I'm in the market for my first tablet. I essentially want this to replace my notebooks in which I take extensive notes, draw graphs and the occasional pictures.

I also read a lot of publications in pdf format and I would like to edit them the way I would in real life (use a marker to highlight various passages, doodle pictures directly on the pdf, make notes on them.) This may require a special application. Maybe something like "pdf annotator"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWmvQgKDrs

So far, I like the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/thinkpad/

It seems their myscript notes application would work for basic note taking and drawing diargrams and charts.

Anyone have experience with this tablet or any other suggestion?

2/25/2012 3:45:58 PM

iPad

/thread

2/25/2012 3:56:18 PM

I owned a Lenovo X61T, and now own a HP Touchsmart TM2, both convertible tablets.

You should do one of two things. Either wait for Windows 8, and get a Win8 tablet, or buy an Asus Transformer Prime + Keyboard dock.

I'm running the Win8 developer preview on my Touchsmart and it makes it 100x better to use for touch and stylus, BUT the Win8 ARM tablets/laptops will absolutely blow this out of the water in terms of weight/heft.

And the Asus Transformer/Transformer Prime is a much better alternative for the things you just mentioned. Taking notes needs a keyboard, which the dock will give you. The rest of the time you can just use the slate.

2/25/2012 4:07:06 PM

^^ hardly. I used a stylus with a few applications for the iPad and was not impressed. It does not have the palm rejection feature that lenovo has, and myscript seems a much better application than any of the ones I've seen.

^I actually prefer taking notes by hand. I did not see a release date for any Win8 ARM tablets.


The fact that the lenovo tablet has applications specifically designed for use with their stylus is a big seller for me.

2/25/2012 4:54:44 PM

No one on here has tried to utilize their tablet for "Digital Pen as Pen & Paper Notebook Replacement?"

You guys call yourselves technologically inclined

2/26/2012 6:43:12 AM

$.10 pencil and $.50 paper does the trick. Then use a multi-feed scanner and boom, my notes digitized into pdf format. That way I still get the great tactile feeling of paper and a cheap solution to digitalize them for later recall on a laptop, ipod or a simple tablet. No matter how hard I've tried using a digital device with a stylus for the last decade or so, I still like to take notes on paper.

If I was going to get a proper tablet, then the x220t with the slice battery would be my choice. Nothing like a cool work horse laptop convertible that can last 22 hours in one sitting. I just wished it had a discrete gpu as an option; nothing anything fancy, just enough to play some decent games besides the HD 3000 intel gpu core. It's also very expensive compared to the tablet convertibles, but its a laptop that turns into a tablet, not the other way around; so it has the more stout PC parts with an i5 or i7 if you were looking for some extra power.

And yeah, I agree with noen, the Win8 tablet's built for ARM cpu's look very cool of what I've seen. I would probably wait and see what that becomes, but that won't come out very soon, maybe at the end of this year??? I really haven't read too much or kept up with the development of it. The way I use my tablet, its more of a media/data output instead of your needs of actually requiring more precise inputs than simple gestures or crappy mutli-touch keyboard control.

2/26/2012 8:08:25 AM

Quote :

"If I was going to get a proper tablet, then the x220t with the slice battery would be my choice"

2/26/2012 10:10:04 AM

Quote :

"Then use a multi-feed scanner and boom, my notes digitized into pdf format."

Yeah I've done that. That's kinda the exact opposite of what I want to do. I want to have a digital copy of my notes, then print them when I need them. Hence the "Digital Pen as Pen & Paper Notebook Replacement."

I've looked at the x220t and recently the win8 tablets. I may have to go that route. I'd rather not pay +$1000. But it's not out of the question.

Also this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdGDnUKZcMM

Is almost exactly what I'm looking for in a note taker. If they made it for the lenovo tablet, I would buy it almost immediately.

It exports as pdf. only, and to evernote. Not as convenient as Word, but I haven't read or heard about any program that does.

Thoughts?

I also want to archive my journals (in pdf format) that I've read over the the years (I have hundreds of them). I have made notes on them by hand, scanned them, and if I want to make any revisions or jot down some thoughts I would like to pull them off of an external HD, annotate on my tablet and save them back onto the HD.

[Edited on February 26, 2012 at 11:02 AM. Reason : also....]

2/26/2012 10:59:07 AM

So you don't want an ipad because the lenovo has better note taking apps but the app you want is an ipad exclusive? Btw, palm rejection is an app feature in most of the good ipad apps. Personally, I don't think there's a truly viable tablet out right not other than the iPad. I can't wait to see the W8 stuff. I think it's the first chance for a true ipad beater.

2/26/2012 1:30:47 PM

Quote :

"palm rejection is an app feature in most of the good ipad apps"

Feel free to share because "Penultimate" is the only app that I know of that has this feature.

I'm not opposed to the iPad. But there are features of the lenovo tablet that I like. Expandable memory, USB drive, mini-HDMI out to name a few. I'm negotiable on these features but they are nice to have.

