Looking to buy a Tablet PC

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Looking to buy a Tablet PC; Or a laptop + tablet
Topic Started: May 29 2008, 09:15 PM (615 Views)
PlasticCup	May 29 2008, 09:15 PM Post #1
Holding your soft drinks Posts: 576 Group: Brackenites Member #7,334 Joined: August 20, 2007	I'm going to university next year (going to study Informatica at Enschede), and I'm looking around for a laptop. I am also looking to improve my digital art, and was looking for tablet pc's (basically, a notebook with a touchscreen that you can draw on). I'm not sure though, as I could also get a laptop + an Intuos (Cintiq's a bit out of range as far as budget goes, I'm afraid). I was wondering, do any of you have experience with tablet pc's, and if they really do work that much better than a pc + tablet as I imagine, or do you know good places to get them (I'm going to America in July, so I might get some friends to order them and then pay them back because technology is generally cheaper in America).



Halowood	May 29 2008, 09:21 PM Post #2
I missed your call because I had to find my pants Posts: 375 Group: Brackenites Member #9,498 Joined: January 11, 2008	If you get a laptop there is away to make it an almost touchscreen that I know of but that might not produce as useful art im not sure.



PlasticCup	May 29 2008, 09:26 PM Post #3
Holding your soft drinks Posts: 576 Group: Brackenites Member #7,334 Joined: August 20, 2007	What are you talking about?



Halowood	May 29 2008, 09:34 PM Post #4
I missed your call because I had to find my pants Posts: 375 Group: Brackenites Member #9,498 Joined: January 11, 2008	This. Though I doubt that will be useful.



PlasticCup	May 29 2008, 09:41 PM Post #5
Holding your soft drinks Posts: 576 Group: Brackenites Member #7,334 Joined: August 20, 2007	Hmm, interesting, though probably not too good for drawing, just for kicks.



PlasticCup	May 31 2008, 12:16 AM Post #6
Holding your soft drinks Posts: 576 Group: Brackenites Member #7,334 Joined: August 20, 2007	No-one else has any ideas, suggestions or opinions? Come on, I'm sure some of you have thought about getting a tablet pc or have already done so.



Pillow	May 31 2008, 01:57 AM Post #7
SEX RED!!! Posts: 1,521 Group: MotM Member #2,282 Joined: February 6, 2006	Depends how much you're willing to spend. Don't worry I'm going through the same thing. There's not a hope in hell I'm taking my cintiq to uni. What size screen are you after? Will you be using the laptop for games (so it'll need a decent graphics card) do you want a lot of memory? What's your price limit? Once you've answered those questions all that's left to do is google and find the perfect one.



Anghenfil	May 31 2008, 02:13 AM Post #8
PELICAAAAAN Posts: 2,869 Group: Global Mod Member #1,110 Joined: April 14, 2005	Having used both touchscreen laptops and laptop + intuos: If price is a concern, go for a laptop + intuos combo. While you can take a touchscreen laptop and "juice it up," it's probable that you'll end up paying more for it than a similarly powered computer + wacom. But that's based on a couple of years ago - touchscreen technology is getting rapidly cheaper, so maybe it's comparably priced nowadays. The pen of an intuos is likely to be more powerful than the one on a tablet PC, but if you break it it's $80 to replace. Look and see if you can upgrade the pen of your tablet PC. An intuos also means another piece of hardware to worry about. On the other hand, if you break it that's only a $300 investment as opposed to a $1500+ laptop. The one BIG con about a (windows) tablet PC is that they have a whole customized OS built around it, so as far as I know, you'll be locked into whatever OS that laptop uses. For a lot of people this is no big deal, but I change OS's like I change pants. This is the biggest issue for me. Pillow has good advice: Make a list of all the other things in a computer you NEED (at least how much ram, how much hard drive space, DVD burner, etc) and only worry about the tablet PC aspect after that. If you can find a reasonably priced tablet PC that fits that criteria, then go for it.



Pillow	May 31 2008, 02:23 AM Post #9
SEX RED!!! Posts: 1,521 Group: MotM Member #2,282 Joined: February 6, 2006	You'll also find there's a lot of laptops where the screen technology has been made by wacom opening you up to use their accessories.



