Tablet PC Pros and Cons

Although there are many benefits to switching to the Tablet PC from another computing platform, there are a few things that you must give up. For example, the Tablet PC has a smaller screen, no integrated removable drives, and a slower processor. But you gain handwriting and speech recognition capabilities, as well as the ability to use your computer instead of paper for almost everything.

Getting Used to Less Screen Real Estate

For me, getting used to less screen real estate was tough. I am a screen real estate hog. I used to only buy laptops with 1400x1050 displays. On top of that, I used a second 1280x1024 display. Now, I still have the external display, but my Tablet PC is only running at 1024x768.

Tip

Use a second screen to extend your desktop. This can help you be more productive than using the Tablet PC screen alone.

For those of you who don't want to know the numbers, I think bigger is better when it comes to screen real estate, because a bigger screen enables you to be more efficient in your work thanks to less scrolling and application swapping. But the trade-offs for the Tablet PC functionality are worth it.

What works well for me is to use a second display. I connect an LCD flat-screen to my Toshiba Portégé 3500 whenever I am at home or work. This gives me more screen real estate to work with. Writing this book would have been much more difficult had I not had the second display, as I am constantly going back and forth between Word, Photoshop, the file system, and other applications.

But when I travel, or feel like working on the back porch, I don't have the luxury of the second display. It's not really a problem then, though, because when I'm out and about, the size of the tablet is more welcome than lots of screen space. Also, when I am working in the "mobile" mode, I usually use the pen and the tablet more directly and don't need the confusion of a mouse and second display.

Portability Versus All-in-One

Another thing I miss about my laptop is the easy access to storage devices. Sure, I can easily connect my floppy drive, DVD/CD-RW drive, and external USB 2.0 drives to the Tablet PC, but there was something about being able to burn a CD whenever I needed to transfer data to others that I miss with the Tablet PC.

Note

You can still have a CD-ROM drive and floppy drive, they just won't be built into the Tablet PC. Make sure you get one that has fast data throughput capabilities, such as Firewire, USB 2.0, or PC card interface.

That said, I don't miss having those integrated peripherals as much as I thought I would especially when I'm traveling coach at 30,000 feet in the middle seat. There's just not enough room for it there (even on those so-called "extra leg room" flights).

In fact, I don't usually even carry my peripheral drives when I travel. I know that I can connect to the Internet, and thus email, about anywhere, which means I can transfer data even without the drives.

But if you're a big CD burner like I was (I used to burn about 20 CDs per month), you'll find it an adjustment, just as I did. On the flip side, I now have fewer junk CDs floating around than I used to.

The portability not to mention the extra functionality of the Tablet PC is just too great to go back now. Because I specify the computers we purchase for the companies I work with, my perspective has changed from one of "it's gotta have everything built in" to "it's gotta have the best functionality for the person using it." I didn't used to offer a small laptop option to my users, as I figured the large screen real estate and built-in peripherals were more important than the portability. I was only half right. It totally depends on the user.

Do I Always Use It in Slate Mode?

Simple answer: No. In fact, I rarely use it in slate mode (slate mode is when the tablet is configured so that you have no keyboard or mouse connected, and you are using the pen to do all the work). Mostly, I use the Tablet PC just like a laptop: connected to screen, keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals as needed.

Does this mean it's not worth paying extra for the Tablet PC functionality? No. In fact, when I can use the same device to act like a desktop machine and also a pen and paper, I'm getting a huge bang for the buck. I have stopped using paper for almost everything. I used to take copious notes on paper for all my ideas, and then transfer them as needed to my computer. This allowed me to sketch as I thought, being a visual thinker.

I don't do that any more. Now I figure if it's important enough to think about, it's important enough to keep. Digitally. In whatever form I want.

The Tablet PC allows me to take notes in meetings usually in slate mode. To type profusely usually in laptop mode. To travel easily slate mode again. Play games laptop mode.

Put simply, the Tablet PC allows me the freedom to work the way I want when I want, without toting around a ream of notes, an extra notebook, a planner, magazines, and books. I can keep it all on my Tablet PC if it's in digital form.

Note

You will learn when to use slate mode and when to use another mode if you have a convertible (that is, a Tablet PC that looks like a laptop, but can be converted to slate mode by swiveling the screen 180 degrees). Slate is great for reading and taking notes, while notebook mode is best for typing.

In fact, I have found that I love to listen to books about as much as I like to read them. These days, instead of lugging a hardback novel on the plane, I buy a book on tape, convert it to MP3, and then listen to it on my Tablet PC or MP3 player. With a 60 GB hard drive in my Toshiba Portégé 3500, I have plenty of room to store my music, books, and work-related applications and files. I also save journals in digital form so that I can access them wherever I am. Plus, I have the capability to purchase a subscription in digital form from many journals, which allows me to read the journal in Acrobat Reader, Zinio, Microsoft eBook Reader, or other applications. This creates a significant digital library that is with me wherever I go something you can do, too. Refer to Chapter 18 for more information on readers and content sources.

Back to the issue of using slate mode: Yes, I read in slate mode. The Tablet PC is made for it. It takes some getting used to, but the Tablet PC is a great reading platform. Just make sure you have an extra battery or two if you like to read for long periods of time.

Use the Tablet PC any way you like it's yours. Play with it in different modes. If you bought a slate, you can decide whether you want to carry the keyboard. I couldn't work effectively without a keyboard when I write, although I am starting to really like the speech-recognition capabilities of the Tablet PC which is why I got the Toshiba Portégé 3500. It is the fastest Tablet PC currently on the market, with a clamshell/convertible design and all the expandability I need. As you no doubt realize, different people have different needs; make sure your tablet is in sync with your needs.