Some Thougts About My Tablet PC

Readers of this blog know that I recently bought my first ever tablet PC -- a Lenovo X61 tablet. Other than Vista crashing on me yesterday, I love it! (It took me several hours to recover the system -- it would have been fatal to my legal writing grade if it happened 24 hours earlier.) The contrast between Lenovo's tech support and Sony's could not be more stark. I was talking to a person within 3 minutes of calling and they immediately were able to give me helpful support. I believe Lenovo's tech support is still handled by the IBM. It was a breath of fresh air compared to my nightmares with Sony.

Lenovo also immediately acknowledged that they have had problems with Vista crashing their machines and are offering XP Tablet to their customers for $50. I didn't buy it yet, but will do so if my PC crashes again.

Since getting my tablet, I've been impressed by how great the extra dimension of using a stylus on the screen and using the PC in slate mode can be. Being able to fold the screen around and read PDF files and webpages like a book is superb. It's also a great being able to draw graphs by hand in the middle of my notes. This would have been indispensable in Walter Williams' class.

Searching for How to Improve

I am now on the lookout for additional software and hardware to make this even more useful. It is already the best note-taking device I've ever used and is great for using as an electronic whiteboard for the review sessions I teach for Professor Hazlett's economics class. (I hook my computer up to a projector and use it like an electronic whiteboard. I save the notes and e-mail them to the class afterwards.)

In scouring the web for additional ideas for software, I came across posts by fellow bloggers of what they keep in their tablet PC arsenal. See for yourself what Warner Crocker, Tracy, and
Robert each recommend.

James Kendrick lists a few pieces of hardware he won't do without. Something I would love to have, but can't justify (or afford) right now is an EV-DO wireless internet card, turning anywhere I go into an Internet cafe. Something that is easier to justify (and afford) is the Logitech VX Nano mouse (it has the smallest USB adapter I've ever seen) and possibly an external monitor.

I hope to do an update with the results of my explorations and experiments soon. In the meantime, if you're thinking about getting a tablet PC, do it. I highly recommend the Lenovo X61t with the high-resolution (1400 x 1050) screen. Not only is it helping me stay more productive, but it's a ton of fun too!