I'm just seeing what's available out there and what people have actually used.

2/26/2012 2:23:41 PM

The big problems with the x220t (which is the new rev of the x61) and the TM2, and every other convertible tablet, are the weight and heat.

I spent a year with the x61 and a year with the TM2. Both weigh ~4lbs (the slice battery JBaz is talking about pushes it to 4.5-5lbs). Which makes these things really crappy for a carry-around note taker. Even sitting around in offices/meetings, the weight still pretty quickly becomes apparent.

The next thing is the heat. Neither of them are MacBook hot, but holding one of these guys in your arm or lap will get pretty uncomfortable within 10-15min. The TM2 is much hotter than the X61/X220 though (mostly because it's a Core i5 with dual video cards).

But the biggest reason I'd recommend waiting for Win8, or going Android (or iPad) is simply cost. For a configuration you'd be happy with for several years, you're going to be looking at $1100-1300 bucks for a convertible Win7 tablet. On the slate side, the iPad @ $500, Transformer @$400 and Win8 tablets (??? Should be the same range?) are all less than half the price with effectively the same capability.

The other reason to potentially wait for Win8 is that it will have native support for Wacom screens and digitizers (calibration, pressure sensitivity), unlike the wonky ass stylus' for the iPad and Android today.

2/26/2012 4:47:47 PM

^^I don't have mine any more (waiting on ipad3 now & hoping to see some W8 stuff soon) so can't remember what all I had but there are quite a few. I usually used Penultimate or Notes Plus but there's a bunch. Google is your friend.

2/26/2012 5:10:34 PM

is the iPad capable of having normal handwritten style notes taken on it?

even my old x60 tablet had a very precise writing point on it

every app i've used on the iPad for handwriting is basically useless unless you're cool with writing 1" tall letters like a damn kindergartner

[Edited on February 26, 2012 at 5:22 PM. Reason : on]

2/26/2012 5:21:53 PM

^^Thanks brah, I'm looking.

I will also wait for the next gen iPad, it may drive down the prices of iPad 2.

^check out my the link in my fourth post. It may fit the bill. It has a zoom feature that allows you to print as small or big as you like.

2/26/2012 6:07:31 PM

Yeah, Neon does make a good point about the laptop convertibles are heavier and produce more heat, but they give a fully featured windows OS to run any desktop application and with a much much more powerful system. I prefer having a proper laptop/tablet myself if I was going to use it for more serious apps and data entry work so that way you have a keyboard if you need it, then pull up your photoshop for whatever. :p

The x220t isn't exactly for everyone, it was built for engineers in mind who need it for business applications so its def overkill for taking notes. I just mention it because its kickass and hope tablets like that will be more common, way way cheaper and lighter, but still as capable of running the desktop version of win7 or 8.

Also the older 1st gen x220t's were on sale not to long ago for around the $739 price tag directly from lenovo.


And seriously, if you think 4lbs is "too" heavy, need to lift some weights. I recommend the "7 weeks to 100 pushups" book since it requires no heavy machinery to tone your upper body strength, then mix up your workout routine with some sort of abs workout; pair it with some light jogging and your on your way to a healthier lifestyle and to use that x220t better in no time flat. All dem ladies will see you rolling, they hatin... catching you writing on your dirty tablet.

2/26/2012 6:31:09 PM

^I'm not a scrawny guy. But holding 4 pounds in a static position, in a stable manner, for hours a day will get very tiring for anyone.

I never really noticed until I got ahold of the iPad and Asus Transformer, then it was really one of those son-of-a-bitch moments.

2/26/2012 7:26:47 PM

I agree. It's not about the weight for me. I simply won't need the power of a convertible laptop or any of the hardware that will support an data entry/compiling programs. That's when my desktop comes into use.

I never see any tablet being a desktop replacement anywhere in the near future, no matter how powerful the processor or how many input peripherals you can sync with it.

Anyway back to some of the apps. Apparently, the latest version of note taker HD has a wrist guard feature. I may have to borrow my sisters iPad and stylus for a few days.

2/26/2012 7:50:21 PM

^stylus makes a huge difference. 99% of the stuff out there sucks ass. I much prefer the feel of the iFaraday Artist stylus with firm tip. There's a couple of new ones with plastic disks for the tip that are extremely accurate but I've never tried one. Most of the rubber tip ones just suck.

2/26/2012 11:52:51 PM

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the rubber nipple tipped stylus design, which happens to be the most common design for capacitive pens.

This does look pretty interesting:

2/27/2012 9:24:35 AM

Steve Jobs rolling over in his grave ITT

2/27/2012 12:51:04 PM

I own a TP Tablet. I like it. I didn't want the iPad because my phone is Android based and I'm just more familiar with the platform. I'm not an Apple fanboy anyways.

I considered the Asus Transformer and Samsung Galaxy Tab (not the new ones, but last years models). I played with them at the store and read lots of reviews, but I settled on the TP Tablet because of the stylus and just my familiarity with Lenovo products. So, I'll start off with the negatives of the TP Tablet.