Rubberhead	May 31 2008, 03:34 AM Post #10
Fatscat Kittycat Posts: 4,803 Group: Moderator Member #71 Joined: June 20, 2004	I need to get a laptop within a few months and I've been playing with the idea of getting a tablet one. Haven't done allot of research yet. So how's the display quality on most tablet PC's? Are they easy to calibrate for print? We're talking about these kind of laptops right? (I hope that screen has been edited, reflective surfaces are really annoying to draw on :/ ) I know Markham advised against tablet laptops for some reason, better to get one + a Cintiq. The latter is out of my price range...



Tyokio	May 31 2008, 03:58 AM Post #11
Brackenwood Lightweight Posts: 165 Group: Brackenites Member #2,354 Joined: February 21, 2006	I see the usefullness of a laptop but if you want something that wont break the bank I'd get a desktop with a tablet. �400 got me a good computer (would be cheaper if you ask to buy with out the screen but I think you'd want the screen lol) and a tablet for �120. to play good games I spent �100 on a ATI 512mb PCI-E card and then I later replaced the �100 graphics tab with my Cintiq which cost �800. it gets expensive up there lol. If you really need something portable then a bog standard laptop and a tablet is probably more cheaper then a tablet lappy. but it it you dont need portability then a desktop will never let you down... well almost never haha. also, I've allways found laptops to overheat really quickly when dealing with graphical stuff.



Pillow	May 31 2008, 04:23 AM Post #12
SEX RED!!! Posts: 1,521 Group: MotM Member #2,282 Joined: February 6, 2006	Rubberhead May 30 2008, 05:34 PM I know Markham advised against tablet laptops for some reason, better to get one + a Cintiq. The latter is out of my price range... Any one taking a cintiq to uni is insane though. My UX is staying back in my securely locked and alcohol free home.



Markham Carroll	May 31 2008, 05:18 AM Post #13
Custom member title Posts: 2,698 Group: MotM Member #200 Joined: August 28, 2004	Tablet PC's run off Wacom's pre-Grapire/Intuous technology, which means you get 256 layers of pressure sensitivity and no tilt. The pens still cost about $45 to replace. I have also discovered that the drivers conflict with those of other Wacom devices. The screens are designed for low-power use, which means they aren't geared towards accurately displaying colors and are completely useless under direct sunlight. I don't use my tablet PC for anything other than line art. They also seem susceptible to wear. I've already had the cover for the screen replaced on mine due to dirt collecting underneath, and I need to do it again because the screen is getting dirty in a way that I can't clean it out without dismantling the screen. It also rocks back and forth on the hinge pivot now, so I don't know how long that will last. I would suggest looking at the tablet PC and then looking at a normal laptop of similar specs. If the price for the normal laptop plus the portable $1000 Cintiq is not too much higher, I would suggest saving for that. You can always plug the Cintiq in a different laptop/desktop when you need to upgrade in the future. If you get the tablet PC, get the extended warranty. Whatever you choose, you will probably need a USB keyboard during tablet use. Apple ones take up the least lap space.



PlasticCup	Jun 2 2008, 05:50 AM Post #14
Holding your soft drinks Posts: 576 Group: Brackenites Member #7,334 Joined: August 20, 2007	Alright, this is what I'm currently looking at: I already have a very decent-spec Desktop which I will take with me to uni (it's mine, not my parent's or anything): Motherboard: ASUS P5K RAM: 6 GB DDR2-800 Videocard: XFX 8800GTS 320 MB Processor: Intel C2D E6750 Sound Card: SB X-FI XtremeMusic Screen: Samsung 206BW (TN panel but good for me gaming needs) Tablet: Graphire4 A6 size iirc (looking to replace this one so it'll either be a laptop + better tablet or a Tablet PC) For a laptop I've seen this one: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2092-custom...l92-p-2347.html which is pretty decent. (1067 USD translates to 686 Euros according to Google) (I'd get this one when I go to the USA on vacation). And for a Tablet PC I've seen this one: http://xxodd.nl/index.php?p=bestel&ID=281 (configured to have the T8100 processor and the 4GB of ram) which is as far as I can see the same except for screen (smaller touch screen), price and video card (integrated vs. 8600GT) (1010 Euros is 1570 usd) The price diff therefore is 503 usd or 324 euros. For that price I could easily get an Intuos or with even more saving up a cintiq. Though I really want this for portability, to be able to draw digitally when "out".



