[Discussion] Tablet or Laptop?

[Rioxnation]

I beleive a laptop is a greater choice because its more flexible i beleive.

 

[~Sasuke~]

Laptop....

 

[Vilvake]

Get him an ultrabook. The classification of "ultrabook" is given to exceptionally thin and light laptops. They're nearly as portable as a tablet while still retaining the functionality and power of a laptop.

More on Ultrabooks:

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Some are even laptop/tablet hybrids. This means that they can function as a laptop or tablet through unique mechanisms or construction. Arguably, the best hybrid on the market currently is the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga. It features a special hinge that allows the screen to bend 360 degrees. As a result, you can bend the screen back until the laptop resembles a tablet. And, because the display is a touchscreen, it functions as a tablet, as well.

IdeaPad Yoga Tomshardware review:

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Also, if you decide to get a tablet, make sure it has an active digitizer and pen. This makes handwritten notetaking much more precise. I'm sorry to say that taking notes would be a nightmare on the tablets you mentioned. You should look into Windows 8 tablets. Some come with an active digitizer and pen, and the increased functionality of a windows operating system over android or ios cannot be overstated.

 

[SonictheHedgehog]

Laptop. My f*cking tablet was about as durable as a card house. I literally abused it in no way possible outside of the charger bending and it starts going crazy whenever it gets low battery. I mean, literally, it goes crazy. It starts clicking stuff on its own and spazzing out. I also had to start turning it off when charging when I got a new charger. Trust me, laptop. Just get him one of those little bags for a laptop. You'll make him cry with a tablet.

 

[Aim64C]

My younger brother is off to uni soon and me and my older brother want to get him a gift.

I was thinking of getting him an Ipad mini, Galaxy Tab or Galaxy Note but my brother thinks a laptop is better for note taking.

Generally speaking, yes, a laptop will be better for most school functions.

Steer clear of macs.

When I was in uni my prof had no problem with students using ipads or laptops but I know each teacher is different so what do you think is better for lectures/class? A tablet with a keyboard (lighter and more portable) or a laptop (heavier)?

Generally speaking, everything a tablet would be useful for in the classroom - his smart phone already has it covered, more than likely.

What he needs is something to set on his desk in the evenings after he gets off of class to do research and homework on.

Tablets are great for content consumption (for the most part). Content creation is more difficult.

A Windows 7 laptop is about the best recommendation I can give. Macs are horribly over-priced for what they are, and if you find someone like me in your area - we can set your windows 7 laptop up better. You want all of your documents folders and system defaults edited to store programs and data on the non-OS drive partition. That way, in the event of malware or other crazy problem with the OS (which can happen on macs, too) you can recover the vast majority of your data even if you have to reformat the system disk. There are, also, a lot of bad settings that the OEMs leave open in their systems (for whatever reason) even though Microsoft recommends against it (such as setting up your login as an administrator login).

Window* Eight is counter-productive to the reasons you would buy a laptop or desktop - so stay the hell away from that.

I know a laptop is heaps better for regular use but I know how annoying it can be lugging it around campus with all my textbooks and stationary. With an Ipad Mini or any other tablet for that matter, he can carry it around easily and when he's catching the train back home he'll be more comfortable using a tablet than a laptop.

Then you might want to consider something more like this:

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Be aware, though, that Google dropped native flash support from all Android versions 4+. There are ways around it - but I've not dealt with the newest android devices - so Flash-heavy services (such as youtube - which, contrary to how it is typically used, can be a great source for educational videos and demonstrations of concepts) may not work correctly.

Anyways, enough of me rambling on. Thoughts?

Something like the Transformer might be the best compromise. The question really comes down to several factors. Me - I've always preferred laptops to tablets. Most of what I would use a tablet for is what I currently use an e-ink display Kindle for, or already use my smart phone for (video/audio recordings and quick internet searches/reference checks).

I prefer to have a full-bodied computer at my disposal. Weight was never an issue for me - I hauled book bags half my weight around all the time without much of a problem. I always found tablets to be too restrictive in practical utility to be worth their mobility. Which is why they are great for consumption, but rather inefficient for creation (which is a lot of what your school work is - especially if he gets into computer-heavy courses).

He may find that his experience involves less travel or that his courses require the functions of a full-bodied computer more so than they require mobility. He, also, may just not be the type to make use of the device's mobility. Some people can't concentrate on school tasks while on the train and what-not.

It could also be that he ends up needing the mobility and there are few concerns about him ever running into issues with needing more from his tablet than it can provide.

