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G'day all,
I am a high school senior about to go off to college next year and am looking for a new laptop for college. I currently have a 13 inch Macbook that is 4+ years old but still runs, despite some battery issues. Now, I am trying to decide what to do for college: either a) get a new laptop or b) get a tablet.
I have just got my first smart phone (Samsung Fascinate) and love it and I think I would like another android device. So my question is this:
Could I go through college with an Old MacBook, always plugged into the wall and a tablet or do I need a new laptop?
And if I can do the first option why is the Xoom better than an Ipad 2? I was the Xoom badly but I am wary of the App Selection in terms of word processors and such to use as note taking programs in lectures, where to write my papers, etc. My main quell with the iPad is not being to access my file storage system as I can with the Xoom so that i can choose how I save things, but as I said the app support there, seems much more uniform.
So I guess I am also asking what are some good word processors to go along with the Xoom if I do go that route?
cking122 said:
G'day all,
I am a high school senior about to go off to college next year and am looking for a new laptop for college. I currently have a 13 inch Macbook that is 4+ years old but still runs, despite some battery issues. Now, I am trying to decide what to do for college: either a) get a new laptop or b) get a tablet.
I have just got my first smart phone (Samsung Fascinate) and love it and I think I would like another android device. So my question is this:
Could I go through college with an Old MacBook, always plugged into the wall and a tablet or do I need a new laptop?
And if I can do the first option why is the Xoom better than an Ipad 2? I was the Xoom badly but I am wary of the App Selection in terms of word processors and such to use as note taking programs in lectures, where to write my papers, etc. My main quell with the iPad is not being to access my file storage system as I can with the Xoom so that i can choose how I save things, but as I said the app support there, seems much more uniform.
So I guess I am also asking what are some good word processors to go along with the Xoom if I do go that route?
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Click to collapse
There's a thread here which may help.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1058409
I love the Xoom, especially once you get into tinkering with it.
I own a xoom and i totally love it, but i would wait a few more days for the transformer if i were you ,because the transformer has the same specs, more ports, has a laptop dock that can transform the tablet to a laptop while giving u 8 more hrs of battery life and its a lot cheaper than the xoom(if u can get a hold of one). Hope u can find ur tablet soon. Cheers!
There are a few very good apps as far as word processors. The best, IMO, is QuickOffice. There are also quite a few apps that record handwriting, which work well with a stylus. I don't have a stylus but I have tried a few of them just for fun, and choosing the best depends on your personal use. Some will take your writing and shrink it all to fit in lines on a sheet of paper, and others will just keep your writings as a picture, depends on your preferences.
Honestly, still a hard call on whether you will be fine with a laptop always plugged in and a tablet. I think it can be done, there just may be some minor inconveniences. Personally, I would go with the tablet and old laptop.
Think I have to agree:
Old Macbook + New Tablet.
Four years on a Macbook is hardly anything. Just bought my Son one (3 years old) on Ebay and was shocked at how well they hold their value. Get the battery replaced in the Macbook and buy a tablet. You're good to go.
Zoom >>> than iPad2 for many reasons but that is another discussion: Main reasons for me: Open Source nature and FLASH Support.
The app's you are interested in (Word Processing, ETC) are abundant in the Android Market. Some great examples have already been listed.
xoom is a great choice and should get updated soon and possibly even dropped in price to compete with the Asus transformer. Honestly, if I was in school I would consider the HTC flyer since it will have some great note taking and recording abilities. You can also go the route with a netbook, will be more powerful than a tablet and would be fairly mobile as well as pretty much replace your desktop/laptop for academic purposes, they are usually pretty cheap. Lastly, most college campuses have computers to use as well with your school ID. That could save you some money if on a tight budget.
My Dad is a editor and is thinking about picking up a tablet. I have a few questions, hopefully someone may be able to help me.
1. Could you draw/make changes to a word document? The same as using a pen to edit a paper - you get the idea.
2. Would you be able to save that document and all the changes made?
Any information would be extremely helpful.
As an editor, I can say "yes" you can do all those things.
Also as an editor I can say definitively that you don't want to. It's slow, buggy, and the software is expensive and doesn't do half the things you're used to in the full versions. I tried doing work on my xoom (with a mouse, keyboard, and dock) for about an hour before I realized that it's just not there yet; the tech is too new. Get a laptop for work. Touch interface is great for navigating an OS, fun for games, OK for web browsing, but it sucks for any type of word processing or real productivity.
