PDA for viewing .docs .ppt .pdf files

Firejack · 27-10-2005, 12:02 AM

Recently I've started University and am looking at regaining my paper-less work environment I enjoyed at College. The problem is lots of notes are printouts of Word Docs/PDF files and Power-point Presentations. Would a PDA be suitable for reading such document types and adding small notes? (Never owned a PDA before)
Not to bothered about extras like Media Players/Cameras/Games but Bluetooth would be exceptionally useful.
Have around £200 to spend. Any recommendations? Really hope this will be enough as it has to smarter then spending £4 a week on printouts then lugging a full A4 folder around

Thanks for any advice.

TheAnimus · 27-10-2005, 06:48 PM

depends on your eye sight and ability to take notes in a small screen.

myself i can't actually do it. I had an ipaq 5555, a larger and more powerful than most. But it wasn't enough for exactly this purpose.

a Tablet PC, however, full slate 10inch ones are so light, and tiny, were talking 1.5lb weight here. They also seam to retain value well. Problem is second hand starting price is about £400. But its seriously worth saving up for (maybe waiting till after xmas, a few months pay cheques what ever your income is) tablets just kick arse.

herulach · 27-10-2005, 07:01 PM

Tablet Pc is seconded, or get yourself one of the 50 pound samsung lasers and a locker at uni, having a laser printer is so much better than an inkjet for printing out papers etc.
To answer your original question, ive not seen any pda software that can annotate a pdf, you might be able to do powe****** but i havent tried.

Matt1eD · 27-10-2005, 08:30 PM

i third a tablet PC, they are very good... do save up for them. But make sure you read the reviews, they can be a bit weird some of them... particularly the digitizer which aligns your pen with it. You want a decent powered one, good quality screen and power life is important. If you could afford it, i would go for an IBM (now Lenovo) one:

http://www.pc.ibm.com/europe/thinkpa....html?uk&cc=uk

Realiable (and expensive) with extra features like disk protection, fingerprint reader e.t.c. - particularly useful as using whilst moving around and security on campus.

Firejack · 27-10-2005, 10:03 PM

Tablet PC would be awesome. Played around with a couple of them in the past. However they are out of my budget.

Originally Posted by TheAnimus

..But its seriously worth saving up for (maybe waiting till after xmas, a few months pay cheques what ever your income is....

Income? University so far has been spend spend spend. No job to speak of after moving here nor any chance of getting one with my timetable

Looks like I'm stuck with paper for now then *yuck*. Really thought I'd ended that threat of papercuts once and for all in my life

Cheers for the help.

herulach · 27-10-2005, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by Firejack

Tablet PC would be awesome. Played around with a couple of them in the past. However they are out of my budget. Income? University so far has been spend spend spend. No job to speak of after moving here nor any chance of getting one with my timetable

Looks like I'm stuck with paper for now then *yuck*. Really thought I'd ended that threat of papercuts once and for all in my life

Cheers for the help.

50 quid laser it is then. linky

TheAnimus · 28-10-2005, 12:26 AM

yup tablet pcs just kick so much arse. Enless your a mac user, in which case they scare you (its a well documented fact that useabality and innovation scare mac users).

also check out the (free) microsoft education pack:
(big highlight for me is the equaiton program!)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...k/default.mspx

You can view ppt files with 3rd party software on a pda, but its just horrible.

second hand you can get a 9 hour battery life tablet pc for £700 without much of a problem (£550 for the second hand tablet, £150 for the new battery). This is a rolls royace of a machine.

Whilst thats some 4 times your budget, its better to save up than throw your money away. (imo). Uni will cost u lotsa money, i spend all the money i earn on toys + recreation, loan for accomodation costs. Work during the holidays, it makes them seam more worthwhile.

Matt1eD · 28-10-2005, 09:48 AM

I love OneNote, and that on a TPC would keep me happy for a long time. I wouldn't be using a TPC as much atm (although there are some instances... brainstorming whether for a program, business idea or work - but I normally prefer to do that on paper, however often whilst walking around). I do often do essay plans in Visio. In terms of money if you can code....

www.rentacoder.com

It won't support you for life, but will bring in easy 50 quids frequently - if you are good, you could do the $100/$200 jobs in a free evening. I've seen some for $500 where people are paying for solutions which are either open source already or out there as freeware - those who don't want them bespoked are paying you 100 quid to do something which already exists. I have seen however some impossible tasks - normally due to the need to reverse engineer something (illegal) to incorporate it.

As for $5000 jobs e.t.c. you probably don't have time to do those. You could easily do a some 100 quid jobs and bring in a bit... then there's also handango if you have a decent idea for PPC.

TheAnimus · 28-10-2005, 01:03 PM

OneNote is great, i prefer it to paper on a TPC.

I do virtually all my program design on my TPC, i want a clamp to hold at an angle on my desk to the right of my mouse.

Matt1eD · 28-10-2005, 01:59 PM

I shall start making those clamps and become rich

A friend and I have just started writing some bespoke software for a couple of local businesses, whenever I start a program.... even if it's adding two single integers together I will start on my whiteboard and plan from there... then put into Viso & OneNote, then work out a timeline (normally in the form of a gannt diagram). I love Office

. What's I'd really like would be a TPC, then an interactive whiteboard... *steals schools - and takes TPC of back of truck*

TheAnimus · 28-10-2005, 08:59 PM

Whilst we're going waaay off topic now, i would like to say how much i prefer a tablet pc to an interactive whiteboard. I've used lots of different makes of IWs and i've yet to be remotely impressed. Rear-projection/lcd/plasma are the only ones worth thinking about, even then there buggy, don't allow multipul pens at once and few have pressure. I'm not a IW expert thou, so there might be some out there that can, i've just yet to come accross one in a school (i visit lotsa schools!).

Tablet PCs are just all round fab. Diagramming, Design, Maths in fact everything except typing is better on a tablet PC.

atm i use a "cushtie" to get that perfect angle on my desk, works well but needs me to keep it in place. Its very much a nice compliment to my multidisplay full size keyboard + good mouse desktop for programming, but truely comes into its own for note taking.

Matt1eD · 29-10-2005, 09:27 AM

If I had the money I would defo. go for one of the Lenovos....

http://www.tabletpcreviewspot.com/de...asp?newsID=275

Good features & reliable. Speed is not what I'm after, it's the need to take notes and look at emails whilst wandering around.

The TPC market seems to have boomed loads since even last year. imo that's a good thing!

Matt1eD · 29-10-2005, 09:15 PM

And then you can make use of this:

http://www.arcsoffire.com/default.aspx

TheAnimus · 30-10-2005, 12:59 PM

I prefer the feal of the toshiba M4 (bigger screen) but battery life is disapointing.

I'm seriously considering selling my tablet (an old portege) my laptop (2.8ghz P4 for gaming, M10 gfx) and my 1.6ghz P-M notebook (for 'testing' stuff) to buy a new M4 (with good gfx). Second battery would be needed, but weight dosen't worry me at all (i'm 6"4, and used to carrying round that 2.8ghz beastie!)

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