Transformer Prime vs new laptop

[Jostayl]

Alright so I've found myself in somewhat of a sticky situation. The current laptop i am using is about three years old and starting to show signs of hardware deterioration. Im debating whether to replace it with a new laptop or go with an android tablet...... the transformer prime. So this is my current situation.
-I am an engineering student so writing papers and what not should not be much of an issue.
-My laptop i currently have is fully capable of running any web-based programs or office suites. (the prime is also capable of running my school's email and student system on its browser.)
- I also have a newer quadcore desktop that is capable of running autodesk and any other random engineering program i may need.
-What i really need is something that has good battery life, enough power to be productive, and still be able to screw around with and have some fun with.
-The tablet only needs to get through one school year before i have the funds to buy a new laptop.

So now that you have an idea of what my situation is with all this, I'd love to hear some suggestions

 

[chanchan05]

You have a desktop to do the heavy lifting. So yeah, go for the tablet. As for being productive, it would depend on what you define as productive. Android may not have the apps you need for some stuff.

 

[breadnatty08]

I have a Prime in addition to a desktop (barely ever used) and a laptop (main driver). The keyboard on the Prime is okay, a little cramped though which is why I do my main typing on my massive tank of a laptop.
The Prime's battery life is absolutely stellar. The screen is beautiful, web browsing is fast, Gmail is very well optimized and it's pretty light. I generally use it when I leave the house (laptop really is a tank).
Looks like there isn't a ton of "productivity" that you'll use it for, am I correct? What is your budget? If you're not looking for a >70% of the time (okay, I made that number up) consumption device, I'd still consider a new laptop as the Prime+keyboard will run you quite a bit.

 

[substring]

I have a laptop issued by my employer to do all my work stuffs. For non-work stuffs (and sometime things related to work), I can do it all on my tablet. I think tablet can now be a laptop replacement for the most part, except some heavy-duty computing work.

As you can see on my profile, I have the 4G Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I don't know the Transformer, so I cannot comment on its capability. But the 4G Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a very capable tablet.

If you decide to dive in and take the tablet route, make sure you install the Swiftkey for Tablet. I actually paid for it. It is the best keyboard on the market and it allows me to type very quickly with my two thumbs while holding the tablet, which is my preferred way.

 

[TheyCallMeBT]

If I needed to buy a new laptop for basic stuff (not video editing or photoshop, just browsing, email, and light typing), I think I'd consider the Transformer with the keyboard, too. You can always leave your desktop turned on through the day and connect to it through a remote desktop app on the tablet if needed a full computer to get what you needed done.

A funny thing that I've thought of that the tablet excels in-- some people might want to occasionally record a video of the professor's lecture. You can't do that with a laptop because there's no outward camera (not any that I know of). But you can w/ a tablet. Of course, I'm not sure if you could multitask and do something else at the same time or not.

 

[chanchan05]

Some laptops have a swiveling camera which can face both outward and inward. I don't know the exact model but a friend of mine has an Acer with that.

 

[Covart]

Alright so I've found myself in somewhat of a sticky situation. The current laptop i am using is about three years old and starting to show signs of hardware deterioration. Im debating whether to replace it with a new laptop or go with an android tablet...... the transformer prime. So this is my current situation.
-I am an engineering student so writing papers and what not should not be much of an issue.
-My laptop i currently have is fully capable of running any web-based programs or office suites. (the prime is also capable of running my school's email and student system on its browser.)
- I also have a newer quadcore desktop that is capable of running autodesk and any other random engineering program i may need.
-What i really need is something that has good battery life, enough power to be productive, and still be able to screw around with and have some fun with.
-The tablet only needs to get through one school year before i have the funds to buy a new laptop.

So now that you have an idea of what my situation is with all this, I'd love to hear some suggestions

Tf300t by Asus or the iPad 3. Both have the ability to have bt keyboards with usb and extra battery life for less than $150 extra. and I would call these two tablets the top tablets right now. I own and use an iPad2, and I'm a fan of what the ipad can do (jailbroken), but even I have to give the tf300t by Asus the nod as top dog. That tablet can rival many laptops in hardware
performance!

