Richard Tracy Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 According to technology analysts, the tablet pc is supposed to be riding the crest of next huge wave of personal computing. I don't think so, though I own one, my need was prompted by design needs and a preference of writing by hand over keyboard. Has anyone else invested in one ? I have a fujitsu T 4000 series... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysql Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 I doubt it. First off, they use the fact that it's a "special" laptop to charge more. Secondly, laptop technology is gaining by leap and bounds. Look at our current laptop choices - you can get a tiny laptop (I have an averatec 4155 13.1" laptop with 2 gigs of ram, 2.2ghz MT-40 64bit cpu running ubuntu) that's around 4.5 lbs and costs under $1000. You can also get 19" laptops, dual core cpus, 256meg or more of dedicated video ram. You can even get your system running on raid disks! The tablet pc tends to be nothing more than an oversized pda. You get much poorer batt life than the pda, all the hassles of carrying around a notebook computer and what ends up being the point? Touch screen display for windows XP? Microsoft's origami is going to get a lot of hype - if they can drop the price to the $400 range, a mini pc might not be so bad - it'll be a great carputer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsph Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 well, i think what will happen in the long run is not that tablet pcs take over from regular notebooks, but that they fit certain niches and neither die out nor quickly revolutionize how we use computers or do data entry. i have two or three friends and colleagues who have them, and i find it absolutely amazing how well the pressure-sensitive versions work (the ones with wacom technology -- not all have this); i could see getting back into my childish artistic endeavours on these. i could also see a certain joy in "writing", given that the pressure sensitive pens actually do a decent job of replicating what it's like to write with a flexible nib. that said, i type as fast as the devil (dvorak!), and there will never be a time that i would trade that for hand-writing on a computer and subsequent ocr. similarly, the tablet form-factor seems great for certain on-the-arm computing, but the on-the-lap setup, typing away, really can't be beat for a lot of computing i have to do. for instance, programming, but even a lot of graphics stuff that, as nice as pens/wands are, still seem very natural to do with mouse and keyboard. just my 2 cents, i guess. (by the way, completely off topic, but... richard tracy -- were you dicktracy at the old rwg? reason i ask is once i came across a comment by klink as to how one can tighten a non-ratchening, bi-directional submariner bezel (eg, 5517), referring to instructions from dicktracy. anyway, if that's you, i'd be grateful for a link or comments or whatever. i haven't bought one of these yet, but someday a 5513 or 5517 may be in my future and this would be good to know.) hey, i typed all that in 12 seconds -- just kidding! jsph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Used them a few times for presentations... fun to play with but I prefer my powerbook every time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtofa Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 @jsph (by the way, completely off topic, but... richard tracy -- were you dicktracy at the old rwg? reason i ask is once i came across a comment by klink as to how one can tighten a non-ratchening, bi-directional submariner bezel (eg, 5517), referring to instructions from dicktracy. anyway, if that's you, i'd be grateful for a link or comments or whatever. i haven't bought one of these yet, but someday a 5513 or 5517 may be in my future and this would be good to know.) You might want to PM him in case he's not reading - he is (was) indeed [censored] Tracy - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slay Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 i was going to buy one once, but they were WAY to expensive back then... a 1000Mhz P3 with 256 RAM was like 3500-4000$ and the one i ended up with (regular laptop) has a 1.5Ghz Centrino, 9700pro gfx, 512 ram and so on and was only 1200$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 I just picked up a new Fujitsu T4020; fantastic. And I'm about as heavy a notebook user as you're going to get. For me it is a question of workflow. I travel frequently, use my notebook frequently, but also prefer to take notes using a physical pad of paper. This is really annoying when I have to (on a semi-regular basis) go through my notes and distil the useful points and information from the crap and doodles. I get an average of 70 phone calls a day and over 300 emails, so I don't have a lot of time for that kind of work (you'd think I'd spend less time on this forum, but right now I'm ignoring someone on conference call while I type this). I used to give my notes to my assistant, but she could never decipher my terrible, hurried printing, and it took me longer to translate the stuff here and there than if I just did it myself. For me, the tablet PC is a no-brainer. And the power is now competitive. I use OneNote in meetings, Photoshop for creative, and DVRack on set to digitize footage straight from camera to the laptop. My LifeBook has a 2.2GHz Pentium M, 2GB fast 533MHz DDR RAM, a dual-layer DVD re-writable, 80GB drive, a/b/g/bluetooth, firewire and USB; more than enough to tackle whatever I need to. I have a docking station at home and at work, both connected to Dell 2405fpw lcds (which the advanced graphics version of the T4020 can drive). As far as touch-technology goes, I'm afraid that it simply is the way of the future. There is currently a company (no, I cannot say which) that is going to market with a new technology which can touch-enable any lcd (either full-sized or PDA-sized), or plasma in-factory for an overall cost to the manufacturer of 35 cents... The technology uses ambient light and shadow, and can judge the distance an object is to the display. So, if you move your thumb towards your Treo, for example, while trying to dial a number using the touch-screen, the number you were aiming at would increase in size as the others became smaller. It's really quite amazing. Whether or not the tablet swivel-screen form factor is a long-term hit is hard to say, but make no doubt about it, touch-technology is here to stay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Ahead of the curve? I'm already ahead of the curve, I have a Mac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Does it have an Intel chip in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Does it have an Intel chip in it? No, just 2 G5s