I say this even though I really like my xoom, but I'd never use it for productivity. The tech is still too young to be optimized the way that windows7 or a mac are. At some point there will be a 15.6" touchscreen windows7 laptop with a removable screen (like the transformer). If your dad really needs a machine for productivity but wants a tablet, this is what he'll want (it's what I want!)
Thanks for all the information. I'll be sure to let him know everything you've said.
Laptops aren't an issue, we have plenty of those lying around here. My parent's have been traveling a decent bit lately, going out of town for a week or so at a time every few weeks and he had been complaining about having to carry around large manuscripts all the time.
I figured the technology may be too new, but it really could have been great for mobility and potential money savings with not paying for paper, toner, and shipping.
That laptop sounds pretty sweet. Is it just in a conceptual phase and several years from production? I'll definitely pass on this information too.
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Dude, keep it.
It's perfect to write (i think this way).
I use it here in school, and i love it.
Very fast, stable and beauty.
I recommend you stay with him, is an easy and mobile way to store your classes.
(Sorry my bad english, i'm from Brazil)
eyriiii said:
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends.
I don't write digitally and I usually don't bring my laptop.
I do use my Xoom for slide show annotations, PDF annotations, etc while following my courses.
If you don't plan on using it at university, you'd better keep it anyway, since it's still a great device for gaming purposes, etc.
Of course all of this is subjective.
Hope my opinion helps
eyriiii said:
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i personally would keep it - i find my xoom very useful and run basically run my business from it - laptop is just gathering dust
eyriiii said:
Hey guys. I have a question that is on my mind. I will hopefully start university in approximately 2 months or so. I bought my Xoom kinda cheap (246€ with lots of accessories, case, dock, OTG cable etc) and I was wondering if it could be useful for my studies or should I buy a netbook or a laptop? At the moment I am using it only for surfing, checking e-mails, youtube, and some gaming. I haven't checked for some useful apps that can be used for school but I saw some (Quickoffice, Evernote) when checking the market quick. So what are your thoughts, should I sell it and get a laptop or keep it? I will probably start law school and there will be a lot of writing, I suppose
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Quick Office (or Office Suite Pro which I like even better), Cloud Print, Evernote, various meeting/class recording apps (I think one even transcribes for you), really, just about everything that you may need for school can be done on the Xoom. You can use wifi, (mobile data if you have the data enable model), and even ethernet connectivity. If you don't want to type on the Xoom screen, get a wireless keyboard and mouse.
I don't want to be the odd duck out in terms of opinion, but I think it depends on how much you have and are willing to spend.
For something like studies, the xoom makes a great companion for taking quick notes, and entertaining yourself. However, in my opinion, for school/work related stuff, it doesn't quite replace a computer (-yet).
If you want to get some serious work done, you should probably get a netbook or small laptop. Office suites on mobile devices haven't worked as well as Microsoft Office or OpenOffice at least in my opinion.
I personally use both my laptop and my xoom. I take my xoom everywhere I go because it is much more compact than most other computers, and it can handle much more than the basics. However, when I need to get some real work done (long hours of papers and presentations), I would much rather type on my computer than my tablet.
Now, if you had the money to keep both, I would definitely say, keep both.
Just my humble opinion...
If you've already got it, keep it.
I've been looking for something to replace my Xoom with but theres nothing out there that gives me enough new stuff to warrant spending money, same with my DHD...
I'll be keeping my Xoom until the Win8 Tablets come out..
I have a pc, a laptop, a nook tablet, and a Xoom.
I am an engineering student. I took with me to school a single paper notebook and my Xoom/nook. I also have the motorola bluetooth keyboard.
I think I used about a quarter of that notebook for notes; the rest were done on my xoom. Also, being able to watch movies, play games, browse all very comfortable in a lounge chair in the library in between classes without the battery dying was pretty great. I plan to continue this in the upcoming semester.
Keep it. I have had others and has by far been the best.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA
I have been wrestling with the issue of usefulness in a college situation, note taking, researching etc. It is quite a large investment and I wanted to make the right choice.
Two Questions:
1. Do you love your tablet?
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
I'm sure this thread has been made before, but the search function for the xda app is horrific.