 

[chanchan05]

Tf300t by Asus or the iPad 3. Both have the ability to have bt keyboards with usb and extra battery life for less than $150 extra. and I would call these two tablets the top tablets right now. I own and use an iPad2, and I'm a fan of what the ipad can do (jailbroken), but even I have to give the tf300t by Asus the nod as top dog. That tablet can rival many laptops in hardware
performance!

Please, don't be fooled by specs. The hardware on the Transformer prime (quad core chip and 12 core GPU) can't even match the hardware capabilities of an entry level dual core laptop. In all actuality, the performance levels of the best ARM chips in the world right now are just at the level of Intel Atom chips, essentially 1.6Ghz single core x86 chips. Its nowhere near the processing power of core2duo chips currently widely used in entry level laptops, without even venturing into next gen core i3-i7 chips by intel.

 

[javasirc]

A tablet can't beat the performance or functionality of a laptop. Tablets are just large screen phones with out the phone.

Although a tablet can be paired with a dock or keyboard, the keyboard is small. A tablet only displays one thing on screen at a time.

A laptop is like a desktop that you can take with you. At home, you can always plug it in to a second monitor, larger speakers, and a large, full featured keyboard and mouse. And you can use a web cam with it. You can record the teachers lecture while doing something else on the computer.

 

[Covart]

A tablet can't beat the performance or functionality of a laptop. Tablets are just large screen phones with out the phone.

Although a tablet can be paired with a dock or keyboard, the keyboard is small. A tablet only displays one thing on screen at a time.

A laptop is like a desktop that you can take with you. At home, you can always plug it in to a second monitor, larger speakers, and a large, full featured keyboard and mouse. And you can use a web cam with it. You can record the teachers lecture while doing something else on the computer.

I am not sure about the tf300t, but I know what an ipad can do. And when people say a tablet is just a phone without the phone, really have no idea what they are talking about. While it's true a tablet OS is not like Windows 7 or OSX for raw computing power needs (yet), there are a lot of things that it can do just as well, especially with a keyboard and stylus (the tablets mouse equivalent).

Let's examine your points above. Laptop can plug into a second monitor. IPad and tf300 can do that, and the iPad can do it wirelessly with the touch of a button, and with the dock (like the Brydge dock) you have a full featured keyboard and can connect to large speakers.

More than one screen at a time on the display? No problem on the ipad. I have this board up, a nice little message to you via notepad and a video running. Wanna record something at the same time on the web. Easy. As I said, people like you make comments about a tablet being just a phone, without the phone, are a bit clueless on the capabilities a tablet possesses.

 

[Covart]

Please, don't be fooled by specs. The hardware on the Transformer prime (quad core chip and 12 core GPU) can't even match the hardware capabilities of an entry level dual core laptop. In all actuality, the performance levels of the best ARM chips in the world right now are just at the level of Intel Atom chips, essentially 1.6Ghz single core x86 chips. Its nowhere near the processing power of core2duo chips currently widely used in entry level laptops, without even venturing into next gen core i3-i7 chips by intel.

Sorry, but I guess I should have been less generalizing about the hardware in comparing a laptop to a tablet. You would be correct in your statement, if we were using Windows 7 on a tablet. Android and iOS don't require pc type hardware to run the OS at performance levels equivalent to or faster than a laptop.

 

[javasirc]

Dont you have to jailbreak your ipad to run the multiple apps? A lot of people dont want to jailbreak their devices. And isnt reading that tiny text on a 10 inch screen hard when the app is that small? And if you want to edit some text, isnt it hard to select exactly where you want to edit? Even with a stylus, i cant see it working for me. Sure it looks neat having those apps open at the same time, but i dont find it a viable solution to multitasking on a tablet.

And as for connecting to another monitor, when one is in class, they wont have that monitor. Its just the 10 inch tablet screen. And even if they chose to connect to a separate monitor, how exactly would getting work done workout? When i plug a second monitor in to my laptop, it connects automatically (almost instantly for that matter), and i just drag a window to it, and aero snap snaps it on. No button to connect, just plug it in.

