Tablet PC as ebook reader

[Beau]

Other good sites for info on tablets, UMPCs and functionality are:

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/

and

http://ubertablet.blogspot.com/2007/...tablet-pc.html

of course both of these guys are on the front uber-techno edge of what is curently out there. they both post vids of products in actual use however.

[jbenny]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Thanks, wayspooled! But to simplify my question, I'm just looking for a way to find out which tablets use a pressure-sensitive pen, if you like, vs. those that are "touch sensitive" and will work with any stylus (or a fingernail). I am not, at this time, concerned about how many pressure levels are supported, or niceties like that.

My understanding is that a full-size Tablet PC, running Windows has to use a Wacom digitizer and pen, as the specs from Microsoft dictate. This means that a Tablet PC can't be used with your finger or other object. It only works with an active stylus. I know this is true of my Fujitsu tablet. This may not be true of early tablets, before MS defined what a Tablet PC was.

I don't know the specs on the UMPC (Origami) devices, but I think these use a passive stylus?

[Bob Russell]

My Lenovo x61 tablet has both as an option -- you can either touch the screen or you can use the Wacom pen. I thought I'd use touch sensitive most, but I'm finding that I love the Wacom pen.

[|2eason]

I'm pretty sure that whilst tablets need to be penabled, they needn't use Wacom digitizers. Microsoft would be sued into the gutter if they only supported one particular brand.

[nekokami]

A "Tablet PC" might have to use a pressure-sensitive pen, however, as opposed to a touch sensitive screen. That would leave the digitizer vendor open. Any confirmation on this?

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

My Lenovo x61 tablet has both as an option -- you can either touch the screen or you can use the Wacom pen.

Motion Computing offers a switchable model too, I'm very interested to see others doing the same, I thought they were the only ones.

Originally Posted by mogui

That sounds interesting! What are you referring to?

Annnnd a month later, he answers! (Sorry for the long delay. Combination of temporary boonies assignment and burglared apartment.)

Anyway, you are correct. The lowend price I mentioned was for refurbished and overstock that a local dealer here in Kansas has occasionally. Still, to me that means if you keep you eyes open and can find them in this technological wasteland the same must be available in areas of REAL civilization. However, this is an assumption on my part and the word "assumption" is based from the word "assume" so.....

(Though I was also trusting that one of the models I saw was a convertible since a friend of mine says that it was the same as his model. Turns out he meant BEFORE he modded it into a tablet with some machine work and an Airmouse. Should have known. This is the same friend who modded his Newton into a tricorder replica. To many of my engineering associates are cheap. Brilliant but cheap.)

[mogui]

Someone in another thread mentioned the HTC Advantage. It is not expensive and you can even use it as a cell phone.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by mogui

Someone in another thread mentioned the HTC Advantage. It is not expensive and you can even use it as a cell phone.

Makes it look too easy! I'd figure there is an additional two weeks worth of parts making and machining to factor in also. If your time is worth something, buying one like a Roland is much cheaper.

[Azayzel]

Nekokami, If you're still wondering about the pressure-sensitive models, thought I'd pipe in my 2 cents. Most Tablets have nice hard screens so you can apply as little or much pressure as you're comfortable with. I'd stear clear of any that doesn't have this feature, otherwise you'll scar it up pretty quickly (not to mention, it feels weird trying to write/draw on a semi-giving surface). My Compaq TC1000 has a nice hard screen and I have yet to scratch it, though the pen requires a AAAA battery. While some people like batteryless pens, I like mine due to it actually feeling substantial vs. holding a straw. A while back I had Photoshop loaded on it and fiddled around quite a bit, I also tried the Alias Wavefront version, both were a lot of fun. It's nice being able to actually draw using a pen and seeing results without having draw in one place and see your output elsewhere.

One other thing to note, if you're mainly going to be using the TabletPC for drawing, you may want to stick with one that is slate-mode vs. convertable spin-around types, which tend to be a bit bulkier than the minimalist slates. Good luck!

[nekokami]

I think I need to explain what I meant by "pressure sensitive." With some pens and screens, if you press harder, you get a thicker line (or more bleed, or a different, darker color-- it depends on what the drawing software supports). These screens only work with specific pens. A common vendor is Wacom.

The alternative is a "touch sensitive" screen, which will work with any blunt instrument (including a fingernail) and will sometimes also pick up stray marks from your hand touching the screen.

I'm interested in a tablet with a pressure sensitive screen because the art programs that support it use it to make a much more naturalistic drawing/painting experience. Artrage (http://artrage.com) is a good example of an inexpensive program that can do this without requiring a blazing processor, though it still prefers a fair amount of memory. The Gimp is a free program that needs a faster processor and more memory. Photoshop can support these pens and is quite expensive and needs a fast processor and tons of memory.

