[Nag]

So I�ve been thinking lately about buying a tablet PC to use as a "travel easel" / " digital sketchbook" and I�ve just started looking at the different brands and prices etc. Do any of you here own or have any experience of any tablet PC�s? I�m mostly looking at running PS on it.

The 2 models that caught my eye so far are the IBM Thinkpad X60 and the Toshiba M7, any ideas?

[retro]

i had a fujitsu siemens stylistic 4110 for some time. i looked at some other brands but 2 years ago this was what i wanted. i can not recommend any specific model, but you should keep in mind that the display angle has to be pretty wide i mean without distorting the colors too much. i do not know how good tablet pcs are now, but the st 4110 was not too nice. things like that tend to drive me crazy. also you should make shure that your tablet pc is wacom penabled http://www.wacom.com/tabletpc/driver.cfm so it does support pressure sensitivity. not all tablet pcs do that (at least not back then when i read reviews, maybe this issue changed). after painting on notebooks, tablet pcs and pds i finally found that a simple pochade box is what i wanted all the time, its a bit messy but way cheaper and it doesnt break when i drop it. also you can paint outside in rain and sunlight.

if you're going to buy a tablet pc, you should definately try it out before you buy. the pressure sensitivity is not as good as on a intuos or cintiq.

also i remember there was a thread on the topic in this forum some time ago, maybe the search function will turn it up.

[retro]

also this link moight be of use to you

www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum

[balistic]

Just make sure you get one with a Wacom digitizer, and not a Finepoint. The X60 and the M7 both use Wacom.

Asus makes a very nice 13.1 inch called the R1F.

Toshiba has discontinued all of its 14" models, though you can still find them in retail channels.

If I were to buy a new tablet right now, I'd probably go with the Asus. A little lighter than the M7, but not as petit as the X60. Reasonably priced too, and Asus gives you a free portfolio case and travel bag.

Good upgrades to consider:

extra battery
2 Gb total RAM
7200 RPM hard drive instead of 5400

TabletPCBuzz.com is not a very reliable site anymore. Check out Gotta Be Mobile instead.
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brian.prince|light.comp.paint

[Nag]

Ok thanks a lot guy, you also confirmed many of my thoughts. I knew about the wacom penabled thingy and I�ve also been looking at the Asus one that you mentioned balistic.

Yeah I�ll deffiently try it before I buy it.

[Affected]

Those of you with tablet pcs, how do you deal with the misalignment of pen tip and cursor caused by the gap between the screen surface and the actual display? I very briefly tried a tablet PC once, and found that highly annoying, I got the feeling, as someone mentioned in an earlier thread about this, that my hand got in the way. Do you get used to it? Are there models where the gap is very small or doesn't exist?

[balistic]

[octavian]

Naglfar, imo, this is the way to go: http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbook

All the problems you experience with lame tablet pc's is supposedly solved with the modbook.

[neff]

omg, thats fucking cool

... and expensive
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[Vahn]

wow that modbook is damn cool !!

[B0b]

shame the res is unusable..

[Nag]

Yeah I�ve been thinking about the modbook and a guy I know has it ordered. I�ll try his out and then make my decision.

[Affected]

Whenever I've had to use OSX, though, it's been nothing but pain... I guess I'm just used to doing things differently.

[julianm]

This is very cool, octavian, though I agree about the usability of OSX, it can be a pain! And I hate that bottom bar...
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Its 2007 - its coming, its big and full of fun cool birthday presents

[Tomasis]

you can use Windows instead of Osx due possibility to dual boot :P

[octavian]

hey Naglfar, please let me know, or let US know rather... how the modbook is when you test it. I'm saving to get it.

bOb, now I know you're the guy in the know.... so what is wrong with 1220x800 res? I realize it's a tad bit low, but I'm ashamed to admit I'm missing the problem. Please enlighten me.

Julianm, osx rocks. FUck windows. I worked with pc's for many years and when I got my mac I knew I'd never go back unless there are major changes to windows. Osx has a small and I mean small learning curve. but the simplicity and user friendly nature of osx makes it far superior to windows imo.
also the bottom bar is movable, scalable, and you can make it disappear all together.

[Nag]

Will do once I get my hands on it.