I cant imagine the workspace of a tablet user. Sitting on a couch holding your tablet, looking at the monitor X distance away, typing with a keyboard on your lap, and using a stylist to try to click your 10 inch screen?

Or would it be sitting at a desk, connected to the second monitor, using the keyboard in front of you on the desk, using an actual mouse (if possible)? Well this is exactly what a laptop workspace is. Without having to haul around a bunch of accessories. And you have a larger screen to work with, and way more multitasking power. Sure its more convenient to carry a tablet over a laptop, but when i pair my phone with my laptop, ive got what a tablet can do, and what a high-end laptop can do.

And with certain programs such as WinSplit Revolution, AutoHotKey, WindowsPager, and the default hotkeys built into Windows, a laptop is perfect for getting stuff done, fast and conveniently. And ive got my FireFox browser setup with All in One Gestures, allowing me to flow through web pages with a simple gesture of the mouse. Never have to click a tab, an X, or wipe my finger down the screen to scroll. How exactly do you use the browser on the screen shot you posted? Not sure if its just me, but i couldnt do it. Even when the laptop is on my lap, not using a mouse, im still able to use hotkeys on the keyboard to fully control both windows and firefox. I seldomly have to use the touchpad.

So how a tablet is an alternate solution to a laptop, i dont know. So what if you can plug speakers and a keyboard up to a tablet, and jailbreak it so you can view multiple apps at once. Its not an alternative to a laptop, period.

I know you just wanted to slam me about "not knowing what a tablet can do", but even though it can somewhat multitask apps simultaneously, it appears to be more of a hassle than what its worth (to use a tablet in a manner of a laptop). I can connect my phone to a TV and use multiple apps at once through webtop. But whats the point when i can just turn on my laptop, and in less than 15 seconds, exceed the capabilities of my handheld device?

Using a tablet to get work done looks tough. Tiny app screens, many accessories just to make usage a bit easier. And if the op did choose to use multiple apps at the same time, but wanted to record his professor's lecture, how would that work? The tablet would be in an awkward position on the table to be able to point at the professor. And good luck using it to take notes while its in that position. With a laptop? Just use a web cam. Some web cams can follow the teacher's face, or just stay focused on the board. Then an external microphone can be plugged in to increase sound quality.

 

[Covart]

Javasirc,

I was expecting such a response. It's very typical actually, for people that know little to nothing about what a tablet can or can't do.

You posted about why a laptop is better and gave me examples of what you 'assumed' only a laptop could do and not a tablet. When I show that my iPad can do the very same things, I then get a lot of 'buts', 'ifs' and of course new lists of what a laptop can do, that you assume, again and incorrectly, a tablet can't. This type of conversation just goes round and round. Let's just say, I haven't used my pc or laptop in months. I don't have any specific needs that require it.

I'm not saying a tablet is better than a laptop or is more capable. It's not. But to make assumptions about something you know nothing about, well it doesn't put you in the best of light.

By the way, with regards to your new list of points, your predesposed opinions on what you can't do on a tablet, does not mean others can not. Those 3 windows you see on my screen can be enlarged or shrunk to fit my needs. They aren't always that size. I only use a stylus for specific apps like photoshop where specific pixel placement is required. (Take a gander at Photoshop Touch for the iPad. Amazing how close it is to CS5.) And I don't need wires and plugs to connect to my 55" LCD TV with my ipad. (so 20th century!) Airplay (or Airdroid?) allow for this wirelessly. Why would I wan't to lug around cords?
And getting into moving fromtabs, apps or programs with a mouse is better? Hot keys are an option, but even if I use my MacBook Pro, everything is done with swipe gestures. If I showed you how fast can move through my ipad with swipe gestures, you'd change you mind. Not to mention the ability to copy, paste and edit with 1 finger very, very quickly. A little tweak called swipeselection (check it here: iPad text editing concept comes to life thanks to this jailbreak tweak

And yes, you do have to jailbreak to get access to many of these capabilities on an iPad, but I didn't realize we were putting caveats in place to strengthen your point of view? in the end, a tablet can fill a laptops roll. Will it work for everyone? Nope. Never said it would. I'm only posting to point out that it was possible for some.

