What tablet PC should I buy?

[FlaMers]

General Questions.

1. What is your budget? $100-$200

2. Would you consider purchasing used/refurbished? No

3. What size Tablet PC would you prefer?

Small and light ~ 5" to 8.9" <------------
Compact ~ 10" <-----------
Mainstream ~ 12.1"
Large ~ 13.3"


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

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

7. How many hours battery life do you require? 5-10 Hours

8. What will be the primary usage scenario of this tablet? (Email/Web Surfing/Drawing/Word Processing/Entertainment/Notetaking etc)

9. Do you have an OS preference? NO

10. What software and tasks do you intend to run? (Microsoft Office

10. Do you intend on playing Games? If so please list.
Yes but only normal games not hardcore games like COD


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. ANY WILL DO!


2. Do you require the screen to be readable in sunlight? Does not matter
See the above linked FAQ for guidance

3. Do you prefer your display to be glossy or matte? Does not matter

4. Do you require Touch? (without pressure sensitivity) (Which one: resistive or capacitive) Does not matter
See the above linked FAQ for guidance

5. Do you require a Pen? (with pressure sensitivity) (Which one: Wacom or N-Trig) Does not matter
See the above linked FAQ for guidance


Component Specifics

1. What size Hard Drive and Memory do you require? 8-16gb

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)? Does not matter

As you can probably tell I am a student, and as for now I lack money. But I really need a tablet to help me get through buying paper and supplies.

Thank you for helping.

[jnjroach]

I'm don't think you will find a new tablet that does what you're looking for in our price point. You can find a second generation tablet (Toshiba M200, Motion M1300 or similar) on ebay but outside sketchy off-brand converted LCD Photoframe made into cheap Android 2.0 tablets, I don't think you'll find much...

Sorry,

[FlaMers]

Lets say...my budget isn't a problem right now. What would you recommend to me?

[Steve B]

Well, the real question is "What are you going to do on this tablet?" You highlighted email and web browsing, and MS Office. My suspicion is you're typing papers and what not. ??? You also mention that it doesn't matter if you have touch or pen input. Are you sure you need to use a tablet pc then? Wouldn't a laptop serve you better? They're cheaper and generally have better graphics cards.

We need to know more about what you're going to use it for.

[nyb72]

If I were a student again, I would look at getting a used Motion, Toshiba, or Fujitsu tablet for the following reasons:

I would stick with Windows if you're using Microsoft Office. I know there are third party solutions, but its just less complicated. Plus you'll probably have access to good student discounts for MS products.

Since you list drawing, I would stay with tablets with Wacom technology

All of those tablets have user replacable batteries. So I would get an extra battery or two to get your 5 -10 hours of life. Being a busy student and always on-the-go, you don't want to be stuck having to find an outlet everywhere.

You can find a pretty good used solution around the $200 mark that can easily run MS office 2010 quite capably.

If budget were no object, I would look at some of the new Motion tablets or the Samsung Slate 7. However, I don't think I would feel comfortable carrying a $1000-$2000 computer around a college campus.

[Steve B]

I didn't see anything in the OP about drawing though..... I think that's part of the form? And then, instead, the OP highlighted what they would be doing?? That's why I was confused about the need for a tablet pc.

[alex.db]

$100-200 is in your dreams I'm afraid. You'll have to up your budget by about a factor of 10 to get anything decent.

[Steve B]

Well, that's true if the OP wants it to be new. You can get some pretty decent used concertible tablet pcs for 250-500$. You can even get some ok ones for 150-200$. We need to hear back though with more info first.

[FlaMers]

I'm kind of a "general" kind of student. I'm thinking of getting a refurbished tablet. I can save at least $100-200. Is that a good idea?

[Agent 9]

For $100-200 your best option IMO is something like a Toshiba M4 or M400 or similar as they have Full Voltage Pentium M or better processors that are more than powerful enough, unlike the Motion Tablets and a few others that have Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M's which are lacking to say the least... but I have no idea how you are a student and have a budget that low, most books cost that much if not more and if you sold back a few you aren't using then you can free up $200+ and afford a machine with a better screen and more powerful components, but whatever... ebay.ca will be the place to go