# best tablet for taking notes in lecture



## IEATFISH

I wouldn't recommend any of them, honestly. A pen/pencil and a pad of paper are still the best way to take notes. Between stability issues (on just about all tablets) in the apps and lag of the input, you'll never get a similar experience to actual paper.

There aren't any tablets worth buying that work that great for notes, especially in that price. If you absolutely need a digital medium for notes, a netbook is about your only option. Advantage there is you can use Word which is stable and won't crash during a lecture. But then you are typing which is generally worse for both speed and retention of the information.


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## wooly4

^^what he said

there are good stable tablets out there, but not in that price range, and not that are worth buying just for taking notes


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## G3RG

Motion Computing m1400. They go for around $100 on ebay. I got one a while ago through a company I worked for... it runs XP so it'll do more than any android tablet or ipad. Only downside is it only reads input from the stylus.

Mine gets the same battery life as the average laptop. I used it in college nearly every day. It's great because I used it to replace all my notebooks for all of my classes.


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## note235

digital pen and have it sync with evernote


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## guyladouche

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IEATFISH*
> 
> I wouldn't recommend any of them, honestly. A pen/pencil and a pad of paper are still the best way to take notes. Between stability issues (on just about all tablets) in the apps and lag of the input, you'll never get a similar experience to actual paper.
> There aren't any tablets worth buying that work that great for notes, especially in that price. If you absolutely need a digital medium for notes, a netbook is about your only option. Advantage there is you can use Word which is stable and won't crash during a lecture. But then you are typing which is generally worse for both speed and retention of the information.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wooly4*
> 
> ^^what he said
> there are good stable tablets out there, but not in that price range, and not that are worth buying just for taking notes


^^ What they said. Especially if you're taking scientific classes.


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## G3RG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *guyladouche*
> 
> ^^ What they said. Especially if you're taking scientific classes.


What about what i said >.>

The motion computing m1400 IS a slate tablet and its cheaper than ANY android tablet on the market.


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## Exostenza

A netbook.


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## IEATFISH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *G3RG*
> 
> What about what i said >.>
> The motion computing m1400 IS a slate tablet and its cheaper than ANY android tablet on the market.


Of all the choices, that is a good one. I've not used that version in particular but something MADE to do that sort of thing is much better than buying a media consumption device like a tablet and trying to use it for a dedicated purpose.


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## motorsportcfd

I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned the B&N Nook Color. I just recently got a Nook Color ($150 on sale, they're $199 in the store now that the Nook Tablet is coming out) and rooted it to load Cyanogen Mod 7 (CM7) on to it. CM7 is a full blown Gingerbread Android OS with all the same features you would have on a Samsung Tab or Toshiba Thrive. The only thing that those tablets have over the Nook Color, other than being more expensive, is they have a camera and support data network capability (3G/4G/HSPA). I bought my Nook Color specifically for work, such as taking notes in meetings. I have OliveOffice setup with my Google docs so as I take notes they automatically sync with my Google account. Much easier than trying to keep track of paper scribbles everywhere.

It's pretty simple to perform the root and load the hacked OS onto a Nook Color, and then you have a full 7" Android tablet for $200. Personally, I prefer the 7" size over the 10" tablets because its the same size as my notepads I carry around the office, and its just light and simple. I don't feel like I'm walking around with a picture frame.

For what its worth, I also run the same hacked OS on my Samsung Infuse phone, and love it. Makes compatibility between the phone and the tablet very succinct.

For more info on CM7: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/


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## G3RG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *motorsportcfd*
> 
> I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned the B&N Nook Color. I just recently got a Nook Color ($150 on sale, they're $199 in the store now that the Nook Tablet is coming out) and rooted it to load Cyanogen Mod 7 (CM7) on to it. CM7 is a full blown Gingerbread Android OS with all the same features you would have on a Samsung Tab or Toshiba Thrive. The only thing that those tablets have over the Nook Color, other than being more expensive, is they have a camera and support data network capability (3G/4G/HSPA). I bought my Nook Color specifically for work, such as taking notes in meetings. I have OliveOffice setup with my Google docs so as I take notes they automatically sync with my Google account. Much easier than trying to keep track of paper scribbles everywhere.
> It's pretty simple to perform the root and load the hacked OS onto a Nook Color, and then you have a full 7" Android tablet for $200. Personally, I prefer the 7" size over the 10" tablets because its the same size as my notepads I carry around the office, and its just light and simple. I don't feel like I'm walking around with a picture frame.
> For what its worth, I also run the same hacked OS on my Samsung Infuse phone, and love it. Makes compatibility between the phone and the tablet very succinct.
> For more info on CM7: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/


But can you use a stylus with it?

Edit: apparently you can, but it doesn't work very well.


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## IEATFISH

And even if you can, I have yet to see and iOS or Android apps that I would trust with the notes an hour long lecture without crashing.


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## ScribbyDaGreat

Use this - *CLICKY* - they are great.


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## motorsportcfd

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *G3RG*
> 
> But can you use a stylus with it?
> Edit: apparently you can, but it doesn't work very well.


