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iPad or MBP for basic college notetaking?

thekev said:
Two and a half is still kind of bad, but I'm glad my suggestions help a bit. Aero is one of those things I wish they never added to Windows. It's just kind of dumb. I'd inquire with Sony about that battery, and stick with the suggestions I just mentioned. With a battery replacement, it might be fine. Then you could look at a newer computer with Ivy Bridge, which as I mentioned should have better battery life during lighter computing. Quite a lot of it is related to the ability to turn off cpu cores under lighter loads. It's not that the max tdp came way down, but they are improving the overall power management at a hardware level.

I can sympathize with you as I can type quite fast, but I would never be able to keep up with a lecture taking notes by hand. My handwriting speed is terrible, and it preceded regular computer use. When I try to write quickly, my hand cramps up :(.
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I called Sony. My mistake I actually bought it Aug '10 so the warranty expired this past Aug.
Anyways, they told me I should change the settings etc. and the standard battery costs $135 (2-4hrs) and the extended battery (4-6hrs) is $219. Hmmm..
 
vampireszombies said:
I called Sony. My mistake I actually bought it Aug '10 so the warranty expired this past Aug.
Anyways, they told me I should change the settings etc. and the standard battery costs $135 (2-4hrs) and the extended battery (4-6hrs) is $219. Hmmm..
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Bleck... that's quite a lot for the extended battery :(.

Any battery loses ability to hold a charge over time. It's not just a sudden thing. Hmm... I'm not really sure what to suggest now. That's a fairly high battery cost, especially for the extended battery. I don't suggest the Air. Everyone is just big on the Air right now, but I recall the 13" pro still being ahead on battery life, and it really needs to be slightly beyond your needs in the beginning given the sort of gradual degradation typical of batteries.

I can tell you I have an older macbook here (2008). It's not my primary computer. I don't use a laptop most of the time. It's not constantly used on the battery either. Mainly I've used it when traveling and stuff, but I woke it up to check the battery (original). Just sitting there with a couple applications open and me glancing over to check the battery estimate, it's jumping around just a bit. It started off at 4:30, and it went up to around 4:50 when left alone. The screen is not at full brightness and most of the energy saver functions are enabled. I do wear the battery down sometimes to keep it from going bad, but I don't use this all the time. Anyway it could probably get 3.5-4 hours of lighter use on a full charge.

This is one of the areas where Apple has improved considerably. Battery life on some of their older machines sucked (I've used them for a very long time), but it's definitely improved. Perhaps some others could post what they're getting on their machines, especially those that they've used for a year or more?
 
MaxxTraxx said:
You miss the feel of the keyboard brought from a real laptop. Granted its a good product, but far from ideal for taking notes. I'd much rather use a laptop.
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Well I'm planning on using a bluetooth keyboard with it.

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Abazigal said:
Fwah! What did you do to degrade the laptop batt? Leave it plugged in 24/7? :confused:

As for taking notes, may want to read this article.
http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-use-evernote-with-an-ipad-to-take-meeting-notes.html
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Well it currently almost reaches 2 hrs. I used to get about 2 and a half. I know its not good to always have it plugged in, I took it off the plug as much as possible really.
 
Have you thought of getting a different pc laptop? You can get a decent one that will be fine for college for $500-600 with a battery life of 5-7 hours... if you already have purchased software, probably don't want to waste that $$.

Have you looked at Amazon for a new Vaio compatible battery?
 
I recommend the Logitech Zagg keyboard product. It is not perfect but works well for taking notes.
 
Taking notes occasionally is OK with iPad but I don't think it's best for taking notes in college (even with the bluetooth keyboard)

If you can afford MBP, go for it. If not choose another PC laptop that you can afford and have the batter hours you like. Then save the money for an iPad 3 :apple:
 
macking104 said:
Have you thought of getting a different pc laptop? You can get a decent one that will be fine for college for $500-600 with a battery life of 5-7 hours... if you already have purchased software, probably don't want to waste that $$.