 

[javasirc]

Can you honestly say that a tablet is a viable replacement for a laptop, or are you just defending your opinion of your tablet? You say you havnt used your PC or laptop in months. Are you being honest? Have you not synced your ipad to your iTunes in months? I have a hard time believing it.

Now of course a tablet can replace a laptop in simple terms. Web browsing, music, so called "games", and video. But lets look at the op's needs, and what he may use his device for. Being that he is taking classes, video recording, note taking (quickly typing a sentence for that matter), web browsing, and programs his class uses may be required.

And the op states:
"-The tablet only needs to get through one school year before i have the funds to buy a new laptop."
Which clues me that he may intend on buying a laptop in the near future anyway. And why would he just take notes on a tablet then go home to do his real work? If he has a laptop to begin with, he wont need his tablet OR his desktop. All his work can be done directly from his laptop from anywhere.

I tried the Asus Transformer a few months ago and hated it. Small screen (compared to laptop screen), pain in the neck to navigate and multitask, typing with my bluetooth keyboard was a hassle compared to a laptop keyboard. Could i do basic tasks such as web browsing, listening to music, and watching videos, of course. But tablets dont go much farther than that.

You talk about wirelessly connecting your device to your TV. Laptops can do it too, but a separate accessory is required. And laptops can also connect to many monitors with another accessory.

You say:
"And getting into moving fromtabs, apps or programs with a mouse is better?"
My opinion is yes, a mouse is better. Its the fastest, most precise input there is. Tapping on the screen requires moving your finger, blocking part of your view, and not always tapping exactly where you intended. I can move my mouse pointer and click on a tiny button faster than i can start moving my whole arm. And the way i have hotkeys set up, my mouse usage and hotkeys pair very good together. Its like dual coring my input!

You say a tablet can fulfill a laptop's roll. What exactly is a laptop's roll? Browsing the web and watching video are things most modern devices can do. Tablets may get to do video editting, or photo editting, but in reality, does a tablet really replace a laptop? It depends how you define a laptop. If its just a simple device to do simple things, yes a tablet can replace it. But what if you want to multitask conveniently, meaning run many windows at once, have a bunch of things running at once, and switch tasks with a click of a button? How about playing games like Call of Duty, or programming in Eclipse? Good luck doing that on a tablet.

A more appropriate term would be that a tablet is a replacement for a netbook, or an ultrabook. But a laptop? No. At least not any time soon.

 

[chanchan05]

Sorry, but I guess I should have been less generalizing about the hardware in comparing a laptop to a tablet. You would be correct in your statement, if we were using Windows 7 on a tablet. Android and iOS don't require pc type hardware to run the OS at performance levels equivalent to or faster than a laptop.

Its not merely "faster". A tablet does not equal laptop performance and capabilities PERIOD. Even the best video editing and photo editing software on a tablet can't compare in terms of features and capabilities to older versions of PowerDirector, Vegas Pro or even Photoshop. Neither does the Office programs on a tablet even able to compare in terms of features to MS Office 2003, let alone 2007 and 2010, due to hardware deficiencies. Even if we're talking about performance, a desktop browser will always be faster and more correct in rendering pages than a tablet due to the sheer simplicity of having a more capable processor. An Android tablet can't run multitasking properly like a laptop can due to both hardware and OS limitations.

A tablet can run fast without needed PC level hardware for the simple fact that it can't run PC level software tools either. Of course a calculator will be able to compute numbers as fast as a PC despite having weaker hardware, because its all it can do and nothing else. Similar to a tablet, its the same analogy: a PC requires better hardware because it can do stuff that requires that level of hardware. Lets see you create frame by frame video special effects comparable to what is done by Adobe After Effects on your tablet.

While I do agree that for an average user of such programs a tablet may be enough, for power users its not. In the OP's case, an engineering student may need a variety of programs which may or may not be available for tablets. I for one know that the AUTOCAD program on tablets is quite a bit limited compared to that on a PC.

