for school which is better netbook or tablet with a keyboard?

[prplchknz]

I've started back at school, and having a hard time taking notes as after about 5 lines of writing my hand and wrist hurts really bad, so when I'm studying I take notes on my laptop in word, which helps. But it's really too big to take to class and I want something small, any suggestions.

 

[LadyLazarus]

If portability is your primary concern, I suggest going with a tablet with a keyboard.

 

[garbage]

I have a Surface Pro 2 with a hard keyboard that can be attached to it. It's bitchin'. It's great for notes, since I can type stuff up and use a touch screen / hand write when I want.

I'm sure that some other tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard would work well, too.

 

[prplchknz]

I have a Surface Pro 2 with a hard keyboard that can be attached to it. It's bitchin'. It's great for notes, since I can type stuff up and use a touch screen / hand write when I want.

I'm sure that some other tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard would work well, too.

it's also over a thousand dollars. I can't afford that, and I doubt I can convince my parents to spend that much, they're willing to get something with the idea that i won't get an actual b-day gift but I don't think they'll be willing to spend a thousand dollars

 

[Lady_X]

I have a Surface Pro 2 with a hard keyboard that can be attached to it. It's bitchin'. It's great for notes, since I can type stuff up and use a touch screen / hand write when I want.

I'm sure that some other tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard would work well, too.

just looked this up whoa it looks awsome

 

[Lady_X]

purple i'd probably just get something like this...tho it might feel redundant since you have a laptop.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...tel&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&origin=pla

 

[prplchknz]

purple i'd probably just get something like this...tho it might feel redundant since you have a laptop.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...tel&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&origin=pla

that's a possibility my computer is over 3 years old, but it still runs great, minus the fact sometimes the sound goes out, and the battery needs to be replaced.

 

[Lady_X]

that's a possibility my computer is over 3 years old, but it still runs great, minus the fact sometimes the sound goes out, and the battery needs to be replaced.

it's a good one and super light and easy to throw in your bag. not much more then a kindle fire but more features you might want for school.

i bought one for my son. he throws it in his bag. it's lighter then his books.

 

[prplchknz]

it's a good one and super light and easy to throw in your bag. not much more then a kindle fire but more features you might want for school.

yeah so I could use my main laptop for everything else, and just use that one for class

 

[Randomnity]

Kids these days...back in my day we lugged full size laptops to class and liked it, goddammit.*

I still really like my netbook which I bought 2 years ago before tablets got really popular. (Samsung NF210 I think, obviously a bit outdated by now although mine still runs great). It's really only useful for typing stuff, looking stuff up online, and playing movies/tv/music, which is great because that's why I bought it (i.e. travel). It has a tablet-sized screen, easily fits in my purse, still gets 6-10h battery life (depending how demanding I am) even after 2 years, and is light enough that it isn't annoying to carry around even in a purse all day.

If I had to replace it today I'd probably buy either another netbook or a tablet with a good quality physical keyboard uh...attachment? I've seen a few people using ones that look pretty equivalent to the netbook keyboard and would presumably be lighter and a little easier to take out and use, which is always good. In my 5+ years of typing notes on various computers, the things I found most important were BATTERY LIFE distantly followed by weight, reliable brand, comfortable keyboard, etc. If your battery life sucks your computer is useless regardless of its millions of amazing features.

Oh also...do tablets have USB drives? No, I think?? I use the ones on my netbook ALL the time, mostly for charging my ipod but also for loading stuff onto it (movies, schoolwork, etc). I'd really hesitate to get rid of it, although clearly lots of people manage just fine without them. So think about whether that's important to you.


*I'm pretty sure we are close to the same age, actually. lol.

 

[prplchknz]

Kids these days...back in my day we lugged full size laptops to class and liked it, goddammit.*

I still really like my netbook which I bought 2 years ago before tablets got really popular. (Samsung NF210 I think, obviously a bit outdated by now although mine still runs great). It's really only useful for typing stuff, looking stuff up online, and playing movies/tv/music, which is great because that's why I bought it (i.e. travel). It has a tablet-sized screen, easily fits in my purse, still gets 6-10h battery life (depending how demanding I am) even after 2 years, and is light enough that it isn't annoying to carry around even in a purse all day.

If I had to replace it today I'd probably buy either another netbook or a tablet with a good quality physical keyboard uh...attachment? I've seen a few people using ones that look pretty equivalent to the netbook keyboard and would presumably be lighter and a little easier to take out and use, which is always good. In my 5+ years of typing notes on various computers, the things I found most important were BATTERY LIFE distantly followed by weight, reliable brand, comfortable keyboard, etc. If your battery life sucks your computer is useless regardless of its millions of amazing features.

Oh also...do tablets have USB drives? No, I think?? I use the one on my netbook ALL the time, mostly for charging my ipod but also for loading stuff onto it. I'd really hesitate to get rid of it, although clearly lots of people manage just fine without them. So think about whether that's important to you.


*I'm pretty sure we are close to the same age, actually. lol.

All I need is something with a decent keyboard that has good battery life that I can take notes on. I'm not looking to pay tons of money and have bells and whistles just something basic

 

[Randomnity]

All I need is something with a decent keyboard that has good battery life that I can take notes on. I'm not looking to pay tons of money and have bells and whistles just something basic

Yeah that was my reasoning too, which is how I ended up with my netbook (I think it was about 200$ then, no idea how they're priced now). So I'd definitely recommend something similar to mine, but have a look at what's come out since then (I'd suggest looking at both tablets and netbooks, may as well, they're usually right next to each other!) and maybe there are some even better options now.

