There have been times when I have considered getting a tablet computer. It seems like a great idea, especially for a student. Yes, I have brought my laptop to class on occasion, but the vast majority of the time, I take notes the old fashioned way: a spiral-bound notebook and a pen. There are those individuals who bring a laptop to class and take notes with it on a regular basis. Having a tablet computer would appear to be the best of both worlds. It seems that there are always those classes or situations where something cannot be simply typed to convey the same meaning. There may be a diagram or a flow chart of some sort that can just not be done as quickly with a laptop as with a pen and paper. With a tablet, one would be able to just write on it with the stylus as if taking notes on paper. I keep thinking that this would be so convenient, no notebooks to lose or misplace and if someone needs your notes you can just email them to that individual.

Every time that I have considered getting one of these tablet computers, I always find reasons to not do it and continue taking notes the old fashioned way. Aside from the fact that it would be bigger and heavier to carry around, the cost is generally one of the major factors. I already have a laptop for my portable computing needs, so the main “justification” for a tablet would be for note-taking and how many pens and notebooks can I buy for the cost of one tablet computer (and then the cost of every stylus that I would lose). The other major factor is that the battery life on portable computers is not usually anything to write home about.

Companies are getting better at making computers (tablets, laptops, etc) with better battery life, but so far I have not found a tablet or laptop that will run for more than a few hours on a single charge. This means that the computer would probably have to be charged during class or a lunch break if you expected it to go strong all day. This doesn’t seem to be much of a “convenience” in my mind. I would like one that can be powered in the morning and left on until I get home with at least a little battery life to spare.

When they make a tablet computer that will run for seven or eight hours on a single charge that is still as small as or smaller than my laptop and can do most everything that my laptop can do I will probably end up getting one. Until then, I will continue to use my ball point pens and cheap notebooks to take notes and just bring my laptop along on those rare occasions when I think it might be useful to have along.