The simple reason you can do all the things you want from your laptop on your netbook/laptop is simply a testament to the fact that you aren't a power user, and is more of a consumer of media.

Lets see a regular usage of my laptop for me in a day:

I want to be able to listen to a video/audio recording of a lecture from class while typing notes with an couple of ebooks open as well for reference, plus a browser with 10 tabs or so open. Yes a tablet can do that, but not as smoothly as a laptop can. A single button can pause the audio as I type, or rewind it a few secs without me even having to break my typing (dedicated buttons for media in the keyboard are a norm in new laptops). I can have floating windows of ebooks and the web browser around. Trying to do so on a tablet will just cause me frustration for the mere fact that switching to the browser with such content will find me waiting for the browser to reload again because it was taken out of memory.

Or how about when I go about my other non school stuff? I do vector drawings, I am also the layout editor for the school paper using Photoshop/CorelDraw and MS Publisher. None of those can be used as effectively on a tablet. How about making that AVP video we would be presenting? The concept is a stop motion video that would last 3min long. And I have about 2000+pics to look at to put into it.

Choosing a tablet over a laptop is not a mere fact of availability of apps. Its a case of what an individual does on his device that makes the difference. The things I do with my laptop are stuff that would either be frustrating to do on a tablet, or sheer impossible (good luck on your tablet's RAM and processor to load 1000+ photos to produce an HD video). In my case, a tablets main use would be a monitor extension, a larger window for my ebooks while keeping a larger window for OneNote.

In your case, a tablet is capable enough for your needs. A tablet will not be able to replace full powered laptops. It is however a viable replacement for a netbook, which in the first place cannot replace a laptop either.

You may want to wait for the A15 quad cores. They're the next gen tablet processors, and they are claimed to have the power level of the older generation dual core PCs. But then, those would be for raw benchmarking. The nature of the environment they would be operating would be what limits their capabilities.

 

[Saltine713]

I'm not really a tech guy at all. I just got my first smartphone last summer and I'm 18, so you would think I'd be ahead of the times. Don't really care for it all.

But, recently I won a Transformer Prime and the keyboard dock in a contest, so I paid nothing.


And so far, as a student, I haven't really had the need to crunch time and get work done on the tab. I have tried all of the word processing and note taking apps, and they are great. Cloud printing also helps.

If I could have chosen to win this or win a laptop with really heavy computing power for engineering programs like the OP said (I'm an engineering major as well), then I would still choose my tab. Why?

-Love using the tab alone and having the ability to hold it in one arm and it is light. Add the keyboard dock, and it is still light.

-Battery life is great, and keyboard adds a lot of battery life.

-Productivity wise, it works well! I'd rather use my phone to type out Google Voice texts, but the tab serves as a great tool at my internship (production intern at MTV, research-heavy tasks)

-The keyboard dock is SMALL, and I have long and fast fingers. The main issue I have is the small SHIFT button, I always hit the up arrow. Honestly, I dont care for arrow keys, that's what the mouse pad gestures are for.

-Wifi signal is worse than my cell phone's wifi signal. But not a huge issue.


That's the basic jyst of it. It works for me, and I'm happy with it. If I was in the OP's spot, I would go with this, as he has a desktop, plus he is only needing it for 1 year. It is pricey, but I'd go for it.

 

[Covart]

I'm not really a tech guy at all. I just got my first smartphone last summer and I'm 18, so you would think I'd be ahead of the times. Don't really care for it all.

But, recently I won a Transformer Prime and the keyboard dock in a contest, so I paid nothing.


And so far, as a student, I haven't really had the need to crunch time and get work done on the tab. I have tried all of the word processing and note taking apps, and they are great. Cloud printing also helps.

If I could have chosen to win this or win a laptop with really heavy computing power for engineering programs like the OP said (I'm an engineering major as well), then I would still choose my tab. Why?

-Love using the tab alone and having the ability to hold it in one arm and it is light. Add the keyboard dock, and it is still light.

-Battery life is great, and keyboard adds a lot of battery life.

