So over the last few days I’ve been fielding questions from a few friends of friends and siblings of friends … students who are getting into high school or to their first year of college … and they ask the common question … “What kind/type of laptop do you recommend?”
My answer “Go buy a Tablet PC”.
And you cannot use high-price price as an excuse against getting a Tablet PC for your classwork. No … sorry … I won’t listen to it. Whatever else anyone else talks to you about … you NEED to get a Tablet PC to really get your school work in order.
Update: You need a Tablet PC over a Laptop. This only applies if you are in the market with some cash in hand in the first place. Thnx Renny!
From personal experience … everytime I am sitting in a meeting with a client and jotting notes into my Tablet PC … the first thought that comes to mind … wish I had this Tablet when I was still in school. You lucky people still in school should be happy. You getting a Tablet PC to school is like me getting a laptop in school compared to my dad using his spiral 200-page notebook back in the day. It’s evolution.
Read on for a more formal response …
Why do you need a Tablet PC as a student?
First off, read some other, more detailed articles on the web.
Like this one on TabletPCBuzz Forums titled Tablet PCs for Students. And also some of the articles on this website … StudentTabletPCs guide to Notetaking with Tablets.
Don’t go out there and look at the most expensive tablet’s on the market … these are school tools so make sure you get them with the right software also. Some of it costs more money. However, you can survive just with the basic tablet PC software for starters. Check with your school/college about student software programs to save you more money.
A Mac fan?
Sorry, you guys are out of luck for now … I know a Mac fan will remain loyal to a Mac, no matter how antiquated the current technology … there is no Apple Tablet PC on the market right now. But please do try out a Windows Tablet PC … if you keep your anti-virus and Windows software updated and use a free firewall like Zonealarm and browse using Firefox … you are mostly covered.
7 Aug 2006 at 10:33 pm
While this sounds perfect in an ideal world, not everyone can afford a $1200+ piece of gadgetry to go to school. Yes, I have seen kids with a laptop [back in the day], but you can do just as well without one. The point is, technology isn’t necessarily all that good for students. Sometimes the rote process of writing something down is worth its weight in gold when it comes to remembering it…
8 Aug 2006 at 8:46 am
I agree that technology for technology’s sake is the worst thing to do. However, my response is to the question “What kind/type of laptop do you recommend?”
A) They already have a budget set aside for a laptop/computer.
B) Tablet PC’s *will* let them write it down … as opposed to just typing things into an editor on a regular laptop.
In fact, the idea of writing things down in your own handwriting using a tablet pc is the biggest reason I recommend them. Either go the paper notebook route or the tablet pc route.
Use a laptop more for research and formal papers and entertainment. Not for note-taking.
8 Aug 2006 at 8:52 am
HaHa renny- you are getting old ;-)
6 Sep 2006 at 9:33 am
If the student can afford to go to college, then they can afford the tablet as well. Like college, the tablet is an investment. Like college, the tablet will help the student succeed. Going to class with a tablet pc gives the student a huge advantage over others that come to class with just a pen and notebook, or just a standard laptop. If you’ve ever used a tablet with note taking programs (I prefer Microsoft OneNote), then I’m sure you agree.
Interested ‘Inklings’ can check out http://www.inklings-impressions.com for more tablet related goodies.
http://www.inklings-impressions.com