A slate as a companion, or convertible replacement. PDF annotating, study, work.

[devo]

General Questions.

1. What is your budget? No budget. Just want the right tool without extravagance.

2. Would you consider purchasing used/refurbished? Yes, if it is a model which is known for being bulletproof.

3. Do you prefer a Slate, Convertible or Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC)? I am leaning toward Slate if it can do everything I want, as I already have a good laptop.

4. What size Tablet PC would you prefer?
Small and light ~ 5" to 8.9"
Compact ~ 10"
Mainstream ~ 12.1"
Large ~ 13.3"
I think mainstream to large.

5. Which country do you intent to purchase from? I am in Australia, but I'm fine with purchasing online and overseas.

6. Do you have any preferences to brand loyalty or dislikes? No

7. How many hours battery life do you require? In the office, plugged in mostly. At uni, 8 hours would be great.

8. What will be the primary usage scenario of this tablet?
To set the scene, I work week on, week off as an engineer flying out of a remote camp. I also study full time (engineering) and need to keep up with my uni during my work week. I need various text books both at work and at uni, and would like to make the switch to ebooks to save flying and commuting with so much bulk and weight. I currently have a HP-4008 laptop, and I would be happy to carry two devices. In fact having a separate device with texts on it might be useful to be able to refer back and forth in lieu of dual monitor setup on a convertible (I would have to leave a separate monitor at my work site). I'm open to 1 or 2 devices though. So...

• Note taking (annotating pdf lecture notes, would like to write by hand directly into pdfs and save as pdf without losing quality (still vector etc)
• Playing back recorded lectures (video file with relevant slide on screen + lecturers scribbling + audio) whilst taking my own notes (split screen PDF annotator with Video playing, maybe not possible, could make do playing video/audio on phone while note taking).
• A replacement for physical text books and reference texts. Used for flicking between text books while working on another PC.
• Web connectivity would be good. WiFi and 3G (Only 3G available at my work site)

9. Do you have an OS preference?
Not really. I havent used a tablet or slate before, although I must say I have a love hate relationship with my iphone with the simplicity and the locked down nature of it.

10. What software and tasks do you intend to run?
A PDF annotator. Basic office apps (powerpoint viewer, document viewer etc.

If I were to get a convertible replacement rather than using a slate + laptop combo, I would need to be using:
Matlab, Excel, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCad, Process simulation software

10. Do you intend on playing Games? If so please list.
Maybe in 18 months when I have finished study and have some spare time!



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.
Larger is always better right?

2. Do you require the screen to be readable in sunlight?
It would be a plus, but not essential.

3. Do you prefer your display to be glossy or matte?
Not a deal breaker. Matte is probably practical, glossy is kinda sexy.

4. Do you require Touch? (without pressure sensitivity) (Which one: resistive or capacitive)
I believe I would find touch very handy (ha ha) when using the slate/convertible as an e-reader or browser as a companion to another PC. It would allow flicking through/browsing without having to pick up yet another input device to navigate.

5. Do you require a Pen? (with pressure sensitivity) (Which one: Wacom or N-Trig)
Yes. I would lean towards Wacom, but not a deal breaker.


Component Specifics

1. What size Hard Drive and Memory do you require?
At least 16GB for a slate. More preferably.

2. Do you require an Optical (CD/DVD) Drive to be built in?
No.

3. Do you require ability to add a second Battery or Hard Drive (Modular Bay technology)?
If less than 8-10 hours, a second battery would be good.


Misc
1. Other non specific items ~ please add other items you require not covered above?

2. Additional requests ~ anything other you wish to take into consideration?
I'm sorry if this is a bit jumbled, because I havent made the basic choice between slate and convertible. I am leaning toward a portable, long batter life, light slate, which can be whipped out for note taking, and used beside a regular laptop/PC for reading reference texts.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[devo]

I like the ruggedness of the motion computing slate, but probably not for the extra $$.

I still have relatively little idea about the extent of what is in the market, but I will be going to test a Samsung Slate 7 as soon as possible.

What else is in the same league as this? I feel it might be overkill, almost to the extent of becoming the only device I would take to work with me, but all of the lower featured devices I come across are touch only without the digitizer.

[alex.db]

Have a look at the HP 2760p. They are about $4k AUD in australia however I imported a customized one with no OS, least amount of RAM, and i7 plus the slimline dock for about $2400 AUD all up (pm me if you want the info, it's a reputable site that I have used before). I then spent a measly $60 on 8GB of RAM and used my MSDN access to get a free win 7 pro key (you may or may not have this depending on what field of engineering you do).

Really solid machine. I used it for all my engineering notes, diagrams and to make annotations to my pdf lecture notes. If you pair it with onenote it really is a formidable uni machine. I also use it to view all my downloaded lectures, although i view the lectures through a spare monitor and use screen of the laptop to write notes on - it is a bit cramped trying to do both on the same screen.

I have previously used a trusty (and noisy) hp tx2000 that died after 2 and a bit years of physical abuse. The new machine is MUCH quiter and stronger - which is where the extra $1000 comes from I guess!