[balistic]

I just ordered this a few days ago (hasn't arrived yet):

------
Portege M400-ST4035 Tablet PC - Toshiba Laptop

Intel� Core�2 Duo* Processor T5600 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows� XP Tablet PC 2005
1024MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (1024MBx1)
12.1" Diagonal SXGA+ Wide View Angle Display (1400x1050)
80GB HDD (7200rpm, Serial-ATA)
Ultra SlimBay DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
Intel� PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g)
Li-Ion Battery (6-cell, 4700mAh)
3 Years Standard Limited Warranty
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(gonna drop another gig of RAM in there as soon as it arrives)

I was going to hold off on getting a new tablet, but I really don't want to deal with Vista, and who knows how much longer I'll be able to get a new TPC with XP Tablet installed.

I'm really looking forward to playing with it. 30% lighter than my R15, way faster, and a better screen. I should be able to paint on it without using my workstation monitor for color-correction.

I'm not looking forward to paying for it though
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brian.prince|light.comp.paint

[Affected]

Damn you, balistic, you just revived my desire for a Tablet again.

need money....

[octavian]

Balistic, the specs on that are savage. ANd it's cheaper than the modbook. The display resolution is great too. makes me want one.

Please let us know how it works. especially the pen responsiveness on the screen. I played with some toshiba's and noticed that a) the pen wasn't comfortable in my hand, as it was very thin, and b) that there was a lag between your stroke and the recorded stroke. of Course it wasn't as nice as the specs you've shown.

[balistic]

It hasn't arrived yet, but I'll be sure to take some pictures and give impressions.

Regarding the pens, the stylus from any Wacom-based TPC will work on any other TPC, and you can use the fat grip pens from the first generation Cintiq tablets (but not the newer ones).

I always use a cintiq stylus whever I'm sitting down to take a lot of notes or do a major drawing. It's nice and thick and grippy.

I've also heard that Penabled tablets manufactured after early-March will be firmware-upgradable to 512 levels of pressure sensitivity (from 256). I hope mine has the newer digitizer, but I won't be heartbroken if it doesn't.
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brian.prince|light.comp.paint

[Tomasis]

its good that more stuffs are coming in such as from dell, lenovo

Replacement for my laptop will be a tablet notebook for sure

[octavian]

so I'm VERY serious about getting a tablet pc. I've had my heart set on the modbook, but have yet to read any reviews about it. also I read BoB's post about the resolution and noticed that it is quite low. But is that a BIG deal when painting? can someone please illuminate the pro's and con's regarding the resolution with regards to painting in photoshop?

the only problem I can forsee is the palettes being oversized on the screen which can be annoying. but other than that you can scale the size of your painting anyway, so is resolution really a problem?

help on this would be much appreciated and I'm down to hear any opinion regarding the matter.

On a side note, the TPC balistic has listed here looks very fat as well and I'm considering it quite heavily as well, esp. considering the price. but I hate windows. sigh.

[Tomasis]

resolution doesnt matter really much as size of screen. One can modify placement of controls or hide some in photoshop. It is just a little tablet notepad after all. you cannt expect 22"screen, fast harddrives, large keyboard etc. to able work on wacom comfortably. It is just a compromise to being able to make sketches, quick paintings while you're out in nature or urban area with such delightful 12" screen.

I use 1024x768 of 14" screen laptop even it is capable of higher as 1400x1050 and can consider a small a5 or a4 grapphire bluetooth as addition to laptop. But a simple tablet notepad sounds very nice with touch screen anyway. A Led based screen appears on some laptops as sony'd be awesome choice when it got be cheaper later.

[B0b]

all i can suggest is you lower your screen res to 1280x960 and see how well you get on with photoshop for a couple of days..

i get very annoyed when using the wifes laptop (1024x768) with PS Elements editing some of her pics..

[Mikko K]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I'm planning to get a tablet pc soon.

A few questions..

Balistic: Has your tablet been useful so far? Do you recommend Toshibas?

Nag: Did you get to try out the modbook?

thanx!

[Affected]

Speaking of painting in nature, is there anything out there with a sufficiently bright display to actually be used in outdoor conditions?

[Jabo]

Affected: I'm not into the other tablet PCs, but the modbook is using a new display that has some nifty specs regarding that. Quoting there website:

[watmough]

Affected,I've been painting outside on laptops for a couple years now,pretty much any screen is fine,as long as youre in the shade.

[Nag]

No modbook yet.. I checked just a few days ago and it looks like they won�t ship till quarter 4. I�m going to wait for it.. I�ve been looking at PC ones and although I�m a PC user then my mind is set on the Modbook. I�ll try it before I�ll by it though =).