 

[prplchknz]

Yeah that was my reasoning too, which is how I ended up with my netbook (I think it was about 200$ then, no idea how they're priced now). So I'd definitely recommend something similar to mine, but have a look at what's come out since then (I'd suggest looking at both tablets and netbooks, may as well, they're usually right next to each other!) and maybe there are some even better options now.

yeah the one [MENTION=17816]Lady[/MENTION] x posted was in the $200 range and my dad has an asus netbook and an asus tablet and he loves them

 

[Randomnity]

Just a comment about that specific one, I'd be worried about the "up to 5h battery life" claim. That's about what my laptops used to claim, when the reality was maybe 4h with everything but word turned off, and 1-2h if you were actually making it do anything. Before long I was struggling to make it last through a 3h class dimmed all the way down with just word running, which was...annoying. By contrast my netbook claimed 8-10h battery life when I bought it and I've seen it range from ~4-10h depending on how hard I'm making it work, usually averaging around 6-8h which is perfect for me. Maybe I'm just overly cynical/unlucky, though.

This site seems like a useful resource for really detailed reviews of netbooks and tablets: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Samsung-NF210-Netbook.44092.0.html

(for an example the review for my netbook, again that one's obviously outdated but you might want to take a look at their reviews for more recent models)

 

[prplchknz]

Just a comment about that specific one, I'd be worried about the "up to 5h battery life" claim. That's about what my laptops used to claim, when the reality was maybe 4h with everything but word turned off, and 1-2h if you were actually making it do anything. Before long I was struggling to make it last through a 3h class dimmed all the way down with just word running, which was...annoying. By contrast my netbook claimed 8-10h battery life when I bought it and I've seen it range from ~4-10h depending on how hard I'm making it work, usually averaging around 6-8h which is perfect for me. Maybe I'm just overly cynical/unlucky, though.

This site seems like a useful resource for really detailed reviews of netbooks and tablets: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Samsung-NF210-Netbook.44092.0.html

(for an example the review for my netbook, again that one's obviously outdated but you might want to take a look at their reviews for more recent models)

yeah, I hadn't really looked at the one she linked, except it was an asus and my dad's been happy with that brand

 

[xisnotx]

I've started back at school, and having a hard time taking notes as after about 5 lines of writing my hand and wrist hurts really bad, so when I'm studying I take notes on my laptop in word, which helps. But it's really too big to take to class and I want something small, any suggestions.

suck it up.

back in primary school, we'd take notes for hours straight for years on end. until today there is a permanent disfigurement on the middle finger of my right hand, a bump where i'd hold the pencil.

5 minutes? i've taken 5 years of notes.

first world problems, i swear.

(sorry, i'm not in a good mood.)

 

[/DG/]

[MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION]

Ok...just going to throw this out there because it's what I have...

The tablet I use is a 16GB Nexus 7 ($220) in conjunction with a Finite cover + stand ($7) and a cheap Motorola bluetooth keyboard ($14 used). During class periods, I honestly prefer to write my notes on paper, but I regularly do homework and view PDF files of textbooks on my tablet. Typing long documents is also a breeze with a full-size keyboard. I think it's a really great way to do schoolwork on the go, but certain projects seem to require the use of a desktop/laptop. Plus, the Nexus 7 is relatively well-optimized, meaning it can play a ton of fun games on the Play Store. In all, I think it's a relatively good deal.

Unfortunately, netbooks seem to have fallen out of style. I remember a while ago I really wanted one, but there just don't seem to be as many anymore. Perhaps you might want to look into Chromebooks. They seem to be a bit cheaper than your average laptop, but they have greatly reduced functionality.

My recommendations if you decide on a tablet:
1. If you want to hand-write notes on your tablet, go for a 10'' one. 7'' is too small for writing. If you just want to type, 7'' is perfectly fine.
2. Get a full-size keyboard, not a small one that is built into a case. Anything smaller than a full-size will be too cramped to comfortably type on. Bluetooth keyboards tend to be expensive, but if you look around, you can find some cheaper stuff. I'd recommend that cheap Motorola one I linked to.
3. Be aware that (on inexpensive tablets at least) you can't have multiple windows open at once like on Windows. In most cases, you'll probably be fine. However, if you are trying to do some sort of project that requires research, switching back and forth between apps every second will become very frustrating. A desktop/laptop is needed for that kind of multitasking.
****4. Use Google Drive (free cloud service)! This is actually a recommendation whether or not you decide to use a tablet. Whenever I am writing an assignment, I make it in Google Drive first before formatting it properly in Word or whatever. That way, I always have a backup copy in case my laptop/tablet/whatever spontaneously combusts. It is a lifesaver. (The downfall of Google Drive is that you can't edit your PowerPoints on a tablet. You need a separate app for this.)

 

[/DG/]

back in primary school, we'd take notes for hours straight for years on end. until today there is a permanent disfigurement on the middle finger of my right hand, a bump where i'd hold the pencil.

Whoa. I've always had that too, but not everyone else does. I think we write too hard on the paper.

Oh also...do tablets have USB drives?

In most cases, it's as simple as buying a certain cable. Cables aren't expensive if you buy no-name brands, which honestly aren't different from known brands.

Oh and [MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION], one more thing...be careful of touchscreen laptops. Unless they can swivel around, don't expect to take notes by writing directly on the screen. It won't work without being very uncomfortable because you won't be at the right angle.

 

[highlander]

MacBook Air

 

[prplchknz]

suck it up.

back in primary school, we'd take notes for hours straight for years on end. until today there is a permanent disfigurement on the middle finger of my right hand, a bump where i'd hold the pencil.

5 minutes? i've taken 5 years of notes.

first world problems, i swear.

(sorry, i'm not in a good mood.)

you're full of it. You did not take that many notes in primary school

(and being in a bad mood is not an excuse for being a jerk)