for the inputs. A4s

 

[Thisguy]

Just to piggyback on the subject, I'm in the market for a new laptop. I've been riding out my Dell 500 MHz Intel Pentium III since march 2000. However, I've heard that there's a new processing chip on the horizon that'll render Pentiums obsolete...any insight on this? If that's the case, I can definitely wait a few more months. Thanks.

 

[raptor10]

Just to piggyback on the subject, I'm in the market for a new laptop. I've been riding out my Dell 500 MHz Intel Pentium III since march 2000. However, I've heard that there's a new processing chip on the horizon that'll render Pentiums obsolete...any insight on this? If that's the case, I can definitely wait a few more months. Thanks.

I was referring to the technology earlier, its called Centrino Duo. However the technology does not just refer to the processor but the combination of processor, chipset, and wireless specification. as soon as sony starts taking preorders I'm jumping on it. it looks and sounds great. For more info check out these sites on coverage from CES.

www.cnet.com
www.designtechnica.com
www.anandtech.com

and this one fully explains the tech behind centrino duo
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124230,00.asp

and for a list of the newest laptops with centrino duo cores (its missing the two sony laptops though)
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124282,00.asp

 

[Brett327]

Just to piggyback on the subject, I'm in the market for a new laptop. I've been riding out my Dell 500 MHz Intel Pentium III since march 2000. However, I've heard that there's a new processing chip on the horizon that'll render Pentiums obsolete...any insight on this? If that's the case, I can definitely wait a few more months. Thanks.

Any computer geek worth his salt will tell you that holding out for the next "latest and greatest" technology is not a good strategy for buying hardware unless you've got cash to blow and only want it for bragging rights.

Brett

 

[Gatordev]

I was referring to the technology earlier, its called Centrino Duo. However the technology does not just refer to the processor but the combination of processor, chipset, and wireless specification. as soon as sony starts taking preorders I'm jumping on it. it looks and sounds great. For more info check out these sites on coverage from CES.

And funny you should mention that, because Apple just announced their new laptop w/ the Duo in it.

 

[mmx1]

Any computer geek worth his salt will tell you that holding out for the next "latest and greatest" technology is not a good strategy for buying hardware unless you've got cash to blow and only want it for bragging rights.

Brett

Right, because when it comes out it'll be ridiculously expensive to cash in on all the early adopters with more money than sense. It'll take another year before it becomes affordable. Better strategy is to wait for the release and cash in on the price shift when the old Centrinos devalue.