Have you looked at Amazon for a new Vaio compatible battery?
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Yes I've looked on Amazon with no luck. Yes I thought of a different pc, but I really see it as a waist since I already have a pc. Any that you recommend?
The only thing I've purchased is Microsoft Word 2010.

--

Now I'm getting mixed feelings, some say the iPad+BTkeyboard is great for notes others say its not very good.
???
 
iPad/Zagg keyboard perfect for taking notes!

I guess it is a matter of preference but I think there is not much difference between a notebook and a iPad with BT keyboard.
http://www.zagg.com/accessories/logitech-ipad-2-keyboard-case

The ipad/bt keyboard compared to laptop:
-has 10 hour battery life
-less weight
-cheaper

For me the iPad/BT appears to meet the main requirements for a note taking computer. To top it off you can use the camera to take pictures of the board and the microphone to record the lecture. I wish I had one of these when I was in college! I use mine everyday at work and the iPad/BT keyboard keeps me organized. So far I have tried the Apple Wireless keyboard and the Zagg keyboard and I like the Zagg keyboard best because it acts as a case and has special keys just for the iPad. It does take a willingness to change and adapt, so I recommend you purchase an iPad2 with Zagg keyboard and give it a try. If you don't like it or don't think it meets your needs return the iPad within Apple's 14 day return period. Good luck.
 
rovitotv said:
I guess it is a matter of preference but I think there is not much difference between a notebook and a iPad with BT keyboard.
http://www.zagg.com/accessories/logitech-ipad-2-keyboard-case

The ipad/bt keyboard compared to laptop:
-has 10 hour battery life
-less weight
-cheaper

For me the iPad/BT appears to meet the main requirements for a note taking computer. To top it off you can use the camera to take pictures of the board and the microphone to record the lecture. I wish I had one of these when I was in college! I use mine everyday at work and the iPad/BT keyboard keeps me organized. So far I have tried the Apple Wireless keyboard and the Zagg keyboard and I like the Zagg keyboard best because it acts as a case and has special keys just for the iPad. It does take a willingness to change and adapt, so I recommend you purchase an iPad2 with Zagg keyboard and give it a try. If you don't like it or don't think it meets your needs return the iPad within Apple's 14 day return period. Good luck.
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Thanks! I looked at the Zagg keyboard and it looks great! A little pricey but seems it would be perfect!
 
I think using an iPad for college notes is THE most shoe-horned activity that iPad users insist that the device can do really well.

Heads up: it doesn't work as well as you think.

Sure, it works well enough. One day, when I still had my iPad, I forgot my MBA and so I had to use my iPad for notes. The lack of a keyboard slowed my typing speed down immensely, and while it works well enough for email, the onscreen keyboard is best suited for quick emails and web searching. Sure, a blue tooth keyboard would make things easier, but at that point, why not just use a laptop? Also, my iPad crashed twice taking notes using Evernote, and Pages. I'm sure this doesn't occur with everyone, but it was enough to make me lose several minutes of lecture notes.

For humanities or liberal arts classes, forget it. There is just waaaay too much going on to get everything. For technical classes, it's impractical. Why use an iPad when you can use a laptop, and why use a laptop when you can use pen and paper? Don't give me the stylus bull either, at that point you might as well use pen and paper.

The iPad is a device that has many great uses, but as a notetaker, I think it's severely limiting. As a student, your job is retain and show mastery of a topic, not try and fit your fancy new gadget into your classroom routine. Stick to a traditional laptop, or pen and paper (only for technical classes). I'd highly recommend a used or refurbished MBA, or even better a cheaper laptop, and spend the rest on beer :cool:
 
intervenient said:
I think using an iPad for college notes is THE most shoe-horned activity that iPad users insist that the device can do really well.

Heads up: it doesn't work as well as you think.

Sure, it works well enough. One day, when I still had my iPad, I forgot my MBA and so I had to use my iPad for notes. The lack of a keyboard slowed my typing speed down immensely, and while it works well enough for email, the onscreen keyboard is best suited for quick emails and web searching. Sure, a blue tooth keyboard would make things easier, but at that point, why not just use a laptop? Also, my iPad crashed twice taking notes using Evernote, and Pages. I'm sure this doesn't occur with everyone, but it was enough to make me lose several minutes of lecture notes.

