05-08-2009, 05:39 PM | #1 |
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Tablet PC.
So I was down town Toronto today and stopped in at a small clearance laptop store and picked up a Thinkpad X41 Tablet for a great price.
Guess what? It's the best thing I've found for reading PDF's on. Granted it's overkill for just reading on, but since I needed a laptop computer anyway it will work out for me. I'll snap a picture or two later today when I find my wife's camera. Edit: Found the camera, but I am very bad at taking pics. The first one is ereader running, and the second is adobe. Last edited by shighfield; 05-08-2009 at 06:11 PM. Reason: Added pictures. |
05-08-2009, 07:04 PM | #2 |
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Where in Toronto and what was the price?
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05-08-2009, 07:19 PM | #3 |
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Very nice! I love my tablet UMPC that also does a great job with PDF files. And, of course, since it's a computer, it does so much more than that.
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05-08-2009, 09:39 PM | #4 |
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www.laptopcloseout.ca I was down on yorkville and saw them. Some good prices on the website too!
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05-08-2009, 10:32 PM | #5 |
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Sweeeeet find!!! You MUST bring it to the (first) Toronto meet-up (that's in the works, and not yet officially announced).
If I didn't already have a 10" netbook, I too might have considered it. Though, my daughter, after seeing a Tablet PC being used in a Family/Disney Channel movie, has been pestering me... |
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05-09-2009, 09:30 AM | #6 |
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For those interested, ebay currently has this model located in Canada with free shipping to Cdn destinations for approx. $406 CAD. Link Here
Anyway, it wasn't my intent to make this thread into "find the best deal" but it's an alternative to a dedicated ebook reader device that is multi-functional and able to read pdfs without issues. I know talking about pdfs appears to be taboo but the reality is that a lot of documentation is currently available only in pdf format so having a decent screen size to read it without a lot of conversion fuss is good. I must admit to "kinda" holding out on what Apple *may* have in store for a tablet device. With any luck, we may hear of something next month (June). However, I'm fully expecting that such a device will be circa $1K compared to this device which can be had for approximately half the cost and still satisfy my needs. Last edited by All4Fun; 05-09-2009 at 09:37 AM. |
05-09-2009, 09:44 AM | #7 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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05-09-2009, 11:19 AM | #8 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
Now's the time to start saving, for that, by NOT BUYING ANYMORE GADGETS, Dad! |
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05-09-2009, 02:57 PM | #9 |
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There is nothing taboo about talking about PDF. We even have a section devoted to it. There are a few users who like to bad mouth it but then they like to bad mouth lots of things so what else is new.
Dale |
05-09-2009, 03:26 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
SHighfield: How's your experience been with the tablet thus far? Still happy with it? |
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05-09-2009, 03:46 PM | #11 | ||
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Quote:
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Shawn |
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05-09-2009, 03:50 PM | #12 | |
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Quote:
The fact it swivels into a normal "Laptop" is great as I just chucked it into my briefcase and now I have a laptop for work again. (I had been using an old G4 iBook (also 12")). It works better with my company's software then a netbook as well since it's 1024x768. |
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05-14-2009, 04:30 AM | #13 |
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I think any tablets that size or bigger, the ones with the rotating around screens that become the back... are way too heavy to hold in your hands like a book to read. Also you should consider that how comfortable you are reading an LCD screen, which is what you will get with a tablet PC. I am student and own a mac tablet for reading and taking notes, working while travelling is almost my daily activity.
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05-14-2009, 08:45 AM | #14 |
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My Ebookwise is still the best for reading in bed, but the tablet works fine while sitting at a table or in my chair. Again I mainly use it as a PC, but it's nice to have something to read those pesky PDF files on.
As for LCD screen I am not bothered by them I prefer the convience of a backlit screen over the e-ink. |
05-14-2009, 11:07 AM | #15 |
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So following shighfield's (Shawn's) post, I went ahead and purchased a used X41 because I was intrigued by the possibilities of using a tablet for reading ebooks and pdfs. I must admit that I'm a little regretful with the purchase because the battery included only lasts about 1.5 hrs. but that's a purchasing gaffe that I made.
Anyway, here are my pros and cons in no particular order with using a tablet PC for reading ebooks: Battery life - At least 3 hours would work better for me. Obviously, purchasing a new tablet (with a new battery) or a new battery alone would help with this problem. Weight - Although the X41 is advertised to be 3.5 lbs with the 8-cell battery, it does feel awkward and heavy to get comfortable with for reading ebooks for a long period of time. A dedicated ebook reader is far more comfortable. Heat Dissipation - While holding the tablet, I can feel the heat being blown out of it which is not necessarily very comfortable. Ebook Experience - I can read any format on the 12" screen with any font I like . Using the LCD screen for reading doesn't bother me. Flexibility - I can use the device for more than just reading books. What I would like to have is a "slate" PC that could do everything above but be 2 pounds or lighter at a reasonable price (~$500). I'm not in the "know" on what's available out there but the very popular HP 2730P and Lenovo x200t tablet PCs are still 3.5 lbs and are still about $1000 CAD or more. I don't know what slate PCs exist today and I would have to do a little research to get myself up to speed. |
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