Mystery Man
First Post
Mercule said:
The possibilities are endless.
And no I don't have a problem with the glass screen, but then that's all I've ever worked with (I had no idea there were different types!
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Tablet PCs
- Thread starter Mercule
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The possibilities are endless.
And no I don't have a problem with the glass screen, but then that's all I've ever worked with (I had no idea there were different types!
)hewhocaves
Explorer
I got a Toshiba M200 back in september. I do a lot of drawing and cartoons and maps (not the DnD kind any more, sadly) and needed a laptop so it was a natural progression for me. The toshiba's nice; the graphics card is good (I can play city of Heroes on it) and I like being able to whip out a sketch. And yes, it is a conversation starter.
It's a great tool, but it's not an essential one. If you find that you are doing a lot of drawing, then scanning and the drawing isn't overwhelmingly detailed then a tablet might be for you. But you can get around it. A good regular laptop with integrated wireless would have done 85% of the same thing and I could have lived without the 15%.
The downside is that you're still paying top dollar for it (my 1.6 cost almost 2K when you take tax into account, and that's with an external CD R/W drive bought seperately for $40-) Tablet software is still slightly buggy and the drivers for it lag wayyyy behind. The non-ofiicial patches that bring them up to speed don't work 100% well with the pen driver.
Like all things in life, it's a trade-off. If you're really serious, I recommend this site
http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/
I searched for about a year before I finally decided. Windows XP SP2 was the dealmaker for me. Apparantly before that, handwriting recognition was much more ify. It's still not where I'd like it to be, though, but then I have a lot of chicken scratch.
John
It's a great tool, but it's not an essential one. If you find that you are doing a lot of drawing, then scanning and the drawing isn't overwhelmingly detailed then a tablet might be for you. But you can get around it. A good regular laptop with integrated wireless would have done 85% of the same thing and I could have lived without the 15%.
The downside is that you're still paying top dollar for it (my 1.6 cost almost 2K when you take tax into account, and that's with an external CD R/W drive bought seperately for $40-) Tablet software is still slightly buggy and the drivers for it lag wayyyy behind. The non-ofiicial patches that bring them up to speed don't work 100% well with the pen driver.
Like all things in life, it's a trade-off. If you're really serious, I recommend this site
http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/
I searched for about a year before I finally decided. Windows XP SP2 was the dealmaker for me. Apparantly before that, handwriting recognition was much more ify. It's still not where I'd like it to be, though, but then I have a lot of chicken scratch.
John
Kiln Publications
First Post
I know it's not the same for DM'ing but our vet has one that they use at the office (Gateway) and he has a wireless network card and he loves it. He was showing me it this past Satruday and the thing looks fantastic. He has ben using it since I think June and he has had no problems with it...so if it hold up for a vet I am sure it's pretty durable...
WingOver
First Post
I have a screen protector on mine. It changes the "feel" a little, gives it a little more resistance. It feels good and natural.
I've scanned my books into PDFs and read them in bed. I open OneNote and jot down campaign ideas at the same time. I wonder if PDFs will become more popular as tablets catch on? I've actually contemplated buying a WOTC PDF because the tablet allows you to view them in portrait mode. Still, a book lets you see 2 pages at once, something a tablet won't ever be able to do.
Mercule, keep us posted on your new tablet.
I've scanned my books into PDFs and read them in bed. I open OneNote and jot down campaign ideas at the same time. I wonder if PDFs will become more popular as tablets catch on? I've actually contemplated buying a WOTC PDF because the tablet allows you to view them in portrait mode. Still, a book lets you see 2 pages at once, something a tablet won't ever be able to do.
Mercule, keep us posted on your new tablet.
Mercule
Adventurer
Had a bit of a let down on Friday. Gateway had sent me a note saying they'd sent stuff Fed Ex and gave me the tracking number, etc. Turned out I should have read the email fully -- it was just the extra software I'd ordered. *sigh* Spent a few minutes cussing, even though it was my misunderstanding. The official estimate is that I'll get it Friday, but it hasn't shipped, yet, so it's not a guarantee.
Wingover, where did you get your screen protector? I don't see them anywhere on the Gateway site. Is it something that can be found at, say, a Best Buy?
I agree with you about the PDFs. I always said I wouldn't have much use for PDF books until I had a tablet. Now, I'm sure I'll at least load the SRD, just to have it available and searchable. I anticipate starting to buy a few more PDFs, too. I still don't think I want to mess with DRM or paying the same for a PDF as a dead tree, though -- I might surprise myself, though, once I get used to it.
Wingover, where did you get your screen protector? I don't see them anywhere on the Gateway site. Is it something that can be found at, say, a Best Buy?
I agree with you about the PDFs. I always said I wouldn't have much use for PDF books until I had a tablet. Now, I'm sure I'll at least load the SRD, just to have it available and searchable. I anticipate starting to buy a few more PDFs, too. I still don't think I want to mess with DRM or paying the same for a PDF as a dead tree, though -- I might surprise myself, though, once I get used to it.
WingOver
First Post
Sorry to hear about the delay! I had to wait 2 weeks for mine and that drove me nuts.
My tablet came with a couple of screen protectors in the box. I beleive they're also available from third parties... I've read about it but never followed up because I don't need to buy any (yet).
I agree with you on the price of WOTC PDFs. That's a whole other can of worms that I didn't want to get into. But if the price was right (and perhaps some day, it will be), I may go entirely electronic.
I really think that once tablets catch on and publishers get less skittish about piracy (or develop methods to help curtail it), we'll experience a surge in electronic content. Publishers could potentially make a lot more profit while charging less to the consumer.
My tablet came with a couple of screen protectors in the box. I beleive they're also available from third parties... I've read about it but never followed up because I don't need to buy any (yet).
I agree with you on the price of WOTC PDFs. That's a whole other can of worms that I didn't want to get into. But if the price was right (and perhaps some day, it will be), I may go entirely electronic.
I really think that once tablets catch on and publishers get less skittish about piracy (or develop methods to help curtail it), we'll experience a surge in electronic content. Publishers could potentially make a lot more profit while charging less to the consumer.
Mystery Man
First Post
Mercule
Adventurer
Raloc said:I just bought one of these from Gateway. Won't ship out for 2 weeks!Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get as much stuff ready for it as I can
Ha! A convert (or something). I will say that I'm finding a pen to be a much more natural way to navigate than a mouse. Also, it is pretty cool to handwrite stuff on a message board.
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