-Productivity wise, it works well! I'd rather use my phone to type out Google Voice texts, but the tab serves as a great tool at my internship (production intern at MTV, research-heavy tasks)

-The keyboard dock is SMALL, and I have long and fast fingers. The main issue I have is the small SHIFT button, I always hit the up arrow. Honestly, I dont care for arrow keys, that's what the mouse pad gestures are for.

-Wifi signal is worse than my cell phone's wifi signal. But not a huge issue.


That's the basic jyst of it. It works for me, and I'm happy with it. If I was in the OP's spot, I would go with this, as he has a desktop, plus he is only needing it for 1 year. It is pricey, but I'd go for it.

^^^ your last paragraph was the whole point of this and why I explained what a tablet is capable of. The OP has a desktop to do his heavy lifting. A tablet can fill the void while he is in class, but only the OP can reallymake that call.

 

[Covart]

...

I didn't want to fill an entire page with your post, so I shortened it.

For you, a tablet would not fill your computing needs, but from the sounds of it, neither would a laptop. Am I a power user? Well, lets just say I do more with my tablet than most. and it makes you wonder why the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the President of the US use and get classified briefings on an iPad vice a laptop?

i wonder if a doctor or nurse would prefer to lug around a laptop or a tablet to show and manipulate MRI's to patients. And of course, not wanting to deal with the battery dying on a laptop after just a few hours and having to leave it in the office to charge can be a drag, especially if they are with a patient. This is just one example where a laptop is a nusance and a tablet works better.

You view laptops in a microcosm, as does java. I would pose this question; Is it within the rhelm of possibility that a tablet can fill the void of a laptop, especially if you have a desktop?

 

[javasirc]

I didn't want to fill an entire page with your post, so I shortened it.

For you, a tablet would not fill your computing needs, but from the sounds of it, neither would a laptop. Am I a power user? Well, lets just say I do more with my tablet than most. and it makes you wonder why the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the President of the US use and get classified briefings on an iPad vice a laptop?

i wonder if a doctor or nurse would prefer to lug around a laptop or a tablet to show and manipulate MRI's to patients. And of course, not wanting to deal with the battery dying on a laptop after just a few hours and having to leave it in the office to charge can be a drag, especially if they are with a patient. This is just one example where a laptop is a nusance and a tablet works better.

You view laptops in a microcosm, as does java. I would pose this question; Is it within the rhelm of possibility that a tablet can fill the void of a laptop, especially if you have a desktop?

What you just pointed out was nothing more than tablets being more mobile than laptops.

This isn't about mobility, its about what a particular device can and can't do, and how well it does it. My laptop generally sits in my case. When I need it, I use it. For general media usage, Web browsing, video, etc. I use my phone. That being said, my phone fills my void. In some cases a slightly large screen would be nice, but not necessary.

Take right now for example. I'm laying in bed. I am on the web. Not typing a whole lot. My phone works fine. Would using my laptop be better? Well this message would have been posted already. But overall, no. How about a tablet? Well I wouldn't be using a Bluetooth keyboard in bed. I'd be reaching across the tablet screen tapping virtual keys. I find typing on a virtual keyboard easier on a phone than tablet. And I find a tablet a pain to hold with one hand. What would my device of choice be while laying in bed? My phone. So I guess now phones are a replacement for tablets. I mean it basically is a small tablet and it fits in my pocket so its more mobile right?

Now I don't think the OP is going to kick back on a bean bag chair against the wall in class and type notes on his tablet`s virtual keyboard with his thumbs. He will be sitting in a chair at a desk. Does he need the mobility of a tablet? No. He needs the functionality of a laptop.

I do wish my laptop weighed less and had better battery life. But does it need it? No, it needs to do what I need to do. My phone takes care of every thing a tablet would do. So I believe a laptop plus a smartphone (not iPhone) make the perfect pair between functionality and mobility. A tablet is some of each. Less mobility, as it doesn't fit in my pocket, and way less functionality, as out doesn't do much powerful tasks as a laptop such as I mentioned previously.

A tablet may be more mobile than a laptop, but it does not replace it! If a tablet replaces a laptop, then a phone replaces a tablet.