For humanities or liberal arts classes, forget it. There is just waaaay too much going on to get everything. For technical classes, it's impractical. Why use an iPad when you can use a laptop, and why use a laptop when you can use pen and paper? Don't give me the stylus bull either, at that point you might as well use pen and paper.

The iPad is a device that has many great uses, but as a notetaker, I think it's severely limiting. As a student, your job is retain and show mastery of a topic, not try and fit your fancy new gadget into your classroom routine. Stick to a traditional laptop, or pen and paper (only for technical classes). I'd highly recommend a used or refurbished MBA, or even better a cheaper laptop, and spend the rest on beer :cool:
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Did you even bother reading the entire thread?
(if you would have read you'd see that I dont have enough for a MBA etc.)
And yes, beer is way more practical than a fancy new gadget in college.
 
I use my iPad extensively for note taking (academic purposes), together with a LogiTech keyboard which duals as a case (I also have a smart cover for when I carry the iPad around with the keyboard). I think it's great for note taking, primarily because of a) the long batter life (I never have to worry about running out), b) the combination of stylus plus keyboard input which makes it very easy to quickly write up text and diagrams or drawings in the same text. Having said that, I think an 11" MBA will also work well for your needs, but I opted for the iPad due to these two reasons and also the ease with which I can annotate academic articles with a stylus pen. There are various apps that allow you to annotate directly on power points or pdfs that lecturers may have distributed, it's very convenient.
 
vampireszombies said:
Did you even bother reading the entire thread?
(if you would have read you'd see that I dont have enough for a MBA etc.)
And yes, beer is way more practical than a fancy new gadget in college.
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Sorry, when I saw that you were willing to shell out the money for a MBP, I assumed you had atleast $1200, which would be more than enough to get a refurbished MBA.
 
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I vote for an iPad, that is what I use anyway, I use an iPad with the Ghostwriter Notes app with a Bamboo Stylus and a Brookstones bluetooth keyboard/case. I tend to use the keyboard for typing emails and web searching more than notes becasue I tend to just write my notes on the ipad I try NOT to use pen and paper unless I have to becasue of a requirement or something I must turn in at the end of class.
 
In the end if you are only going to have one, get the MBP.

While the iPad is a wonderful device, there is no way it could replace my computer. Apple restricts the iPad TOO MUCH to be a serious computing device.:(
 
vampireszombies said:
Yes obviously, but I can type much much faster and more eligible than pen and paper. :)

When I try to keep up with the professor with pen and paper I sometimes think I'm writing a whole nother language.
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I have both and can type much faster on my MBP than my iPad, but you can always get a wireless keyboard for iPad.

Buy one of each and return the one you don't like within the free return period.

Best Buy gives you 14 days no questions asked with no restocking feet on either. Sams Club gives you a 90 day return on iPad.
 
intervenient said:
I think using an iPad for college notes is THE most shoe-horned activity that iPad users insist that the device can do really well.

Why use an iPad when you can use a laptop, and why use a laptop when you can use pen and paper? Don't give me the stylus bull either, at that point you might as well use pen and paper.
Click to expand...

Clearly a matter of opinion but for me, although I have a bluetooth keyboard I much prefer a stylus and as fas as just minus well use pen and paper, why would I want to carry notebooks and flip pages and keep track of all this when I can use an endless resource by using my iPad? This allows me to keep my notes after the class has ended by simply created a PDF of my class notes for future reference rather than having to keep the physical notes. I have been using my iPad for class and work meetings and don't foresee going back to pen and paper.
 
Lindenhurst said:
I have both and can type much faster on my MBP than my iPad, but you can always get a wireless keyboard for iPad.

Buy one of each and return the one you don't like within the free return period.

Best Buy gives you 14 days no questions asked with no restocking feet on either. Sams Club gives you a 90 day return on iPad.
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Thanks I wasnt aware of the Sams return period! Sams Club is actually the store I was planning on purchasing the iPad from. 90 seems plenty of time :)
 
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