Tablet Pc recommendations

Liloldme

Techeee people my days with my beloved mac book are coming to an end and I want a tablet pc, with a digitizer pen preferably, any advice?

I will use it everyday in the classroom, I'm a math teacher, I want to be able face my class and project what I write or graph on screen etc

looking_around

if you're looking for a tablet. you might want to ask here boards-tablet. Many of them now have easy connecting keyboards..but they're still not laptops ..

shruikan2553

From my limited use the samsung galaxy note tablet is good for writing. I regret not buying it for taking notes because I didnt know if you had to use the stylus all the time

Liloldme

I love the galaxy note but no I definitely don't want just a tablet I need to be able run programs like geogebra, Microsoft office, all your general laptop needs so need a CPU, it's important I can run a VGA cable in order to use with the data projector! I looked before at the Samsung Ativ Smart Pc Pro but Curry's stopped retailing them and not sure is there better out there.

looking_around

What are you after exactly?

Do you need a touch screen?

Most tablets have hdmi, which you can get and adapter to convert to VGA quite cheaply.
You can get office on tablets now, if you want microsoft office, there's windows 8 tablets.

Or are you after a netbook(mini laptops)?
What screen size are you after?
Budget?

Liloldme

Yes I want touch screen I want to be able write on it with a good stylus with the handwriting recognition and shape/formula recognition. I know a galaxy note does this but because it can't run programs it doesn't meet all my needs.

Overheal

Liloldme wrote: »

Techeee people my days with my beloved mac book are coming to an end and I want a tablet pc, with a digitizer pen preferably, any advice?

I will use it everyday in the classroom, I'm a math teacher, I want to be able face my class and project what I write or graph on screen etc

The Microsoft Surface Pro is among the very small handful of devices that meet the criteria of PC, Tablet, and Digitizer. It's also the most common, even if it is by itself quite rare. Other examples are pretty much all Samsung models. The Note android tablets don't really fit the bill. You can though probably hook it up to an HDMI enabled projector but the Note is not the ideal solution for many reasons, its going to be limited in function. The Pro is a full PC so you'll be able to run any program that takes your fancy (some examples being graphing tools, Microsoft Office, and full support for web content incl. flash player). Unlike other tablets too the Pro will work with VGA/DVI/HDMI projectors as well as have a USB port and memory card slot (MicroSDXC, max. capacity 2TB)

Not that the tablet is perfect, but its damn close. Wear and tear issues I've heard quite a bit about, one customer said the bottom connector just 'fell out' after frequent use, one other customer punched their thumb through the screen when they tried to save it from falling (as animate as they were about it, I still think they were just clumsy), and pulling the pen straight out of its magnetic holder instead of just tilting it off will cause damage to the pen (its a strong magnet, so duh), but all of those things are covered if you purchase from somewhere that offers extended coverage/protection. Microsoft's own warranty support people from what I hear can be a tad unhelpful, but when your protection is with the seller thats irrelevant.





The Samsung models you can see on their website. The least expensive model is the ATIV which is basically a 16:10 shaped galaxy note running Windows 8 on an Intel Atom. They just seem flimsy to me. For a couple hundred more the pro gives you attachable keyboard support, USB and video out features, and an Intel i5. The Samsung Series 7 models are also Intel i5s and have USB support but the keyboard support isnt nearly as convenient (keyboard Docking, but for your needs that may not matter just leave the dock on your desk). Newer/more expensive Ativ 700 pro models have a good lock-in keyboard with a laptop style hinge that is plenty solid. I have one of the earliest types of Slate 7 from early 2012 and am really happy with the pen. Battery life is a lot to be desired but the newer Intel's (especially 4th gen haswell) will be far more forgiving than my sandy bridge 2nd gen was.

If you can, ideally, wait until you see a Samsung Series 7 with a 4th gen Intel i5 or wait until the fall (ok.. Ireland... late this year or the Spring?) and in October Microsoft is fully expected to realease their 2nd gen Pro which should have a 4th gen Intel in it. Haswell makes a huge bump in energy efficiency compared to 3rd gen - over 30%. Those tablets will have much better battery life, or they will be much lighter (with less physical battery). Either way, win win.