 

[chanchan05]

For you, a tablet would not fill your computing needs, but from the sounds of it, neither would a laptop. Am I a power user? Well, lets just say I do more with my tablet than most. and it makes you wonder why the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the President of the US use and get classified briefings on an iPad vice a laptop?

Actually yes, a laptop can handle everything I said very nicely. I have a 2.6Ghz 4 thread dual core i5 with 4GB RAM and a Radeon HD 5470 GPU. So yes my laptop can handle it. I also just got the thing for approx $1300. There are several laptops even more powerful than mine that can handle everything I said even better. As for the joint Chiefs, well, they used to do it with paper, and they're just reading reports and making notes, maybe present a video or two. Of course an iPad can handle that. Its a briefing, not a missile design gathering.

i wonder if a doctor or nurse would prefer to lug around a laptop or a tablet to show and manipulate MRI's to patients. And of course, not wanting to deal with the battery dying on a laptop after just a few hours and having to leave it in the office to charge can be a drag, especially if they are with a patient. This is just one example where a laptop is a nusance and a tablet works better.

I am in medschool, and well, tablets won't work on the PACS system of the hospital for the MRI/CT/Xray data because they aren't supported, at least in our hospital. So your argument is invalid in my case. We usually do just bring a laptop and a charger, or we roll the patient into one of the viewing rooms with a huge monitor, which is way better.

Plus, I've seen the programs used on an iPad are severely limited in functionality compared to the ones we use on Windows in the hospital. While for other hospitals that don't use a PACS system, it may be useful, in my case its better to use a laptop to better properly explain to a patient and show him the case, rather than think of my own convenience but risk the patient not understanding his/her condition. Using a PACS system, I can highlight organs, create 3D renditions of the heart and blockages, zoom into a 3D image at high detail etc. The MRI apps on iPads cant do that. They have the capabilities of 5 year old MRI viewers.

You view laptops in a microcosm, as does java. I would pose this question; Is it within the rhelm of possibility that a tablet can fill the void of a laptop, especially if you have a desktop?

If you actually read the entire thread, you would see in the first reply to the OP I said: "You have a desktop to do the heavy lifting. So yeah, go for the tablet. As for being productive, it would depend on what you define as productive." Basically, I am saying that he can consider getting a tablet, depending on what he intended for his own mobile usage. If he intended to autocad while on the move, or do blueprints or whatever, he needs to understand that tablets have a limitation in capabilties in that area.

I'm arguing for the fact that a tablet is not a laptop replacement. There's a world of difference between a laptop and a netbook, something you seem to be equating to each other, and tablet functionality makes it only capable as a netbook replacement. If a person's usage is within the capabilities of a netbook, then yes he can use a tablet as a primary device. If a netbook is too weak for his purposes, like me, a tablet cannot be considered a laptop replacement. A tablet, like a netbook, is designed for the media consumer with a touch of productivity. A full fledged full powered x86 laptop is for serious business. And for the record, I do have a tablet. I got a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus free from my carrier (2 year loyalty reward). And I just use it for books and games.

The first thing you should realize is the difference between a netbook, an ultrabook, and a laptop/notebook. Current gen quad core tablets have netbook capabilities. Once the A15 quad cores come in, they'll get current ultrabook level capabilities.

 

[Covart]

Chanchan,

One day you will learn what a tablet can do (but not with that Samsung 7), and you will be amazed. And you have no Idea what i can display on the ipad for MRI's or CT's. Plus, I carry my own with me on my ipad. Not all hospitals are interconnected (you'll soon learn this) so having my own scans with me and accessible and completely manipulative with multiple views, has been a blessing. And I can't tell you how many times I have seen the Windows based computers crap out, then the patient has to wait for it to get fixed.

I have had neurosurgeons look at my stuff and were impressed with what they saw. I'll give them a little more credibility than you. Sorry.

Anyway, this has been fun. I'll continue to have complete access to my ipad everywhere I go and be able to conduct business whenever, and where ever. I'm sure the OP will get what he needs and you guys will keep using what you need. Caio.

