Recommend me a Tablet PC

[dadevvtsvre]

I'm thinking of buying a tablet PC/laptop for myself in a couple of months. Thing is, I know almost nothing about them. I don't know if you guys do, either, but I figure most of you probably know more than me about computers c:

I'm not too picky about what kind I want. The most important thing (obviously) is that it has a tablet screen. I've got a few other things I'd like with it:
-hopefully less than $1500
-it's gotta last me a few years, at least. probably at least 3 or 4.
-at least 80 GB of storage
-doesn't have to do any hardcore processing
-Windows Vista or 7, doesn't matter

It's mostly for digital art and for writing. I'm not much of a gamer so it doesn't need a great video or sound card. It should be able to run basic programs like Photoshop and Painter (though I don't really know of a computer that doesn't)

I mean, I'm not a pro artist. I don't need something like a Cintiq. It's mostly just a hobby. As long as it's effective and won't die on me after two years, I'm happy.

I've been looking at the Lenovo ThinkPad because it's fairly cheap and has good reviews. I'm not very familiar with Lenovo, though, so I'm kind of cautious.

Do you guys have any better recommendations? I'd love to hear 'em. :j

 

[rey meustrus]

After having followed this industry closely for a while, I have some wisdom for you.

First, stay away from HP. They may make the cheapest tablet for the features, but the build quality is horrible and it won't last you one year, let alone two to three.

The convertible tablet market is pretty much going out the door at this point. I think it was a great idea, but never implemented properly and certainly never done at the right price for the average customer. The landscape hasn't really changed at all for the last year or so, which is largely because all manufacturers have been holding back in order to know more about the iPad before committing themselves to any new models. Now that it's out, I expect they've all gone gaga for the concept and are going to ditch the idea of a normal laptop form factor, where the screen swivels and lays down for the typical slate tablet. Not that the iPad device class is a good replacement, but these companies can act like really idiotic sheep sometimes.
[/rant]

Anyway, I would suggest that the Lenovo X200 is your best bet, with a couple of caveats. It does not have a touch pad, it only has the touch screen and the keyboard nub thing to replace the mouse. However, if you get the really nice ones with the combination multitouch and active digitizer screens, I suspect you will never want for a mouse again.

Also, beware of the fact that the X200 model refers to a tablet AND non-tablet model. The easiest way to tell what is being advertised is by the picture: if the screen hinges on a central point, it's the tablet, and if not, it's not the tablet.

I wouldn't downplay the importance of Windows 7, especially for a tablet. It has loads of interface improvements, many of which are specifically to make it easier to operate with a touch screen. So while I wouldn't advise paying more than a ~$100 premium for it, look for Windows 7.


That all said, a quick eBay search has revealed an X200 tablet with multitouch for $1000 buy-it-now. If I were you I'd check it out (it ends in a day). Ask the seller for more information, like if it has multitouch AND a pen. Since it comes with XP, you might want to look at buying a Windows 7 upgrade. (That link is for an upgrade product, which might be troublesome if you think you'll need to reinstall Windows at some point as you'll need to reinstall XP first, then 7, but I would still recommend it as it is 1/2 the price of a non-upgrade)

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Well, thanks for the advice, rey, I really appreciate it :3

You really think I should stay away from HP though? I've been kind of taking a liking to the HP TouchSmart tm2. I like the design, it's fairly cheap, and fits most of my requirements. (the glossy screen is kind of a turn off, though) and most reviews I've seen have liked it. I had no idea the durability was really that bad @_@

The big turnoff for the X200 for me is the price. It seems like something that's good for doing business and work on, but that's not really what I need a laptop for.

I'm sort of reconsidering what I'll be needing this laptop for, I guess. University's still a few years away, and by then I'll probably end up getting a more powerful desktop for most schoolwork. For now I'm really just looking for something casual to do some art and writing on, something I can bring to school when I have free time.

But yeah, I'll definitely take your words into consideration, rey. thanks

 

[rey meustrus]

I hadn't heard of that model before. It looks a lot better than their previous models. The main problem with its durability, for me, was the AMD Turion processor and nVidia 6150 graphics card. They seem to have ditched AMD with this latest model, and they haven't used that eight-year-old graphics chipset for a couple of years now. They seem to have thought about battery life this time, so you won't get the ~1.5 hours that I got.

So, I don't know what to say for you now. It's still the same cheap plastic frame, and it seems that none of the tablets come with internal DVD drives anymore (strange for the HP since their tablets were supposed to be some kind of media PC deal). They may be using Intel processors now, but it's the ULV line that is really underpowered for the sake of battery life. It's still more powerful than a netbook, but you won't be able to decently run any newer games ( <3 years old ).