Anghenfil	Jun 2 2008, 06:50 AM Post #15
PELICAAAAAN Posts: 2,869 Group: Global Mod Member #1,110 Joined: April 14, 2005	PlasticCup Jun 1 2008, 02:50 PM Though I really want this for portability, to be able to draw digitally when "out". I'd go for the tablet PC, then. It's a big hassle to cart around a laptop and an Intuos (I know because I do it frequently), and it's way too cumbersome to set up somewhere for short-term use. To counter argue Markham a little: Pen tilt is NOT something you're going to miss, unless you are really serious about line quality. 256 pressure levels is plenty, and I've never really noticed a difference between tablet PC and intuos. Intuos pens are also twice as expensive to replace if the $45 he stated is accurate. Any laptop you get unless it has a serious battery will not perform for very long in high-light conditions outside. I haven't been very bothered by lighting as long as it's plugged in. The color issue bothers me too, though. Can't say anything about replacing parts and the screen.



Markham Carroll	Jun 2 2008, 05:51 PM Post #16
Custom member title Posts: 2,698 Group: MotM Member #200 Joined: August 28, 2004	To be honest, I recently acquired a 4x5 Intuous 3 tablet (it was $10, why would I not buy it?) and in comparison to my 12x12 Wacom Digitizer II (same tech as Tablet PC's, plus tilt), I can't really notice a difference between 256 levels and 1024 levels. The only real difference is that the smallness of the 4x5 tablet is really awkward at first, but the pen is superficially better designed so that it feels nicer to hold (it is also ~$25 cheaper on eBay if you play your cards right. I paid a total of $46 for mine). I am also on my third of the Digitizer/Tablet PC pens, and I only use the one that actually came with the tablet for note taking. That one has one less side button and the sensitivity is off - brushes start already at half size when I use it. I haven't had the Intuos pen long enough to figure out how well that lasts. I've only really ever taken advantage of pen tilt in Corel Painter. It works fine without tilt, but you loose a lot of control with what the program is designed for. Any other program, you'll do fine without tilt. This is not a galaxy. It is my tablet screen. It's soooo dirty, but I can't clean it because the dirt is inside the screen... Again, extended warranty. It's a Toshiba in case you want to avoid that brand. I also re-looked up the prices for tablet PC pens. The prices range from $30-50 depending on the features you want. The generic 1-button type is $40. $10 more for an extra button (essentially 3-button mouse functionality), $10 less for what I'm guessing is a weird-shaped pen that uses different nibs that are probably not interchangeable, if they can be replaced at all.



PlasticCup	Jun 2 2008, 07:55 PM Post #17
Holding your soft drinks Posts: 576 Group: Brackenites Member #7,334 Joined: August 20, 2007	So I could use my Graphire pen on most Tablet PCs?



Rubberhead	Jun 3 2008, 01:03 AM Post #18
Fatscat Kittycat Posts: 4,803 Group: Moderator Member #71 Joined: June 20, 2004	PlasticCup Jun 2 2008, 10:55 AM So I could use my Graphire pen on most Tablet PCs? Tabletpens aren't interchangeable, a Graphire pen won't work on an Intuos and vice versa. So I wouldn't count on it.



Markham Carroll	Jun 3 2008, 02:36 AM Post #19
Custom member title Posts: 2,698 Group: MotM Member #200 Joined: August 28, 2004	PlasticCup Jun 2 2008, 01:55 AM So I could use my Graphire pen on most Tablet PCs? As Rubberhead said, they aren't interchangeable. The only reason my Digitizer II pen works on my tablet PC is because Wacom used the same kind of boards for their "Penabled" tablet PC technology. It is only interchangeable in the way that Intuos 3 and Cintiq pens are interchangeable - it's the same tablet, but with a monitor built over it.



PlasticCup	Jun 3 2008, 03:46 AM Post #20
Holding your soft drinks Posts: 576 Group: Brackenites Member #7,334 Joined: August 20, 2007	Alright, I get it. I'm curious, how do I find out if XXODD uses Wacom Digitiser as input? I've checked out the Wacom components site, but it's not in there. Does that mean that they don't use it or just that they aren't listed? >.>



Markham Carroll	Jun 3 2008, 05:06 AM Post #21
Custom member title Posts: 2,698 Group: MotM Member #200 Joined: August 28, 2004	Wacom never mentions this, but the fact that the specs for the tablets are the same (there were two brackets of Digitizer - one with shortcut buttons and tilt, one without) and that the pens are interchangeable support this. Unless there is some other company that also makes Tablet PC interfaces, it uses Wacom's input devices.



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