in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Well, at least it's not Intel... You should try two Opteron 875s; now THAT is power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Tracy Posted March 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Ethan we have the same T4020, though I opted for a lesser version without bluetooth. The screen on this thing is a joy to design on, perfect ! And jsph,.. sorry, but I there are some wires crossed there.. I had a Military sub, but never did any work on it,.. or even know how.. Sorry. For those that don't think tablet pcs are the latest greatest... I agree however I also agree with Ethan that touch screens will become the norm as pcs get smaller, more portable and keyboards give way to voice and pens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsph Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 (thanks for clearing that up, about klinks comment on bezel work.) i agree about touch screens in general, and certain applications for pen-based entry -- for example, we can't forget about how palmpilots took the world by storm and now, suddenly, there's a huge sector of hand-held computing... but, at the same time, different applications and settings keep any one mode of computer interface from becoming totally dominant. for instance, blackberry-style mini-keyboard entry seems to be taking over palmpilot's graffiti style entry, just because, after a lot of practice, it's a lot faster for text entry; voice commands have been around (and not bad quality) since mid 90s, but lots of settings make that awkward (eg, public places; but also, wanting 100% accuracy in certain types of data/text entry). so, you're right, i think, in that, these technologies will become both cheaper and of much better quality, and they will be seen more in a variety of devices, but i think it will continue to be a very mixed bag, with no form factor or data entry/display technology dominating for quite some time. anyway, we'll see! i for one would definitely like a wacom/touch-sensitive tablet -- or maybe even one of the cintiq (sp?) display/pads, connected to a normal computer -- just for the very nice and direct pressure-sensitive-pen-to-display interface. one of these days, when i've got enough watches and put some money to such things, i guess...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysql Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Ahead of the curve? I'm already ahead of the curve, I have a Mac. Actually you're 22 years behind the curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysql Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Well, at least it's not Intel... You should try two Opteron 875s; now THAT is power. I've got a quad opteron 850 workstation with 16 gigs of ram with a 4 tb fiber array. It's likely the lowest end system on the floor (It ran aound $26,000, not including disks). The rest are multi million dollar sun systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Ethan we have the same T4020, though I opted for a lesser version without bluetooth. The screen on this thing is a joy to design on, perfect ! That's funny Richard! You and I seem to be crossing paths on a regular basis these days... Did you try the HP or Lenovo tablets? I evaluated both, and there was just no comparison to the Fujitsu with it's Wacom screen. Plus, on a qualitative note, it just 'feels' better. For me it came down to the T4020, and the Sony VGN TX670P. In the end, my workflow just favoured the tablet. Like rongoms, I often sketch and take my notes on paper (my first degree was an undergrad in Lit). Ultimately, I don't think that touch-screen will replace keyboard in the immediate future, but I do think that both will become available in the same form-factor. After all, you still have the choice to copy using CTRL+C or the right-click menu. Most power users don't use the right-click menu at all, but it's still there because different people like to work differently. Same goes for the tablet technology; write if you want, type if you want - it's all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Actually you're 22 years behind the curve. I've got to show my guys that tomorrow. Too funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antrax Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Well, for me Tablet PC have been the aswer for all my needs. I have always been searching for a small computer with touch screen and some kind of handwriting recognition. I first started with a Handheld PC and I have been upgrading it until I ended up with my second Tablet PC, a Fujitsu P1510. It's very small and light and with more tan 7 hours with extended battery. It have all the power I need and even have a keyboard, not that I use it that much, but it's there in ase that I need it. Maybe Tablet PC will desapear in the near future, but some kind of tablet computer will replace it. Diego Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Actually you're 22 years behind the curve. Only 22? If you're counting the 70s UNIX inside, it's more than 30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Tracy Posted March 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 That's funny Richard! You and I seem to be crossing paths on a regular basis these days... Did you try the HP or Lenovo tablets? I evaluated both, and there was just no comparison to the Fujitsu with it's Wacom screen. Plus, on a qualitative note, it just 'feels' better. For me it came down to the T4020, and the Sony VGN TX670P. In the end, my workflow just favoured the tablet. Like rongoms, I often sketch and take my notes on paper (my first degree was an undergrad in Lit). Ultimately, I don't think that touch-screen will replace keyboard in the immediate future, but I do think that both will become available in the same form-factor. After all, you still have the choice to copy using CTRL+C or the right-click menu. Most power users don't use the right-click menu at all, but it's still there because different people like to work differently. Same goes for the tablet technology; write if you want, type if you want - it's all good. I browsed every model I could find, and you are right, it's the wacom that did it for me as well. Though I did consider systems with the detachable screens as at times this thing can get a bit heavy with the optical drive in place, plus that left corner vent gets pretty hot. Just ordered this true Lap stand that I hope will help. http://www.powerbookcentral.com/columns/hi...vitz/ilap.shtml Also I have experienced a few blank screens and crashes... but I'm used to that. Am very satistifed however, this thing has replaced my desktop totally, though I do miss the gaming ability, Halflife 2 is max it can handle. But then again consoles are the way to go for games, XBox 360 is next ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.