My next purchase is a 240GB intel 520 SSD

All up I've spent (after the SSD) about 3k on an ultra fast tablet for 1k less then the slower one available from australia. I confirmed with HP that the warranty on thier business laptops is infact international so buying from the US and claiming warranty is not an issue ( i got the 3 year warranty and long-life battery as well).

[devo]

Cheers Alex. I do wonder when retail in Australia is going to catch up, especially for products which are marketed to tech savvy consumers.

I used it for all my engineering notes, diagrams and to make annotations to my pdf lecture notes. If you pair it with onenote it really is a formidable uni machine. I also use it to view all my downloaded lectures, although i view the lectures through a spare monitor and use screen of the laptop to write notes on - it is a bit cramped trying to do both on the same screen.

This is exactly a good portion of what I will be doing. Out of interest, when I trialled one note previously, printing the PDF to Onenote (the only way I found to get them in there) flattened the PDF to images, losing the quality and detail when zoomed right in. Is there a way around that?

I really like that Elitebook, and had I got onto it before purchasing my last laptop, I could have justified it. For a glorified note taker though... I'm now more leaning towards whether a Series 7 Samsung slate is necessary over something like the HP Slate 500.

I might be barking up the wrong tree, and I'll give my current reasoning so it can be corrected... but, thinking it through, I could see me just carrying a slate to uni (reduced load by a factor of 10!) if it could cover all in-class note taking and other brief tasks. Even when I've had my laptop with me, I quite often just jump on a uni computer and stick in a USB (all of my portable applications/browser with bookmarks/synced uni documents) to save setting up somewhere. While at work, I can leave my laptop setup in my accomodation, with the slate doing textbook and notetaking duties, effectively getting twice the screen real estate to one convertible anyway. At work, just have the slate only to keep reference texts and notes to look back on handy.

Ramble ramble ramble. That's my thoughts so far as they progress anyway.

[dave-d]

gday there thought id share my thoughts on using a convertible pc.

I have a lenovo x201t and i wouldn't hesitate to recommend it except for a few issues.

#1 . the depth. Simply put the depth of the machine makes taking notes in a lecture theater somewhat uncomfortable. I like to have my writing surface low, compared to my arm height, and the extra 15 cm added by the base contributes to a writing surface 3cm off the table. I have eliminated this somewhat by using a block to prop the tablet up; improving both the viewing angle and making it a more ergonomically rest for my hand.

#2. touch input. I only have pen input on my tablet and while this has its advantages it also has its disadvantages. Pen alone can slow you down. I recommend touch.

#3 Battery life. Its always going to be a problem. However getting a convertible has its advantages here. You can swap out the batteries easily, or buy very large ones. I rarely get a full 8 hour day from by 6 cell battery. So id recommend getting a 9 cell if your not planning to be close to power while you work.

#4 weight. Convertibles weigh much more than slates. Carrying your laptop around is about 1.5kg or more (looking at the 7 series slate 800g looks amazing) and that doesnt include the power cable or extra batteries, all which take up space is you bag. Isnt so bad if you manage to eliminate your need for other notebooks.

ill have to conclude by saying that the convertible pc uni student can work, however im yet to be truly comfortable with it. Im considering buying a 7 series slate or a bigger battery to see if i can truly go paperless. At the moment i feel that lugging an entire laptops worth of stuff (plus all the books ive still be using) around with me everywhere is weighing me down.. literally. Id stop using it, but onenote is too good.

[devo]

Thanks for your thoughts Dave. The hot swappable batteries of the Motion Computing slate seem a good idea, but the 5ish hours would be good enough most days usually. I'd imagine most uni students could find a power outlet once a day. Windows 8 and next gen processors might make the current batt life seem pitiful, but you can't wait forever.

[devo]

In typical retail form, I went into JBHiFi for a look and a play this morning. The tablet "expert" couldn't get it to boot past the DOS style resume screen (I wasnt going to try and help) and proceeded to offer me the best he could do as AUD$1550 for the 64GB with HP. For those not familiar, AU$1550 is US$1667 at the moment. So basically, I was offered none of the advantages of a brick and mortar store, and would have to pay an extra $500 for the pleasure.

I'll probably just go through the Microsoft Store and use a US side mailbox I think unless anyone can put me onto a good retailer that ships internationally.

Incidentally, while in the MS store I happened to compare software prices, which again we're paying a premium for in Australia. When we're simply paying for a registration key, where is the huge price disparity? A 10% GST doesn't go anywhere near to explaining it. Grr, rant over.

[alex.db]

Seriously mate, IMPORT!

[devo]

Haha, I'd almost convinced myself to buy locally after I tried a different JB store and got a decent salesman and price. Add in the extra 2 year warranty ($$ but I think this might prove to be a flimsy device even discounting the screen glue issues) and convenience, and it doesnt look toooooo bad.

But still, a reseller on Amazon will get my business I think.

How do you think the international warranty would hold up when returning a 128GB model to Samsung Australia?