Getting A Tablet for College...
I'm going into Engineering at U of Louisville and I'm required to purchase a tablet PC. I've decided on the MPC/Gateway E-295 which I can purchase through the University for a big discount. Click here to see it up against the competition (it's the second one).
It is the cheapest by far, has a larger screen (14" instead of 12"), and has a substantially faster processor than the others (it actually has a 2.4 Ghz processor now instead of a 2.2). The only problem with it was the weight which I don't mind. It seems like the obvious choice.
Now I've got to decide what accessories I want. Here are my options:
This will be my first laptop. I have worked with desktops a lot but I know very little about laptops so any pointers would be appreciated. :thumbsup2
It is the cheapest by far, has a larger screen (14" instead of 12"), and has a substantially faster processor than the others (it actually has a 2.4 Ghz processor now instead of a 2.2). The only problem with it was the weight which I don't mind. It seems like the obvious choice.
Now I've got to decide what accessories I want. Here are my options:
- Replace the Intel X3100 with the Radeon X2300 for $100. This could hurt battery life from what I've read and I'm not going to be gaming so I don't think this is justified.
- Fingerprint Reader for $30. I'm willing to consider it but is it really needed? Is it more secure or more convenient, or both? I don't want to spend extra money just because it's a cool toy.
- Bluetooth module for $50. I am leaning toward getting this. It is inside the tablet, correct? It seems this would come in handy for transferring files between classmates when we collaborate on projects.
- Additional Stylus Pen for $30. Do I really need one? Does the stylus get lost easily or is it connected to the tablet?
- Extra Batteries. 6 cell costs $79, 8 cell costs $90, and 12 cell costs $129. The tablet comes with an 8 cell, will the 12 cell fit comfortably? Or will it protrude from the side?
This will be my first laptop. I have worked with desktops a lot but I know very little about laptops so any pointers would be appreciated. :thumbsup2
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2) If you seriously suspect someone will be tinkering with your passwords, then you can go with the biometrics. However I think it's overkill for a home user.
3) It's a tossup as to whether or not the BT module is internal. I can't be certain on this one. But I do know that BT is very, very sluggish for transferring files. You're better off connecting to another person via ad-hoc wifi or a flash drive.
4) The stylus is not connected, so your confidence in the ability to keep track of it should make the call.
5) The 12-cell will, in all probability, protrude. But it will enhance your battery life significantly. Your call.
I have the gateway C-141XL, which has an T8300(2.4Ghz), 3 GB of ram, and a 250 gig hard drive. The C-142XL is the exact same model, I have no idea why they changed the name...
Anyway, some words of advice:
It isn't a featherweight, but it is extremely powerful and has about a 5.5 hour batter life on power save mode, which is all I ever use 95% of the time, plenty of power.
Second, the stock batter protrudes. At first I was disappointed, but now I like it. Firstly, when I have it in notebook mode and am typing it gives the keyboard a nice angle. Also, when in tablet mode it makes a really nice handhold in order to hold it in your arms standing like a notebook.
Other than that I haven't been disappointed with it. But you should know that there are much lighter tables (and notebooks) to be had. But it is a desktop replacement tablet if I've ever seen one. The 14" screen looks bigger than it is, and all that space is wonderful to have.
And on the stylus, I'm about as absent minded/forgetful as they come and I still have mine. There is a nice pen garage for it that keeps it safe between uses. And thrax, the bluetooth I really like. It is very convienent for sending files to and from my phone. And I don't find it too sluggish for what it is. I can do a 1mb file in about 15 seconds. Not quick by any means but certainly acceptable to me. Yes, the bluetooth is internal. And I honestly don't use the biometrics too often. Perhaps if the scanner was facing out when in table mode it would be more convienent, but it's just quicker for me to type it in.
If you are serious about this laptop get it from gateway (the C-142XL) and make sure to order it through the phone. I haggled with them and got it very cheap. They even threw in the 3 year accidental protection plan. So as long as it doesn't get stolen or in a fire it's covered. She said I could run it over in my jeep and they'd send me a new one.
Oh yes, trust me when I urge you to get the accidental protection plan on it. Normally I feel that these are a waste of money and a nice little racket I got it on this for two reasons. 1. I am clumsy and this thing is fragile 2. I don't trust people around me to be mindful of my stuff. It's nice to know that it is covered until the spring semester of my senior year in college.
Wow, I didn't realize you could get the same thing through Gateway for cheaper. I should have checked that out.
Now that I look at the specs, the one you linked to is $150 cheaper, has the upgraded video card (Radeon X2300), has one more gig of RAM, has bluetooth included, has the fingerprint reader included, and a much larger hard disk (250 Gb compared to 120 Gb).
Wow. The only deal is that if I order through the University, I get on campus tech support. If I do this I don't. I could spend $160 for a 3 year warranty from Gateway... However, if something were to happen to the laptop it would be for it to be stolen so I don't see how that would help much.
I'm going to check out Dell and some other places now. I should have done that before...
Onenote is amazing. It allows me to actually draw the notes. It's kind of hard to draw in a supply curve on the fly in word without a tablet. I really don't think I would ever take a plain laptop to class, just wouldn't be as useful. My tablet allows me to go nearly paperless minus handing stuff in. But just about all of my homework is online in pdf format, so it allows me to have all my homework right there and I don't have to worry about losing a half finished assignment. And I can always print another.
If you do get the laptop, don't even mess with adobe; get Bluebeam PDF Revu. It is amazing for annotating PDF work. And you can get it for around $30 from the academic superstore if I remember correctly. Certainly a deal considering the fact it normally costs several hundred dollars.
P.S. Dell's laptop is overpriced and subpar to the gateway. HP is supposed to have a decent tablet out now but I'm still partial to the gateway. Mainly because last I checked hp's digitizer was passive and the build quality was toy like.
I was mistaken. I don't get a warranty from the campus tech store but I do get tech support.
Yeah, I checked out their tablet (they only have one from the looks of it...). It's expensive and not nearly as powerful. It is lighter and sleaker but I don't mind carrying around a heavier tablet if it packs a punch.
I'm pretty set on getting it now. I'll probably order in a few days. Thanks for the tip.
By the way, did you get a backup stylus? I looked at the backup stylus available from Gateway (is that the only compatible stylus for this laptop?) and it didn't get high reviews. Most of the reviewers said that the styluses are prone to failure.