 

[javasirc]

Covart,

I don't intend to offend you, but a lot of your posts on this thread seem to be focused on criticizing anyone who does not prefer to use a tablet.

Your tablet may suit your needs, but some of us, like myself, have tasks a tablet cannot possibly accomplish. In my case, my laptop is my TV replacement, game console replacement, and primary multimedia device. I use eclipse to program Java code as I am learning Android app development. A tablet, as far as I know, cannot allow the user to develop apps.

Judging by how much you brag about how your tablet can do almost anything a laptop can do, either you don't do very much outside of media, web, and documents, or your obsessed with tablets and make yourself believe they are more powerful than they actually are.

Again I don't intend to offend or insult you, I am just expressing my feelings based on your posts on this thread.

I admit that you proved me wrong about tablets, or at least the iPad, being able to display multiple apps simultaneously. In fact, i'm tempted to try a jailbroken iPad. I can't see myself getting much use out of it, but it sounds neat. I do have a question if you don't mind me asking, can you use the iPad as a second display for a laptop? Like connect it to the laptop either wired or wirelessly to have an extra screen with equal functionality as plugging in another monitor, and without using data and without sacrificing performance?

If this is possible, I suppose a tablet would pair nicely with a laptop. And in all seriousness, I do not mean to offend you by anything in this post.

 

[candroid11]

I recently went through this same debate, but I ended up getting an ASUS laptop instead of the transformer. This is because the laptop will be my primary device and a tablet wont cut it. Since you already have a desktop I would probably get the tablet.

 

[skiiermike]

I'm just throwing in my two cents here cause it seems like fun.

Between my wife and I we have owned all three versions of the ipad (she still owns the 3), I have had the galaxy 10.1, My TF300 should have shown up by now so should be here by tomorrow and I am currently using a very powerful laptop, etc.

The reasons for the tablet seem to be "jailbreak it" and you can do anything with it. I have done that with my first two just for fun. Let's not forget it voids your warranty to do things that a laptop is designed to do out of the box. I know that it rarely "bricks, but it does happen".

Next, with the exception of a couple of rare firmwares that Apple released let's see you jailbreak your Ipad or any IOS without a PC.

I'm very well up to date with all the Apple products and all the jailbreaking capabilities and let me tell you this, they don't always smell like roses.

I love my tablets and specifically ordered the TF300 for taking places that I would just rather not take my laptop, but it has it's place.

 

[chanchan05]

Chanchan,

One day you will learn what a tablet can do (but not with that Samsung 7), and you will be amazed. And you have no Idea what i can display on the ipad for MRI's or CT's. Plus, I carry my own with me on my ipad. Not all hospitals are interconnected (you'll soon learn this) so having my own scans with me and accessible and completely manipulative with multiple views, has been a blessing. And I can't tell you how many times I have seen the Windows based computers crap out, then the patient has to wait for it to get fixed.

I have had neurosurgeons look at my stuff and were impressed with what they saw. I'll give them a little more credibility than you. Sorry.

Just to point out to anyone reading, and if Covart is still reading:

Those iPad apps you brag about still pale in comparison to what radiologists do on a read monitoring set computer. I've seen them, and as I said, in our case its not feasible. I do not know if you are just basing from experience on showing your own MRIs to your surgeons, but of course anyone will be amazed even a true radio, because its a simple: "oh you can do that? cool?" But it doesn't mean that your iPad's capabilities equal the image manipulation capabilities of a real computer.

The main difference between us is I allow for different cases, but you refuse to see how using a tablet may not be feasible for others. Not to mention the screen is quite small for any decent presentation.

A tablet will never cut it out as a primary device for my purposes. As a secondary device yes, like a supplement to my laptop. But primary? The way you put it that it can replace my laptop? Tell me when you can do everything I mentioned I want to do on my laptop without seeing a single "loading" screen on a tablet, even an iPad, and we'll talk about other things I want to do. You can't even watch flash videos from the web on that thing. Many medical sites use flash animation, which is easy to understand for patients.

Thing is, sure I can use a better tablet, even an iPad, but never in my life can it act as a laptop replacement simply because it can't do what I demand from it.