I need to replace my laptop, and I've been eyein

[krs14]

I need to replace my laptop, and I've been eyeing Tablet PC's since they came out. Being a college student I'm on a budget, and It looks to be right around a grand. That just barely puts a Tablet in my grasp, and luckily it's the TC1000 which i've always found the most attractive. I guess what I want to know is that if you were in my position, and you couldn't afford the 1100, would you get the TC1000, or settle for a regular laptop? I really think that I could use the tablet functionality for note taking in school, and I'm interested in its potential for graphic work. I also see it working wonders for improving my notation speed in Finale (A music scoring program).
Is the processor THAT slow?
Are the Pen Problems that widespread?
Has HP pretty much abandoned support for the TC1000 series?
Thanks in advance.
Keith

[rbushway]

You mention one thing that concerns me about your pursuing the TC1000: Graphics work.

The TC1000 is not pressure sensitive. That is an important feature for graphic artists.

The processor on the TC1000 is slow, but maxing out the memory can help.

Given your budget and graphic needs, I would either look at the TC1100 Celeron - used or look at the Motion M1200 - Used.

If the pressure sensitivity is not big deal, take a look at this for sale thread:

http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/to...TOPIC_ID=12858

[WNewquay]

Keith,

Have to 2nd Rob's comments above.

I had a TC1000, and really liked it.

I'm not an artist, but really enjoy the subtle effects that come of pressure sensitivity in inking now that I have a TC1100.

In some simple sketching that I do, the pressure sensitivity makes a huge difference.

[swagner]

I still use my TC1000 every day and think it is a great machine. However I too agree here. For graphics the TC1000 is not ideal. The hard drive is not the fastest and that will slow photoshop. The lack of pressure sensitivity would also be an issue for you. The Motion M1200 used is probably in your range.

Also consider you will probably want to get an external drive of some kind.

[frede]

quote:Originally posted by rbushway

You mention one thing that concerns me about your pursuing the TC1000: Graphics work.

The TC1000 is not pressure sensitive. That is an important feature for graphic artists.

The processor on the TC1000 is slow, but maxing out the memory can help.

<snip>

If the pressure sensitivity is not big deal, take a look at this for sale thread:

http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/to...TOPIC_ID=12858

An excellent choice for a used TC1000 ;^)

Before I got my TC1100 I used a 60gig 7200 rpm drive and a Wacom tablet to address the problems mentioned above. Both make a great addition and moved to my new TC1100. I loved the fact that ALL my accessories for my TC1000 where able to be used with my TC1100, which really reduced the cost of upgrading. I hope HP keeps up this tradition...

[DaveTN]

Keith,
Before I got my TC1000, I used a Gateway laptop with a 600mhz Celeron and 512mb RAM. I maxed out the RAM on my TC and the difference between the two is tremendous. So going from an older laptop to the TC1000, I think you will notice the difference. I use it a lot in meetings to take notes on and I take it with me on jobs to track my notes and log my repairs, so I like it a lot.
I have to agree though with everyone else though about the graphics design. If you are going to use it for artwork, then it's not for you. Otherwise, it's a great replacement for an older laptop.

David

[krs14]

Its funny, I should have been more clear when I said graphics work. Everybody thinks photoshop, but actually 90% of what I do is vector based work in Corel Draw, where pressure sensitivity doesn't matter at all. It's mostly layout work for signs, posters, stickers, t-shirts, etc.
Any photo based editing I do is mostly cropping, resizing, resampling, adjusting brightness, etc. So I think i'll be ok without the pressure sensitivity.

The problem being is that my laptop is dead, I'm losing money not having one. In the fall I should have the extra cash to pick up an external drive, Extra RAM, etc.

Given my history with laptops dying, I probably want to pick up something with at least a year warranty from the factory.

Another concern,
How is the remote desktop control aspect of it? I run a small recording studio and I was thinking that it would be great to set up a drum kit in another room, run the mic cables, and be able to control my Digital Audio Workstation (It's windows XP Pro based) from the drum kit.

[WNewquay]

krs14,

re: Remote Control
If you are talking about using Windows Remote Desktop to run the Digital Audio Workstation (It's windows XP Pro based) it might work.

The Tablet PC version of Windows is a superset of XP Pro. So if you could do what you want with your old laptop running XP Pro, then it will probably be fine with the TC1000.

I used to do this kind of thing (not specifically with a DAW) all the time with my TC1000.