Thanks!
1. Do you love your tablet?
Yes, no homo.
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
Depends on what you want. I don't have a laptop so I don't have a choice. If you want something powerful to run workstation type programs, then you need a laptop. If you only want to watch movies or edit documents, a tablet would be a good idea.
1. Do you love your tablet?
Yep! first tablet (had the prime, but its the same thing basically!) and so far its working really well...may not be as fluid as ipad (my other choice) but nevertheless very versatile and gets the job done (of taking notes)
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
It can replace a laptop depending on what your using for....i had a laptop for taking notes in skool but i upgrade to my custom build desktop and got the transformer instead. Did it replace the laptop for me? yep, easy to take notes with and is half the size and weight. not to mention you can play angry birds when your bored in class. But is it better than a laptop? Maybe not in terms of multi-tasking. but its still kick a** for a portable device that last up to 10 hours in battery life.
bottom line is if the transformer suits your needs. For me, it def did.
As to "love", that is purely subjective. I do enjoy it if that helps.
As to which is better for your situation, that is going to depend purely on your needs. Not a knock on the Infinity, but if you get the dock station keyboard, that make the cost $650 to $750US. You can get a pretty decent laptop, non-apple. Although, there are plenty of apps that can handle most things people want to do, tablets, at this point, are just not as robust as a laptop with say, Windows 7.
If you're just taking notes in class, writing papers, surfing the web, maybe some research on the net, probably be fine. If you're a computer science major and need to do code, not likely.
I've owned laptops for about ten years. Have used them in the class room setting. Been using PCs for a little under twenty years. I graduated college a little thirteen years ago. I've only been using Android for about a year and half on a Evo 4G--email, IM, media, writing notes using Dos2Go, using spreed sheets in Docs2Go, games, rooted, and so forth. Only got the Infinity a few days ago myself. Despite not being well versed on the Infinity, I think I may have an decent idea.
On top of that, make sure the school doesn't have some kind of requirements in regards to the PC you may be able to use. Some may have requires because of how homework is turned in or exams are done.
The infinity (or any of the Transformer models) is great for taking notes because of the keyboard dock. The device is super thin, super light, has a keyboard dock, long battery life, completely silent and pretty damn powerful! I use my Infinity for all note-taking at work. I use an app called "Classic Notes + App Box" - it does everything! You can type in your notes, attach sketches, attach pictures, etc. You can even do stuff like look up zip codes, convert measurements, etc. Really powerful app.
And the really nice part is that it's 100% searchable! If I need to look something up in my notes, I just search for whatever I'm looking for and shows me all of the matches almost instantly. It has tons of other features and the author provides the best support that I've ever seen. Want a new feature? Let him know and if it makes sense, it will be there shortly!
Highly recommended..
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
upstandingcitizen said:
I have been wrestling with the issue of usefulness in a college situation, note taking, researching etc. It is quite a large investment and I wanted to make the right choice.
Two Questions:
1. Do you love your tablet?
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
I'm sure this thread has been made before, but the search function for the xda app is horrific.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes I like it a lot.
2. It depends. When I'm at home I use mostly my PC or the Infinity depending on what I want to do. When I'm travelling <3 weeks I take the Infinity with me because it's light and has a good battery life.
However if I would've to travel for a longer time (+3 weeks) . I would definitely take my laptop with me but I haven't done that for over a year now so my laptop is now collecting dust which is a shame because it was quite expensive.
So I would say if you have a PC get the Infinity if not buy a good laptop.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
1.) I rely heavily on Jorte calendar to keep me headed in a straight line. I've given up on my companies outlook calendar and simply transfer meetings over to google calendar (Jorte pulls in google calendar) at work. This along makes me depend on this tablet. I don't "love" this tablet, as any similiar device would do, but I would be at a big loss with out it. I keep HDMI cables in my bag so I can watch movies on my hotel TV while traveling and when the kids are with me on the road they can watch Cars or other toons while I take care of other things.
