Scribblette
Member
Been picking between lowcost refurbished Tablet PCs off of ebay. I was wondering what other artists here use, if anything, and recommend (or recommend against).
Incidentally, I've already interrogated the sellers thoroughly about dead pixels and screen condition so wouldn't be getting a bum deal.
For my budget and delivery to Australia (about $600 USD or ~$700 AUD) the main choices I have seem to be the Toshiba M200 Portege and the Gateway M275. The stats the two machines have are very similar and on review sites around the place both have folk alternately complaining and loving them for similar things.
The Gateway is heavier and chunkier... but has its own optical drive, so formatting/reinstalling the OS isn't a pain. The 14" screen has a polished glass finish so tends to reflect things like ceiling lights. It has a native res of 1024*768 - I think. The default pen doesn't have an eraser function, though you can buy a new one. The reviews call it a notebook first and tablet second.
The Toshiba is lighter but has no optical drive. It doesn't boot off a USB drive either - and apparently only reads off Toshiba CD/DVD drives. However I've spoken to people who simply formatted/reinstalled their hard drive through another laptop, then swapped it in. The 12" screen has a more traditional tablet finish - slightly rougher, so apparently the pen would handle better. Native res of 1400 by 1050 (or thereabouts). Can get it with an extended 3 year warranty for around $80 USD so it's serviceable at local repair centers - there's one a few streets away from where I live. The impression I have is that it's a tablet first and notebook second.
Any suggestions? Particularly regarding what would be the better screen - smooth or rough?
Incidentally, I've already interrogated the sellers thoroughly about dead pixels and screen condition so wouldn't be getting a bum deal.
For my budget and delivery to Australia (about $600 USD or ~$700 AUD) the main choices I have seem to be the Toshiba M200 Portege and the Gateway M275. The stats the two machines have are very similar and on review sites around the place both have folk alternately complaining and loving them for similar things.
The Gateway is heavier and chunkier... but has its own optical drive, so formatting/reinstalling the OS isn't a pain. The 14" screen has a polished glass finish so tends to reflect things like ceiling lights. It has a native res of 1024*768 - I think. The default pen doesn't have an eraser function, though you can buy a new one. The reviews call it a notebook first and tablet second.
The Toshiba is lighter but has no optical drive. It doesn't boot off a USB drive either - and apparently only reads off Toshiba CD/DVD drives. However I've spoken to people who simply formatted/reinstalled their hard drive through another laptop, then swapped it in. The 12" screen has a more traditional tablet finish - slightly rougher, so apparently the pen would handle better. Native res of 1400 by 1050 (or thereabouts). Can get it with an extended 3 year warranty for around $80 USD so it's serviceable at local repair centers - there's one a few streets away from where I live. The impression I have is that it's a tablet first and notebook second.
Any suggestions? Particularly regarding what would be the better screen - smooth or rough?