It might be better to get some feedback on his courses or have him ask some of his instructors/advisors about the program he is in and what kinds of requirements it will have.

 

[Vilvake]

Window* Eight is counter-productive to the reasons you would buy a laptop or desktop - so stay the hell away from that.

Be aware, though, that Google dropped native flash support from all Android versions 4+. There are ways around it - but I've not dealt with the newest android devices - so Flash-heavy services (such as youtube - which, contrary to how it is typically used, can be a great source for educational videos and demonstrations of concepts) may not work correctly.

Something like the Transformer might be the best compromise. The question really comes down to several factors. Me - I've always preferred laptops to tablets. Most of what I would use a tablet for is what I currently use an e-ink display Kindle for, or already use my smart phone for (video/audio recordings and quick internet searches/reference checks).

I prefer to have a full-bodied computer at my disposal. Weight was never an issue for me - I hauled book bags half my weight around all the time without much of a problem. I always found tablets to be too restrictive in practical utility to be worth their mobility. Which is why they are great for consumption, but rather inefficient for creation (which is a lot of what your school work is - especially if he gets into computer-heavy courses).

He may find that his experience involves less travel or that his courses require the functions of a full-bodied computer more so than they require mobility. He, also, may just not be the type to make use of the device's mobility. Some people can't concentrate on school tasks while on the train and what-not.

It could also be that he ends up needing the mobility and there are few concerns about him ever running into issues with needing more from his tablet than it can provide.

I agree that Windows 8 is awful for laptops and desktops (at least for now, did you hear that Microsoft is bringing the start menu back?). However, a Windows 8 tablet could be a good fit for his needs. After all, that would solve the practicality vs. mobility issue.

Btw, I love how all your posts are essay-length lol

 

[Aim64C]

I agree that Windows 8 is awful for laptops and desktops (at least for now, did you hear that Microsoft is bringing the start menu back?). However, a Windows 8 tablet could be a good fit for his needs. After all, that would solve the practicality vs. mobility issue.

I'm not comfortable recommending Window* 8 following any of my experiences with it. I've seen some of the chatter about bringing back the start button... and it's kind of like a passing nod at the concept of the start button, from what I've been hearing (though my information may be out of date).

The other thing is that you have the metro (or whatever) UI that is just horribly done. While the platform is powerful and has a lot of capability that can be exploited by developers, Microsoft made a huge error in over-complicating the environment. You're blasted with miniatures of screens and walls of microscopic text that give you little immediate clues as to what application you are actually looking at within your menu. While some of this is neat for, say, the weather - where you really don't need to launch the full screen version of the application to get what you want - it's unreasonable for many system applications that are not immediately recognizable for what they do (because they lack a sort of 'icon' that gives you more intuitive visual cue).

That, and Microsoft has been on a "let's piss off people who know what they are doing with computers" spree, lately, by trying to turn themselves into Apple/Mac.

My next build of desktop is going to be Linux based. I'd say that my next laptop would, too - but laptops are notoriously screwy when it comes to drivers, and I'd have to look more into Linux on the laptop environment.

Btw, I love how all your posts are essay-length lol

That is why I laugh when people complain about college papers that have to be 3 pages or 8 pages.

I'd rather do a 3-page essay than do 3 pages of "estimate the stupidity of the person who wrote this test" in 'selected response.' Most selected response questions are poorly written. Either you can answer the question without even knowing the material, or you have to guess at the answer because the question contradicts itself.

For example, I ran into this question long ago: "True or False: Electricity is Electrons."

It's true in the sense that electricity has to do with electrons. But... 'electricity' isn't a physical phenomenon - it's a concept describing a whole scope of physical phenomena. The build-up of electrons in one region falls under static electricity and static fields. The flow of electrons is electrical current. The potential for electrons to flow from one region to another is referred to as voltage potential (though all of this also relates to static fields and electro-chemical reactions that describe the function of batteries... but it can also deal with conductors in the presence of magnetic flux...).

So, my instinct is to say: "No. That's wrong."

But, by that same token - it's not as if electricity has more to do with, say, neutrons. Electrons -are- important to the concept of electricity.

So to what level are they challenging my understanding, here?

Which is partly why I would love to become an instructor at a college, because I'd make sure people who pass my class know their shit.

On the other hand - it's also why I wouldn't last. People pay good money for their degrees. I've seen what happens to good instructors who have a system that only rewards performance/results from people the administrators see as paying customers.