I just got a HP Pavillion TX2000Z for about 650$ (after rebate) from Office Depot. I’ll list out some essential software for my new tablet PC. First of all I am using Windoze Vista (some people prefer Windows XP Tablet Edition, but I never tried it).
Hardware
I’m not going to explain everything because you can click the link above. I have one huge beef with this computer and it is the use of AMD processors though. They run so hot! The fan is ALWAYS on whenever you use start using the Wacom stylus. It’s pretty uncomfortable when its a hot day and you have all this heat it your lap. It is also embarrassing to lug around in a class and then have its fan running all the time to disrupt your neighbors.
Software – Installed
Microsoft OneNote - Microsoft actually made some good software here. This has practically replaced my need for millions of notebooks (yes, I had a lot because I work in academia). I can finally write all my notes in one place. Yea, my tablet PC is 4 pounds, but I’ll have ALL of my notes where ever I go.
Adobe CS3 - Photoshop is great with this PC. All the other programs are the same as not having a tablet. You can draw in Photoshop with a variety of brushes. It is very fun to play with! I was very disappointed by Adobe Illustrator. I thought you would be able to use the Wacom stylus with more functionality but it is basically just a mouse. I have not tried the others programs yet.
PDF Annotator 2 – A must have for anyone who works with a lot of PDFs. This allows you to write directly on PDF documents. Well worth the 30$ (student version) that you have to shell out for it. As far as I know, this is the only software that is explicitly made to edit PDF documents on a tablet PC.
Microsoft Experience Pack – Pretty much everything here is useless except the Ink Crossword program. That’s pretty fun and will kill lots of time!
Software – Should Try
ArtRage 2 – Looks like a promising program although I don’t do all too much “artistic” stuff.
MaxiVista – Allows you to use your tablet as an extension of the desktop of another computer. So if you have some super computer you can use this as a kind of input for that computer. Pretty neat idea I suppose.
My next computer will be a Apple tablet if possible so I won’t have to lug around two computers. I love my Mac but there are just somethings I would love for my macbook to have that can be done on a PC or Linux box. Hopefully it’ll have the OneNote integration or importer built in. I’m getting very dependent on it now.
Tags: ArtRage, HP Pavillion, MaxiVista, OneNote, PDF Annotator, Photoshop, Tablet PC
