Tablet PC vs. Laptop: How Do You Choose?
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I admit it. I'm a Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 evangelist. Recently, two friends, Chris and Frank, asked me for advice about purchasing a new computer. In both cases, I suggested they consider a Tablet PC. I guided them to specific models that would best meet their work styles and needs. In this article, I'll tell you what they decided and why they made those decisions. Their stories may help you choose between a laptop computer and a Tablet PC.
Frank is a family therapist who needed a new computer for taking notes when meeting with clients, making presentations in workshops, and reviewing e-mail messages and documents while traveling. Frank had seen my Tablet PC and was really impressed. As we talked, I learned that he uses a digital graphics pad and pen to take handwritten notes at his desk. So he's writing on a flat pad attached to his computer by a USB cable and watching the output on his computer screen. All the while talking and listening to a client. He didn't like this clunky solution but he valued taking handwritten notes. Could there be a better candidate for a Tablet PC? I didn't think so.
Chris, an entrepreneur, runs his own business selling data search tools that are used in medical research. He needed his new computer for sales calls and meetings. Taking notes quickly, searching notes, organizing tasks, and having high portability were all priorities for him. The ability to take notes by hand on a Tablet PC intrigued him, especially when using Microsoft Office OneNote 2003. But Chris had never used a Tablet PC before and hated the handwriting interface of PDAs. His day planner and paper notebooks were practically an extension of his hands, so I didn't expect a Tablet PC to be an easy sell.
So what happened? Frank bought a Sony Vaio laptop. Chris bought my favorite Tablet PC, the Motion M1400, and loves it.
After talking with both friends and doing more research, I agreed that they made the right decisions. Their reasoning sheds light on what makes a personal computer boost professional productivity and what things to consider when you're choosing between a Tablet PC and a laptop.
Consider Two Factors when Comparing Tablet PCs and Laptops
The ideal personal computer would have the power of a super computer and the portability of a wristwatch. Unfortunately, such a computer can be found only on Star Trek reruns, so all of us in the real world must make some choices. Your choices will probably be based on what you require in the following two categories:
| • | Performance and features: Refers to the GHz of processor speed, pixels of screen area, megabytes of memory, type and number of drives (such as a DVD drive), and other characteristics. |
| • | Range of use: Refers to the mobility of a Tablet PC or laptop and how it extends the way you use it. |
Laptops can rival all but the higher-end desktops in performance and features. Plus laptops can be easily carried to convenient locations or on trips. Tablet PCs offer the best combination of performance and range of use, but they can't offer everything to everybody. Let's look at how Chris and Frank evaluated their needs in these two categories.
How Tablet PCs and Laptops Compare in Performance and Features and My friend Frank
One of Frank's requirements was a built-in DVD player so he can watch movies on airplanes. I found three Tablet PCs that met this requirement: the Acer TravelMate C300 series, the Fujitsu 4000 series, and the Averatec C3500. He didn't choose one of these because all three were bigger and heavier than what he wanted, although the Fujitsu weighs only 4.3 pounds, which is comparable to the weight of many laptops. In fact, he found my three-pound Acer TravelMate C111 tempting—but it didn't have an internal DVD player. For Frank, the Sony Vaio beat the Fujitsu with its extra wide display, lighter weight, slightly better battery life, and slightly lower price from an online vendor. In short, he needed a computer in the laptop category. As much as he liked the idea of owing a Tablet PC, there wasn't a Tablet PC that met his essential hardware requirements.
Although the highest-end laptops may seem to contain more features and offer better performance than the highest-end Tablet PCs, it's actually a bit more complex. Most Tablet PCs offer only 1024 × 768 screen resolution, but the Toshiba M200 offers 1400 × 1050. Most Tablet PCs have shorter battery lives than most laptops, but the Electrovaya SC-2100 beats just about any laptop I know, with nearly eight hours of battery life. Most Tablet PCs don't have built-in optical (DVD) drives, but the three mentioned above do. In my opinion, the Motion 1400 Tablet PC also has the best built-in microphone on any mobile PC that's available today.
Also, the features on a laptop generally cost less than the same features on a Tablet PC. At the time of this writing, a standalone Wacom graphics pad and pen cost $200-$700. The Wacom Cintiq, which is a combination of an LCD display and pen interface, starts at $1500—and that's without a computer attached.
The key question to ask yourself is "What are my essential performance requirements and where can I compromise to gain the mobility and versatility I need?"
How Tablet PCs Rate on Range of Use and My Friend Chris
Although Chris didn't have any specific hardware requirements, the new computer had to be powerful enough for the software he ran and have enough battery power to last a few hours between charges. What he needed most was a computer he could use anywhere and that could replace the piles of notebooks and daytimer pages that clutter his office. That's exactly what he got by buying a Tablet PC.
Chris is still getting going with his Tablet PC, so I can't say yet all the places he uses it, but I can tell you where I use mine. Even though some mobile PCs are called "laptops," the truth is that typing on a keyboard in your lap gets pretty uncomfortable after a while. My Tablet PC is very comfortable to use in my lap when I use it in slate mode.
Tablet PCs come in two forms:
| • | Slate models |
| • | Convertible models |
A slate model looks like a flat screen without a keyboard. I enter data with a tablet pen or my voice. Convertible models look like a laptop with an attached keyboard until you fold the convertible model's screen over the keyboard. For more information about slate and convertible models, see A Variety of Models to Choose From.
