Quote:
Originally Posted by mike_302
Talk to me about laptops with touch screen. Lasting? Durability? Screen protector? How about the rotating monitor and the very small link it has between the screen and the actual machine.
Im interested in one of those for next year since Im going into engineering, and getting a laptop to TYPE physics notes and diagrams, and same with math, seems a bit pointless.
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Ah... yes... another "emerging" market. Well so far "tablets" or laptops with touch screens have been fairly ignored since some of the first generation models weren't that great and the technology was not as mature. However, after the exploding success of the iPhone and various touch technologies (Microsoft Surface & more accurate touch screens), it has slowly been more accepted by the general consumer market.
Most consumers are familiar with the HP line of tablets. I have used the first generation one quite extensively myself and have come to the conclusion... it's a gimmick. Unless you are an artist who needs the dexterity only a pen and paper feel can provide or are obsessed with writing and need the bridge between the analog writing and digital world. I'd pass on them. But it seems if you are in engineering, I guess drawing diagrams might make the tablet useful.
Keep in mind this is based of the one tablet that I've tried (My friend's HP tx1000) as well as a bit of hands on time with the Lenovo X200 Tablet and a Fujutsu model my company has.
Firstly, they are generally more expensive than plain laptops. For the same price, you can purchase a better spec'ed machine (usually 12.1") for the price. You are simply paying for the gimmick.
Second, most menus (even the tablet edition of Windows) are simply not stylus or finger friendly enough to use daily.
Third, the hinge mechanism on many tablets are actually quite fragile and a constant reason for repairs from the tablet's that I've seen. Although the one on my friend's HP was actualy quite strong. Newer generation tablets from HP and the Lenovo seems to have remedied this problem. But if you are purchasing one, definitely pay attention to the build quality of the hinge as it will be under alot of stress and is usually the breaking point of most tablet, so make sure yours is strong.
Now regarding the screen, most are resistive, meaning they are made up of two layers and when the first layer that your finger or stylus push "inward" and touch the second layer, an electrical signal is received and sense your position. These are more "precise" and allow the use of pointing devices other than your finger.
Some newer ones use capacitive touch screens like the iPhone and instead use a field of electrodes and are able to sense your finger that way. However, you must use your finger or a conductive type pointing device. The advantage of capacitive touch screens are multitouch and usually feel a bit faster.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages but newer tablets are mostly capacitive using technology developed by Wacom (a noted electronic tablet accessory maker).
The touchscreens on most newer tablets are just as good as non-tablets and hold up pretty well. Most are re-enforced in the back are will not require a screen protector. A screen protector might even hinder the sensitivity of your touchscreen so I would not recommend one for a tablet.
In terms of accuracy, the TX1000 sucked... calibration was mediocre and the accuracy horrible at times.
Overall, it would seem they are not worth it, to me at least. However, if your needs really do require one, the ones nowadays are much better than the one I tried. I'd personally recommend you try one out in person to get a feel of the touch interface. You can also buy an accessory called the Brando SISO Tablo which converts ordinary laptops to a tablet. You can video of it here:
http://www.gadgetreview.com/2009/04/...ter-video.html
You get the same type of tablet feel but only without the swiveling screen. If you really like it, than you can buy a really tablet laptop.
Also, there is an interesting new competitor to the tablet scene, the Asus T91. Essentially a netbook in a tablet body yet still at a netbook price, it should serve as a cheaper option if you do not want to spend $1200 on a piece of technology you may or may not like. It should be coming out soon for around $500 USD. Here's a link to it.
http://gizmodo.com/5310791/asus-t91-...stores-for-500
A netbook is basically a gimped out laptop with slower specs and mainly designed for less intensive tasks like net surfing. They usually have smaller screens (12" or less) and have a slower processor (usually the Intel Atom). Most have very similar specs (Intel Atom 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, WLAN, etc).
I was sure I was going to get one for engineering, but ... now I just dont know.
