Looking for a slate

[ChaosSpear]

General Questions.

1. What is your budget?
I have not looked at the tablet market for a while, say a few hundred dollars. If you need a number can we say $500?

2. Would you consider purchasing used/refurbished?
Absolutely.

3. Do you prefer a Slate, Convertible or Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC)?
slate. I already have a laptop, this would be for note taking.

4. What size Tablet PC would you prefer?
Small and light ~ 5" to 8.9"
Compact ~ 10"
Mainstream ~ 12.1"
Large ~ 13.3"
Something good for onenote no bigger than a textbook i guess? I have a 13" laptop, so a bit smaller.

5. Which country do you intent to purchase from?
USA

6. Do you have any preferences to brand loyalty or dislikes?
Not at all, I am out of the loop on the slate market.

7. How many hours battery life do you require?
Whatever is reasonable, lets say 5? (note that is a total guess)

8. What will be the primary usage scenario of this tablet? (Email/Web Surfing/Drawing/Word Processing/Entertainment/Notetaking etc)
College notetaking first priority (onenote/word). A little internet or multimedia. Some drawing if I could.

9. Do you have an OS preference?
I have w7 on my laptop, and love it. So don't see why something else.

10. What software and tasks do you intend to run? (Microsoft Office or other Word Processing Suite/Photoshop/3D Studio Max/Autocad etc)
MS office suite. light internet. light music. Some basic drawing program. Nothing too demanding.

10. Do you intend on playing Games? If so please list.
Nope.



Screen Specifics

1. 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. (no longer available new, must look for used or refurbished machines)
WXGA - 1280x768 ~ has a wider usable area than XGA, ideal for viewing Spreadsheets and other programs that require desktop space. The mainly used resolution for new tablet PCs since 2008.
The 16x10 ratio like old widescreen screens would be best. Not this new 16x9. XGA would be acceptable, or SXGA.

2. Do you require the screen to be readable in sunlight?
See the above linked FAQ for guidance
It would be nice if it was somewhat readable outside.

3. Do you prefer your display to be glossy or matte?
Maybe matte, since it wouldn't be for photos/videos.

4. Do you require Touch? (without pressure sensitivity) (Which one: resistive or capacitive)
Only a pen input required. Would this effect note taking, since I will rest my hand on the screen?

5. Do you require a Pen? (with pressure sensitivity) (Which one: Wacom or N-Trig)
Absolutely. I have known wacom to be good, but whichever is more usable is fine.


Component Specifics

1. What size Hard Drive and Memory do you require?
Enough hard drive for notes and music. Any more is a bonus. Enough memory to run MS office and maybe a music player. Or a drawing program.

2. Do you require an Optical (CD/DVD) Drive to be built in?
No. In fact without one would be better (lighter, thinner, etc).


3. Do you require ability to add a second Battery or Hard Drive (Modular Bay technology)?
[COLOR="Blue"I guess not, since I would like no optic drive space. But if it had an optic drive then yes, replacing it for more battery or hard drive would be awesome![/COLOR]

Misc
1. Other non specific items ~ please add other items you require not covered above?
Like I said before, this is primarily for taking notes in class. It would be instead of spiral notebooks and pens. I would sync a dropbox with my laptop to transfer notes back and forth. Possibly a drawing program, but nothing too intense.


2. Additional requests ~ anything other you wish to take into consideration?
I would most likely buy off ebay if I could, since I do not need anything really new.

I am also left handed, so it is essential I do not get a slate that would be impossible/ extremely awkward to hold in my right hand (aka cannot reach the buttons, cooling vent pointed towards me when held, etc).

Thanks for reading this and for responding! Let me know if anything is illogical, a lot can easily be changed.

[Zakernet]

Rather than start a new thread, I'm basically in the same boat, so I'm interested in any suggestions as well.

ZAK

[Jonno2343]

Not sure when exactly it's coming out but the HP Slate (http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/05/h...-hour-battery/) may be what you're looking for.
8.9" screen, pen digitizer, webcam, bluetooth, wifi and all those extra goodies.
Around $500 if I remember correctly.
Not sure of any that are out at the moment though.

[NamelessPlayer]

At the low end (around US$200-300), you could probably pick up a nice HP TC1100 or Motion M1400. If you really want to use the whole US$500 budget, look at the Motion LE1600. (You could probably get the LE1600 and a few extra accessories such as batteries for US$500!)

There's also the Fujitsu Stylistic lineup to consider, though I'm not too familiar with those models.

Note that the TC1100, M1400, and LE1600 are all 4:3 screens, not your ideal 16:10. To get that aspect ratio, you'll probably have to buy a newer slate Tablet PC that's way out of your price range.