Tablet computers are a sick new toy - but they aren't perfect for everybody.
Starting in September, 25 students were given Lenovo X60 series computers through a testing program with Information Technology Services. This year was the first that tablet computers were available through UNC, and ITS leaders want feedback before expanding offerings further.
The Daily Tar Heel also was given a tablet computer, this one only for a monthlong try.
There's no doubt the computer is sexy. It draws a crowd of onlookers the first time you spin the screen around, turning it from a smaller laptop into the tablet.
The stylus works like a dream, accurately and smoothly transcribing the pen's motions onto the screen. Turn the pen over, and somehow the computer knows to erase your drawing.
But traditional laptop users might complain that the tablet has no touch pad, only the red pointing stick.
And there's no telling how quickly the screen will be scratched up beyond usability.
For playing around in Paint, the tablet computer can't be beat. For taking notes, though, the results are a mixed bag.
There's a reason people started taking computers to class. It's so much easier to type notes than to write them out by hand.
Taking notes on a tablet is the same as scribbling in a notebook, though most traditional pens can't switch colors with a tap.
There's no hope in typing text with the computer in tablet mode. The computer does has a full keyboard when opened like a regular laptop, but it is a tad uncomfortable and not as wide as most.
But for students in classes involving charts, graphs or math problems more often than it involves just words, the tablet could be a godsend.
Users can copy down those graphics straight into a savable, e-mailable and printable Microsoft Word document or a file in the handy OneNote program, standard on this year's Carolina Computing Initiative computers.
A simple plugin also will convert words scribbled with the stylus into text.
It's not quite as easy to back up your spiral-bound notebook. And creating separate files for different classes is a lot more space efficient than carrying around a bunch of different notepads.
If you're an English major, stick with the traditional laptops.
But if you're finding derivatives or mapping out DNA structure, the tablet computer could be your best bet.
Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
