Tablet PC

[aa888]

I need to buy a laptop, and was thinking of buying a tablet PC instead of a conventional laptop. As a university student, the clear advantage would be the ability to take notes, draw diagrams, and annotate lecture notes all electronically. While, this would clearly be advantageous for me, I can certainly do without it, if it's going to mean the disadvantages of a tablet PC are to numerous or significant. I don't know if the following are myth or fact, and was wondering if anyone would know:

1. The screens of tablet PCs often get damaged frequently, and have shorter life time than conventional screens.

2. The junction between the screen and the main body of the laptop is excessively weak, and breaks happen frequently.

3. You don't get a CD for the OS when you buy one, and if it gets infected with a virus, you would have to buy a CD for the OS.

Thanks in advance

 

[wolfeyes89]

The 1st one is a myth depending on the Manufacturer. Some are crappier than others and the same goes for the 2nd.
I had a teacher who treated his tablet like crap and would let all his students use it, it's been two years and still works.
The third one is only true with some custom pc vendors that give you that option. But most of the time you get a restore disk that would allow you to reinstall the OS, but again it depends on the manufacturer.
In the end the real big con with tablets is that they are slow and cant game at all. Some people wouldnt see that as a bad thing tho so there you go.

 

[sales101]

I have a Fujitsu tablet and love it. I'm in sales and always on the move banging, dropping and putting stuff on it. I have had 2 Fujitsu with no problems other than me dropping it into a puddle the size of a great lake

I did however upgrade all hardware and it cost me about 2 grand. The touch screen is the best once you get used to it.

I did not get a copy of the OS which is OEM.

 

[saltynay]

I have a tablet its a Hp tx1000 runs well although needed to upgrade the ram to 4gb as it was vista. I love it and Its really good for college work especially chemistry due to the amount of equations and drawings. Its also about the cheapest tablet you can get whilst still remaining good quality.

 

[Peter.Cort]

i use a tablet at work to do sales and its awesome. its a bit annoying to have to carry as it gets hot and heavy after 6+ hours on the floor with it. but i think it's really good and will prove invaluable to you to take notes and such. they are suprisingly durable and resistant to damage. also just make recovery disks as soon as you get the system and you'll be fine. and remember to back up all your files.

 

[aa888]

Thank you everyone for the advice.

In the end the real big con with tablets is that they are slow and cant game at all.

Well, I don't need it for gaming whatsoever. However, I will be using the internet very heavily and I'm assuming it should be perefectly fine for that.

 

[aa888]

Btw, I've always been told that moving a computer while it's running can damage it. But with a tablet, it's often used like a notebook so does it matter if you use it will holding it or if you walk with it, or does it preferably need to be on a flat stable surface?

 

[Kharn]

Moving a laptop or a tablet PC will not harm it in any way, but if you drop it you can mess it up.

 

[saltynay]

Moving a laptop or a tablet PC will not harm it in any way, but if you drop it you can mess it up.

To an extent depends on the quality of the laptop my friend bought a real cheapo one which was actually quite high spec but by a small chinese company. It was his hdd that failed everytime he went through 5 before buying a new laptop all different brand hdd's I checked he claims they always started ticking after he put down his laptop badly whilst running. I think it does have an effect on hdd wear but aslong as you buy quality (major brand) you shouldn't have a problem my acer travelmate 290 has been dropped down the stairs twice whilst running and has never needed a hardware repair.