2.) No it absolutely does not replace my laptop. Never could. But I would never expect it to. Everyones different, so if you do alot of reading on your laptop and basic web surfing it may work fine for you. Even the occasional paper being written would be ok. But for me I rarely sit down and type anything other then email and forums that is less then 5+ pages. Windows is my "get stuff done" OS. Android is more of my assistant, entertainment, makes life easier OS.
i love my tablets and have more tablets than either desktops or laptops (but not combined, lol).
tablets are better at certain things than a laptop. you can get better battery life without spending over a grand on an ultrabook. plus the portability, instant on, touch interface (i can't stand track pads, but somehow the transformer trackpad seems to work well). For portable entertainment, it's hard to beat.
that the only laptop that the tablets have replaced was my "netbook." actually an acer 12" timeline. it was far better spec-wise, but not as portable.
upstandingcitizen said:
1. Do you love your tablet?
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So far I really like my tablet. This is kind of a nonsense question...of course we love our tablets.
upstandingcitizen said:
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simply? No. Of course not. But it can be better in some situations like note taking, as you suggested. I'm personally planning on using this thing for note taking and simple tasks, but more powerful tasks will be done on my laptop. My suggestion is to have a laptop or desktop around to do more power-hungry tasks, but for most simple cases it should work just fine.
upstandingcitizen said:
It is quite a large investment and I wanted to make the right choice.
Two Questions:
1. Do you love your tablet?
2. Is it better than or does it replace a laptop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
________________________________________________
1. Ummm...I like my tablet
2. In no way does it replace a notebook
$500.00 can buy a pretty decent notebook.
My last notebook has the AMD Vision quad core APU with 16 GB of RAM.
It handles Photoslop CS5, MAYA and PoserPro 2012 like a champ.
When Android tablets are able to run desktop graphics 3D rendering stuff like these they will no longer be toys for the gadgeteer!
1) Yes
2) As others have said, its highly dependent on both what your needs are and how much you're willing to tinker with things to get it doing what you want. Simple web browsing and lightweight document editing? Sure. Photo editing or software development? Maybe. Anything more than that? Probably not.
Chief Geek said:
1.) I rely heavily on Jorte calendar to keep me headed in a straight line. I've given up on my companies outlook calendar and simply transfer meetings over to google calendar (Jorte pulls in google calendar) at work. This along makes me depend on this tablet. I don't "love" this tablet, as any similiar device would do, but I would be at a big loss with out it. I keep HDMI cables in my bag so I can watch movies on my hotel TV while traveling and when the kids are with me on the road they can watch Cars or other toons while I take care of other things.
2.) No it absolutely does not replace my laptop. Never could. But I would never expect it to. Everyones different, so if you do alot of reading on your laptop and basic web surfing it may work fine for you. Even the occasional paper being written would be ok. But for me I rarely sit down and type anything other then email and forums that is less then 5+ pages. Windows is my "get stuff done" OS. Android is more of my assistant, entertainment, makes life easier OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This ^^ pretty much sums up my usage, except I use Touch Calendar and Work Calendar (hospital shifts). The 700 is a great appeaser as far a small kids (I have a 4- and a 2-year-old) go.
1. Yes i love my tablet
2. Yes and no it will all depend on the person and your personal usage. I find no need whatsoever to have a big and bulky laptop when i can have my Tab with me when i need to be mobile. When I need a lil more power I use my gaming rig back in my dorm
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
I was planning to replace my laptop; but the inability to connect to monitor over DVI puts a crimp in my plans. All my monitors are DVI only, and the TF700 won't work with any of them using the DVI/HDMI adapter. It's a pain to code on the 10" screen.
I got this thing 2 days now and I love it. It is a replacement for my old laptop wich I used to edit text and stuff like that. surf a little. And watching movies with that old thing was a no go anyway. Now with this I can even use AirPlay to play stuff on my TV or something else. I love it
So to 1 a defenite YES.
And to 2, for me it is a yes. But I use my desktop for the heavy stuff. like gaming and all that crap.
And to have a touchscreen and a keyboard, I never did stuff this fast and nice. I love it. And the batterylife on this is 4 times longer then my old lappy.
1. This is my first tablet and so far I really like it. It is very light which makes it easy to bring to class and you are able to do most of your class work with it.
