Going back to college in my 30s - Which Tablet PC?

[RugbyFan]

General Questions.

1. What is your budget?

Max $2000 - to include MS Office Education - Edited 21/9/07 - Think budget will have to be max $2800

2. Do you prefer a Slate, Convertible or Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC)?

Probably Convertable - but if someone with experience as a note taking student knows better....

3. What size Tablet PC would you prefer?
Mainstream ~ 12.1"


4. Which country do you intent to purchase from?

Ireland

5. Do you have any preferences to brand loyalty or dislikes?

Not particularly - Readily available brands in Ireland are:

HP
Lenovo
Acer
Toshiba

6. How many hours battery life do you require?

7 hours

7. What do you intend to use the Tablet for?

Taking lecture notes as a mature postgraduate student

8. Do you have an OS preference?

Has to be MS - but between XP and Vista I'd like some advice

9. What software and tasks do you intend to run?

Take notes - probably run some spreadsheets for a sideline, not a gamer

10. Do you intend playing Games. If so please list.

No

Screen Specifics

1. Do you prefer standard or widescreen?

Standard - easier for taking notes I would imagine.

2. What resolution do you prefer?
XGA - 1024x768 ~ Large and easy to read text and graphic icons but you fit less on the screen.
SXGA - 1400x1050 ~ Small text and graphic icons which require good vision but the gain is a much larger screen.
WXGA - 1280x768 ~ Wider viewing angle of XGA but ideal for viewing Spreadsheets and other programs that require desktop space.

I'm open on this

3. Do you require an Indoor only or Indoor/Outdoor screen option?
Indoor

4. Do you require a Passive or Active Digitizer?
Active I believe

5. Do you require Wacom or Finepoint Technology?
Gateway are not available in Ireland so Wacom I presume.


Component Specifics

1. What size Hard Drive and Memory do you require?

2GB Memory - 80GB HD

2. Do you require an Optical Drive?

Could be external or removable - must be DVD RW

3. Do you require ability to add a second Battery or Hard Drive (Modular Bay technology)?

Second battery would be good if budget allows

[ian]

It might be worth flying to New York as they are much cheaper there...
I'm just about to buy a Lenovo X61 for uni - returned in my 30s too... Here in Europe, not many people even have laptops, but for field trips, a tablet will be extra useful.

[RugbyFan]

It might be worth flying to New York as they are much cheaper there...

Thanks Ian.

I have two friends travelling there in late October for a week. Can anyone recommend a quality, trustworthy stockist of Lenovo, HP and Toshiba in downtown or midtown Manhattan?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Dark_Wolf]

Well, a convertible is deffinetly the way to go, as some things just aren't made for a pure tablet.
The 7 hours of battery time will be hard to get, at least without a modular battery. Many universities have power available in the auditorium, which solves the problem quite completely. Otherwise you can forget about toshiba, as they don't have modular batteries, and the external ones are hell to use.
The T4220, which is what everyone usually recommends is above your budget, at least with the SXGA+ screen. Then again the only other tablet with an SXGA+ screen is the Toshiba M400, and oyou will probably be fiine with just regular SXGA. XGA is too low for my liking though.
The Lenovo X61 seems to be having a series of technical problems, and getting one is supposedly rather difficult as well.

I would have recommended the M400, but apparently the silent bios doesn't work with the core 2 duo model, and the regular bios is just too noisy for college use.
So honestly, I can't think of a tablet meeting your requirements and still be recommendable. Maybe the Gateway C-120X, though I simply don't know enough 'bout it to be able to say one way or the other.

[leaftye]

I highly recommend AGAINST getting a Toshiba. I've had customer experiences so horrible that I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't an April Fools gag, and I've heard other people complain of the same thing.

That said, if Lenovo ever gets SXGA again, go with that, if only because you can get an accidental warranty.

Fujitsu is even better, but doesn't have an accidental warranty. I believe you can configure a Fujitsu for under $2000. Contact Armen at LaptopAuthority and tell him what you're looking for. I believe he can save at least 10% off whatever Fujitsu is selling it for. You can also buy used Fujitsu tablets from Fujitsu's ebay store, but they only have a 90 day warranty....I've seen many for ~$900. A Fujitsu can get nearly 6 hours of battery life on the primary battery with the proper settings, and you can also add a modular battery for another 4-5 hours.

[RugbyFan]

Hi,

I think I'm going to have to up the budget - $2,800 is definitely the outright maximum.

Where does that leave me?

Thanks for all the tips so far.

Paul

[Dark_Wolf]

That would put you in the price range of the Fujitsu T4220 with the SXGA+ screen, which with a modular battery would fulfill all your demands, and is a bloody nice tablet to boot.

[willember]

I'm 32 and just started Law school. I opted for the Fujitsu T4220. I think it is wonderful! Handwritten notes in Onenote are great. Organization is 9 snap. (again One note) I got the 2.2 ghz Core 2 duo for about us $2000 and added memory after the fact and got Office ultimate from microsoft for 60 bucks.

[leaftye]

$2800 at LaptopAuthority will get you a T4220 with the fastest processor, SXGA and 2 gigs of memory.....not sure on the other specs. I think Armen may be able to give you a better deal if you call him, but to meet that price you may have to choose between an additional warranty or the modular battery......you may be able to upgrade the warranties later. I believe Armen has shipped to a hotel before, so you may not need to worry about finding a local retailer in Manhatten.

[RugbyFan]

Hi,

I've been offered the following for $3000 delivered:

X60 tablet: Intel Core Duo L2500 LV, 1.83Ghz, Intel Centrino Duo a/b/g, Vista Business 32, 512MBx2, Intel Graphics 128MB, 80GB HDD, 12.1" XGA touch TFT, Anti-glare/Anti-reflective, Security Chip, Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 4 cell battery, Fingerprint Reader, 3 years carry-in warranty

Any thoughts?