cdexchange Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Bumping this and looking for tablet advice from any college students on SS. I'm entering PA school and I'm seriously considering buying my first tablet (to take notes, annotate pdf's, read textbooks, etc.) I don't want to lug 20 lbs of text books and notebooks around with me all day. Do you guys have any recommendations for good tablets for students? I know many of you probably have iPads, but I'm not really an Apple guy (the only Apple product I've ever used was an iPod, never a computer). I have an Android phone so I'm familiar with that OS. My early choice after a little research is the Galaxy Note 10.1, which seems like a good choice for note taking. It's been dropping down below $300 for a factory refurb (I think $300 is my max price point). Also, any essential apps I should get for note taking and organizing? I've been reading up on Evernote, Papyrus, and Onenote, but I just can't decide. Thanks to anyone who can help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 If you plan on taking notes, I highly recommend you go out and try doing that on display units in the store. I'm okay with Android as a basic mobile platform, and I am definitely not a Mac guy, but I prefer the Apple mobile platform and the reasons start with being able to type accurately and quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdexchange Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) If you plan on taking notes, I highly recommend you go out and try doing that on display units in the store. I'm okay with Android as a basic mobile platform, and I am definitely not a Mac guy, but I prefer the Apple mobile platform and the reasons start with being able to type accurately and quickly. Hey Sizzle, the Note comes with the S-Pen stylus, which is designed specifically for writing on the screen and then translating that to text. I would never dream of typing notes in class (especially onto a screen). I can always add a bluetooth keyboard if I need to do a lot of typing. Edited July 18, 2014 by cdexchange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJFIVEOH Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 (edited) I just got a Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 last week. Love it! It's on sale for $400 so it might be a little over your budget. I do know the Tab version with the S-pen adds about $100 to the price. But for note-taking the Tab might be best for you, as has been mentioned. If you can't go above $300 and the S-pen isn't a must, I was impressed with the Asus MeMO Pad FD 10. Edit: For some reason I missed your last post. If writing on screen is a must you're going to be limited in choices. The Tab is one of your only choices, but I think HP makes some tablets equipped with a stylus. Edited July 18, 2014 by JJFIVEOH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 I have never been able to get used to "writing" on a screen, or an input tablet for that matter like a Wacom. I suppose it's something you get used to over time, like any tech, but if that's the plan you're going to need one right away to get used to it. The machine will need to learn your style and you're going to need to learn the machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdexchange Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Yeah I really want to buy one in the next week or two so I can have enough time to get used to it before the fall semester begins. JJ: I think you mean the Note, not the Tab. The Note is the one with the S-Pen I believe. That seems to add about $100 to the price (above the comparable Tab), making the going rate around $500 for the Note 10.1 But I've been seeing factory refurbs pop up on ebay lately close to the $300 mark, and I think I'm gonna jump on that next time. Anybody have any idea what the release cycle is like for these things? I'm hoping the new models will be released soon, which will of course drive the price of the current ones way down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJFIVEOH Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Yeah I really want to buy one in the next week or two so I can have enough time to get used to it before the fall semester begins. JJ: I think you mean the Note, not the Tab. The Note is the one with the S-Pen I believe. That seems to add about $100 to the price (above the comparable Tab), making the going rate around $500 for the Note 10.1 But I've been seeing factory refurbs pop up on ebay lately close to the $300 mark, and I think I'm gonna jump on that next time. Anybody have any idea what the release cycle is like for these things? I'm hoping the new models will be released soon, which will of course drive the price of the current ones way down... Oops, thanks. Yeah I meant the note. But, I have the Tab...... I got that part right haha. Not sure how important the 10" is to you, but I see the 8" Note is on sale for $330. As far as cycling, I don't know about the Samsung. I do know they come with the latest processors and 4.4 operating system while many of the other tablets are behind. That was a selling point to me because I got the impression they were going to stick with the current model for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdexchange Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Pulled the trigger on the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition, manufacturer refurb for $299 (and free shipping and no tax). Here's the link if anyone else is interested: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-Tablet-2014-Edition-10-1-Inch-Wi-Fi-16GB-SM-P600-Android/360999188509?customid=28168dec5d3640daa301a1c7f78a6965&pub=5574652453&afepn=5337259887&campid=5337259887&pt=US_Tablets&hash=item540d3a781d&afepn=5337259887 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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