2. Currently, I do not think it will replace a laptop. There are numerous reasons as to why and I am sure people before me have mentioned it. But if you have a tablet and laptop, you could look into RDP (Remote desktop) to access your desktop through your tablet. There are a bit of issues with it, but it gets the job done (depending on what you do)
All in all, 500 dollars is a big investment and not to mention that you will probably buy accessories too. I would really determine what you will be doing at school and in your leisure time. After, weigh each pro and con for each device and go from there. I hope this helps
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
So, feel free to flame, but I was writing something in another thread about tablets and the following came to mind:
Are tablets worth what we pay for them? Or are they just a marketing 're-deploy'? Allow me to expound:
Literally just before tablets careened onto the current computer scene(I know windows failed to promote tablets years back), there existed Netbooks. What it seems to me is that Netbooks are what the Industry thought we would want, A very portable yet still completely functional computer. As if even the small laptops weren't small enough...anyway. What I think happened is these things weren't cool enough. Maybe not powerful enough either, but that point should be moot because modern hardware can support this, as proven by current tablets.
I bought a Netbook and loved it, BUT I don't do a lot of gaming, just some simple web browsing, skyping, some skript kiddie type hacking. Plus for me the ultra small design was essential due to the nature of my work/constant traveling blah blah. This thing played movies, had the latest support of my favorite *nixes and performed pretty well except for battery life(typically a measly 3-4 hours) and of course gaming. Then came tablets; they look cooler, offer touch screen capabilities which sometimes feel as cumbersome as alt-tabbing, and have much much better battery and gaming performance, with the added benefit of blending nicely with the current "app store eco-structure".
Ahh, finally my point!!!:
A trend I see rising with tablets is the ability to add a keyboard and mouse....really? So what, then you have a laptop again? Or just the ability to go from cool-tech-but-not-too-nerdy tablet guy, to an fully functional device, and back again? I don't get it, other than the obvious shift to more clever marketing and selling us yet another device. On top of that I can use a USB 2.0 anything on my netbook, or be stuck with a proprietary connecter as with the Transform or iPad. Why would we choose this other than to look cool or because it's being shoved down our throats? What I see is a device (tablet) that is less fuctional, less productive, and more money compared to the more practical, just as portable netbook. I just miss the support of my Netbook, which I only paid $200 for....
Any thoughts...like maybe I'm a crazy hippy that needs to go live in a commune?
my points why my a500 is better use then a netbook,.
portability - no one can say its not easier to carry a slim tablet with a integrated keyboard
functionality - being able to do such things as stand in the street looking through the tab with the camera and seeing augmented reality deal, offer, new location without having to open startup, login and hold a massive block of hardware to do the same, and also a whole plethora of other uses such as barcode scanning, video making ,etc etc imaging scanning barcodes to find cheaper prices with a netbook,,,.,..one handed possible? probably not
battery life, my tablet can go 2days on a single charge with medium usage, a netbook would last a few hours,
i can do pretty much anything on my a500 i can do on my laptop.
i can access and use my laptop with screen and sound from anywhere else in the world.....from my a500 tablet (phonemypc)
also most usb devices connect to my a500 i think the only thing my lappy has that my tablet doesnt is a dvd drive, but the one in my lappy is dusty as hell as i download all my movies and move them between devices to play in diff' areas anyway. and then again my laptop has no gps. and only a front camera
if my laptop im writting this message with was a tablet it would probably be a crap one lol
no gps,no touchscreen, no back camera, front camera is weak no accelerometer no hdmi port lol etc etc
Major edit:
I see your point and don't want to convolute my thoughts too much. I just think a lot of the things you mentioned could be implemented, if the money was there.
You have pointed out that I have kind of answered my own questions...
Why tablets, because the phone market was so successfull and it allows for a lot of control on the developers end of the OS, so it's easier to implement the apps, market place as apposed to a traditional PC software sales setup.
r0zj0k3r said:
I think that depends on what you want to do. with my netbook, I literally could do everything I could on my computer because they were the same OS!!! That means, compiling software, video/audio editing, skype with group video , a similar app store could be integrated into a netbook style os (see ubuntu store). The industry just doesn't want to push it, and because it was easier to shift from phones to what amount to "really big phones"
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Click to collapse
Do you think that the new windows OS will allow you to switch between a Tablet and your Netbook without loose of functionality?
warus1 said:
Do you think that the new windows OS will allow you to switch between a Tablet and your Netbook without loose of functionality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it would be a great way for windows to break away from the pack, but I don't think they want to do that now. They seem to be in the same mode as everyone else, lets follow the market instead of trying really new things.