Cons
1) VERY LITTLE support for the pressure sensitive stylus. The applications out there that take advantage of the stylus are far and few. I've only been able to find a few. Guess that's not really a ding on the TP Tablet, it's more of a ding on the Android industry.
2) It's bigger than most other 10-inch tablets. I was willing to sacrifice size for features, namely the pressure-sensitive stylus. So, if you don't need the stylus, I say go with the other tablets.
3) Battery is average, maybe below average. I'm not sure what it is, but the battery life is disappointing. It consumes battery even when sleeping. It won't last a whole day on a single charge if you are using it constantly throughout the day. I talked to Lenovo support and did research. They just came out with new OTA update to fix the power management a few weeks ago, and it's helped, but still not as good as what reviews were saying about the Transformer and Galaxy Tab.

Pros
1) Stylus - It was a must have for me and probably the main reason I went with the TP Tablet
2) Sturdy - Even though it feels plastic, it's very sturdy. I've accidentally dropped it on hardwood floor and it didn't break (knock on wood). Also, the gorilla glass is unmatched. No scratches after several months of heavy usage.
3) Features - It's got a USB port! Most other 10-inch tablets don't have that. Also, it has a media card reader and miniHDMI out.


Other comments:

If you're looking to annotate and edit documents, it's really not that great. But, not because of the ThinkPad Tablet itself, it's because their is not much software support out there. I've only been able to find a few apps that work well, the rest of the apps are garbage.

If you're looking for it to double as a full-time laptop, forget about it. It won't compare. Not only because of the lack of software I mentioned above, but also the hardware just isn't up to handling some of the daily tasks that a laptop can handle.

I'm kind of wishing I would have waited for the Windows 8 tablets coming out this year with "REAL" processors (not these cell-phone type wannabe processors). I've heard rumors that ICS is coming to the TP Tablet, which will be a welcome sight.

Even though I'm disappointed in some aspects, overall I think it was a good buy. And probably your only good option if you want a tablet with stylus support.

[Edited on February 27, 2012 at 2:55 PM. Reason : mo' info]

2/27/2012 2:52:02 PM

^ As a fellow TP Tablet owner, concur with every word.

2/27/2012 3:42:51 PM

^^ what program do you use to annotate? I'm guessing you can only export your notes as picture files correct?

2/27/2012 5:52:51 PM

ezPDF is OK. RepliGo is better in my opinion. Though it's not ideal, it's probably the best for me right now.

2/27/2012 8:03:29 PM

Quote :

"^I'm not a scrawny guy. But holding 4 pounds in a static position, in a stable manner, for hours a day will get very tiring for anyone. I never really noticed until I got ahold of the iPad and Asus Transformer, then it was really one of those son-of-a-bitch moments."

It really depends on how you hold the device as well. From apple, you could be "holding it wrong"... lol

But in all seriousness, 4lbs isn't a lot if you cradle it and support the weight with your arm and lower chest. If you were free floating the device like how you would handle a book, a cell phone or a smaller sized tablet, then yeah, over a couple hours the weight would get to you, but with most laptop convertibles, their size is a bit bigger than the average 10" tablets so your body position would be different in how you handle such a device.

And even then, I have no issues and I'm a much smaller dude than you, but I'm very fit and toned.

And yeah, the weight difference from one of those to the ipad is a noticeable difference. Not gonna lie about that, but stating that if you are fit and able, 4lbs isn't a lot.

2/28/2012 6:29:14 AM

Quote :

"check out my the link in my fourth post. It may fit the bill. It has a zoom feature that allows you to print as small or big as you like."

yeah, upad has this as well. what i meant was that i physically would like to write at my normal paper size, where my letters are like 1/4" tall, rather than writing large and shrinking it down. the iPad isn't sensitive enough for accurately writing that small, as far as i can tell.

2/28/2012 9:50:31 AM

I'm sure I'm going to noob all over myself because I'm not a techie, but...

Samsung tablets are the highest rated on Consumer Reports. Why is that?

I'm about to do an upgrade of all of my tech stuff (phone/laptop/tablet), and I was originally thinking of all apple, but I think I'm going to stick with android phone and maybe do a samsung tablet as well. Probably going to stick with the Apple laptops.

I'm open to other tablets, but what are everyone's thoughts on Samsung?

2/28/2012 10:54:56 AM

Asus Transformer. Just got ICS and it rocks.

2/28/2012 11:41:55 AM

^^^ I understand what you're saying.

I would like to see a tablet that has an 8.5 X 11 inch screen (the size of a blank sheet of printing paper). Pressure sensitive stylus with a wide array of applications. Also a good pdf annotator and text translator so that you can export to a word processor.

I know that all of these together is unrealistic, especially when you're talking about a sub $1000 price point. But these are the things that I would look for in a tablet.

2/28/2012 1:27:19 PM