Hopefully that will help explain what I was asking about, which will in turn help anyone who wants to try to provide useful information to me (which I always appreciate!)

[Azayzel]

I'm fully aware of what a pressure-sensitive screen is, if that comment was for me . I merely summed up my experience for you based on what I gathered from your earlier posts; i.e., you didn't want a pressure sensitive screen a la PDA device and wanted something you could draw on without any issues. There are several different varieties of Tablets available, though the slates tend to lend themselves better for art usage; unless you want to lug around the extra weight of a larger battery or the keyboard. While the Compaq TC1000 does use an active digitizer pen, it didn't support various pressure levels, though the TC1100 may have. Some even have digital erasers built-in, so you can flip the pen over and erase any errors that you made.

The OQO I have now, while it has a built-in Wacom digitizer, is too small for any practical drawing applications, unless you like doodling on large Post-It notes! Not to mention the screen is of the variety I mentioned in my earlier posts; i.e., it doesn't have a hard piece of plastic stuck over it so it always feels as if you might accidentally smash it in if you press too hard.

Good luck on your search!

[nekokami]

Thanks, Azayzel. I'd as soon have a slate, as I have other computers for more text-oriented purposes. I have a convertible on loan from work, and it's ok, but doesn't have enough memory to do much in the way of art. (It runs ArtRage ok, but can't handle large files.)

I'd really prefer something that would allow me to use the pressure sensitivity with Linux, but that's a whole 'nother ballgame. I've got Linux installed on the unit from work, but though I got the pen working, I couldn't get the Gimp to recognize the pressure levels. (I also couldn't get the screen to rotate, though that's a very secondary issue in my mind.)

[LaughingVulcan]

I have used Fujitsu ST4xxx series Tablets, a Palm T|X, and a Sony Reader.

At the time I found that Fujitsu tablet most excellent for ebook reading using eReader Pro and MS Reader. And the programs are optimized for Tablet PC IIRC - at least both work nicely for either portrait or landscape mode. I usually used it in Portrait mode.

So why did I go on to get a Sony Reader, and use it exclusively for pleasure reading now? Two reasons:

a) I'm married, and the Tablet screen light, even on dim, disturbed my wife's sleep. No matter how I oriented myself in bed, the light flowed from my screen towards me and thus to my wife. A backlight for the Reader doesn't do that, and I can use a dimmer bulb than the lowest brightness setting on the Tablet. (Plus the frustration of having to play with the Tablet's brightness settings twice a day - not a long process, but tiresome in repetition.) Now she's happy at night, and I am too.

b) While the Tablet is holdable in one hand, it's still pretty large and cumbersome. I didn't mind it - and preferred the larger screen to any handheld PDA. But when an alternative became available, I snapped at it as quickly as I could.

and a bonus c) The hard drive burned out on my first Tablet after about eighteen months of hard usage. I don't have to worry about a hard drive with the Reader.

That said, a Tablet is still a very good choice. You have color if you wish and if supported, and display of PDF in letter size is very readable and nice. Even though I've switched to the Reader for all casual reading, that's a very individual decision and mileage varies much when considering the decision of what to purchase.

Best, of course, is if you can find what you're interested in and try it out before buying. Then you know you've gotten what you want.

[DNel]

I have been looking into convertible tablet/slate PC's as my next computer purchase. I have eliminated the slate for lack of a keyboard with no real weight savings. I have recently purchased(?) the Sony eReader with Sony points. I have found that one of the better sources for tablet PC info is from Gottabemobile.com

Originally Posted by NatCh

Motion Computing offers a switchable model too, I'm very interested to see others doing the same, I thought they were the only ones.

There is also Tabletkiosk's i440D that swithes between touch and active digitizer with a button click.

As for any purchase that is that major, I would highly recommend getting a first-hand look at the device before you buy, to make sure it will work for you... catalogs and websites can't tell you what it's like in your hand.

I whole heartedly agree. I think it was mentioned earlier that you can get a 48 hour test demo of select tablet PC's from allegiance Technology Partners (www.alltp.com)

The main drawbacks to the tablet are portability, weight and battery life (3-4 hours w/o WiFi).

There are a number of tablets (convertibles) that have come down in weight to around 3-3.5 lbs. and have battery lives around 7-9 hours (Fujitsu t2010 and HP 2710p) Slates tend to weigh a little less but don't have a keyboard. The Fujitsu has hardware buttons an the bezel(?) that will allow for page turns so you don't need to use the pen. To be honest, touch screens don't interest me as I'm comfortable using a pen and if there are hardware buttons for minor tasks all the better. Using my desktop to read eBooks just doesn't cut it and the Sony eReader does what I expect from it wonderfully. A tablet I believe will combine the best of both with the biggest plus being able to read many different formats.