I also easily use my Tablet PC in slate mode when I'm leaning on a counter, lounging on the couch, sitting up in bed, standing in line, and even walking. I even keep my Tablet PC on and available to use in the car to see a map and directions. I don't use the pen or scroll keys while driving because it's not safe, but when stopped, I use the hardware buttons on the side of the screen to scroll down the page of a custom Journal file I make for trips. To read more about that, see Take Your Files Offline with Tablet PC.
The slate form factor makes a Tablet PC comfortable to use in labs, exam rooms, court rooms, warehouses, cockpits, and many other work places. Docking your Tablet PC when you're at your desk often removes many feature and performance limitations. With a screen resolution of 1280 × 960, my Acer TravelMate C111 has excellent display quality when it's attached to an external monitor at my desk. It also has a big external hard drive, keyboard, track ball, and CD-RW. I've benefited from my Tablet PC's range of use in my work. For example:
| • | I use my Tablet PC as a wireless voice-over-IP telephone and walk around as I talk. |
| • | I receive, fill out, sign, and send faxes without ever printing them. |
| • | I use my Tablet PC to sketch ideas. |
| • | When I interview people while researching books and articles, there is no physical barrier between me and the interviewee, unlike a laptop screen. |
| • | My Tablet PC in my lap is as inconspicuous as a notebook. And the notes I create are as searchable as typed text. |
The same is true in meetings when I place my Tablet PC in slate mode on a table. People can see that I'm not pretending to listen while actually reading e-mail messages. It makes a tangible interpersonal difference. I'm not alone in this. Read the comments of various Tablet PC users and you will see that what eventually hooks them is a change in where and how they can use their computers:
| • | Josh Einstein pointed out that he became more organized when he used his Tablet PC, by writing down notes, journal entries, and meeting information. I've found that to be true for me, too. |
| • | Michael Hyatt wrote an excellent piece that explains why he bought a Tablet PC. |
| • | Michael Linenberger's new book, Seize the Workday, explains in great detail how a Tablet PC can boost your productivity and satisfaction at work. |
Use Slate Mode for Maximum Flexibility
My Tablet PC has made me more organized, but only when I carry it around in slate mode. In reading the comments of Tablet PC users and developers like Robert Scobel and Josh Einstein, talking to other Tablet PC owners, and observing my own habits, I think there's such a thing as "the convertible trap" when it comes to Tablet PCs. The trap is that when a keyboard is always available, you tend to use it. Then you never develop the habits or customize the software and hardware to take maximum advantage of a Tablet PC.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that you never use an external keyboard or docking station. But the more you use your Tablet PC in slate mode, the better you get at using the features that make it unique. One of my fellow Expert Zone authors said it best when he said he didn't fully understand the value of his Tablet PC until he went away for the week and left his keyboard at home. See Jerry Honeycutt's Jerry Falls for the Tablet PC and Tablet PC as Digital Darkroom.
So here's my tip for happy Tablet PC ownership:
| • | Buy a slate model with an external keyboard or docking station that you use only at your desk. |
If you must have a convertible because you travel a lot, try early on to use your Tablet PC in slate mode as much as possible. Check out tabletpctalk's Hardware Comparison for hardware information about Tablet PC models.
I think my friend Chris got it right. He purchased a docking station so he can attach his Motion 1400 to an external monitor and keyboard. He also bought a Motion Hardtop Keyboard for traveling. The hardtop keyboard is built into a cover for the Tablet PC screen that pops off and attaches to the computer, similar to a laptop keyboard. Not something you'd be tempted to use all the time, but it's very convenient when you must have a keyboard.
Invest the Time to Make the Most of Your Tablet PC
A Tablet PC can change the way you compute more than any laptop could ever do, but you must invest some time to make that happen. Is it worth it? Among the people I know, the answer ranges from Yes to Oh-My-Gosh-Yes! In addition to practice using your Tablet PC in slate mode, here are some other recommendations:
| • | Develop your skill in taking handwritten notes, creating drawings, annotating Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and using Tablet PC Input Panel. It will make you more comfortable and adept in using a Tablet PC. |
| • | Add to the handwriting recognition dictionary in Input Panel, so that names, acronyms, and other words you use are recognized correctly. |
| • | Invest time in voice training. Speaking to your computer is often easier and quicker than using a tablet pen to enter text. The speech feature adapts to your speaking style, including accents, pronunciations, and even idiomatic expressions. |
| • | Customize your work space and install the crucial pieces of shareware and freeware that supercharge your Tablet PC. |
Base Your Purchasing Decision on Required Features vs. Potential Use
In the end, deciding whether to buy a Tablet PC or a laptop boils down to two crucial questions:
1. | Do your essential hardware requirements eliminate a Tablet PC as a possibility? |
2. | Do you want an opportunity to benefit from the increased range of use that a Tablet PC offers over a laptop? |
In answering the first question, see if there is a solution that still keeps the Tablet PC a possibility. For example, my Acer has a battery life of only three hours and often I need five. My solution is to take a second battery with me when I know I'll be away from a power supply for more than three hours. Answering the second question is more personal, but as someone who has used Tablet PCs since its early days, my advice is: do it!
 | Jeff Van West is the author of over a dozen books, CDs, and training curricula about computers, technology, and aviation. Titles include Microsoft Tablet PC Quick Reference (Microsoft Press, 2002) and Illustrator CS Hands-On-Training (Peachpit Press, 2004). His multimedia training programs are used in North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. An advocate of what he terms "appropriate technology," Jeff focuses on applying the best solution to accomplish the task, rather than using cool features just because they're there. He can be reached at Van West Communications. |