I haven't tried to yet, but I've thought about getting one.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IEATFISH*
> 
> And even if you can, I have yet to see and iOS or Android apps that I would trust with the notes an hour long lecture without crashing.


I use OliveOffice. I constantly save my notes, and it automatically syncs with GoogleDocs. I haven't had any problems in teleconferences lasting a few hours.


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## G3RG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ScribbyDaGreat*
> 
> Use this - *CLICKY* - they are great.


$100 for a pen plus overpriced paper.... or $100 for a full tablet pc running XP.

The only logical choice for what he's asking about is a netbook or a motion computing m1400 (or similar).


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## wooly4

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *motorsportcfd*
> 
> I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned the B&N Nook Color. I just recently got a Nook Color ($150 on sale, they're $199 in the store now that the Nook Tablet is coming out) and rooted it to load Cyanogen Mod 7 (CM7) on to it. CM7 is a full blown Gingerbread Android OS with all the same features you would have on a Samsung Tab or Toshiba Thrive. The only thing that those tablets have over the Nook Color, other than being more expensive, is they have a camera and support data network capability (3G/4G/HSPA). I bought my Nook Color specifically for work, such as taking notes in meetings. I have OliveOffice setup with my Google docs so as I take notes they automatically sync with my Google account. Much easier than trying to keep track of paper scribbles everywhere.
> It's pretty simple to perform the root and load the hacked OS onto a Nook Color, and then you have a full 7" Android tablet for $200. Personally, I prefer the 7" size over the 10" tablets because its the same size as my notepads I carry around the office, and its just light and simple. I don't feel like I'm walking around with a picture frame.
> For what its worth, I also run the same hacked OS on my Samsung Infuse phone, and love it. Makes compatibility between the phone and the tablet very succinct.
> For more info on CM7: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/


why is it that I feel as though you didn't actually read his post? I've used a Nook color with Honeycomb on it and it would probably be the most useless thing ever for taking notes, the touchscreen is probably one of the worst I've used on any tablet device.
OP unless you also want it for music/internet etc. just go with good old pen and paper:thumb:


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## maila

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *G3RG*
> 
> Motion Computing m1400. They go for around $100 on ebay. I got one a while ago through a company I worked for... it runs XP so it'll do more than any android tablet or ipad. Only downside is it only reads input from the stylus.
> Mine gets the same battery life as the average laptop. I used it in college nearly every day. It's great because I used it to replace all my notebooks for all of my classes.


hmmm i think im gonna look into this. i mainly just wanna be able to digitally write over pdf's. so sick of re drawing flip flops and multiplexers into my noteboook!


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## motorsportcfd

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wooly4*
> 
> why is it that I feel as though you didn't actually read his post? I've used a Nook color with Honeycomb on it and it would probably be the most useless thing ever for taking notes, the touchscreen is probably one of the worst I've used on any tablet device.
> OP unless you also want it for music/internet etc. just go with good old pen and paper:thumb:


I read the post. I haven't had any problems with my touch screen on my Nook Color. I also use mine for taking notes on a daily basis in meetings and haven't had a problem with it. I was just trying to offer my input based on what I use, didn't see any harm in that.


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## wooly4

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *motorsportcfd*
> 
> I read the post. I haven't had any problems with my touch screen on my Nook Color. I also use mine for taking notes on a daily basis in meetings and haven't had a problem with it. I was just trying to offer my input based on what I use, didn't see any harm in that.


hmmm wasnt actually my nook. Could possibly have had a defective touchscreen(I just assumed it did not as it was pretty much brand new) the touchscreen just did not seem very accurate at all, and it seemed like you had to really press kinda hard for it to register which I figured would make it pretty awful for use with a stylus. Other than that its actually a pretty nifty device though, especially when loaded with an Android ROM


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## Canadarocker

If you have a laptop and good hand eye coordination you could just use a graphics writing tablet someone in one of my chemistry classes did that, I thought it was pretty interesting


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## Stealth Pyros

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IEATFISH*
> 
> But then you are typing which is generally worse for both speed and retention of the information.










You can handwrite at 100+WPM???


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## G3RG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Stealth Pyros*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can handwrite at 100+WPM???


If you're taking notes correctly you should be able to finger paint what the teacher is telling you much less write it out.

Also you can't easily type math notes or most science notes. That's where a stylus comes in







.


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## IEATFISH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Stealth Pyros*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can handwrite at 100+WPM???


Lol, well *I* can't type that fast while taking notes. I usually top out around 80. But when taking notes, flexibility and cognition are the big things. Writing them out allows you to immediately transition from text to tables to charts to diagrams to pictures back to text. And writing things down is shown to cause greater retention and comprehension than simply typing.

But if you can type 100WPM on a netbook or laptop board, by all means go ahead.







Though I doubt your classmates would appreciate the click clack of fingers moving that fast.


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## ScribbyDaGreat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *G3RG*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ScribbyDaGreat*
> 
> Use this - *CLICKY* - they are great.
> 
> 
> 
> $100 for a pen plus overpriced paper.... or $100 for a full tablet pc running XP.
> 
> The only logical choice for what he's asking about is a netbook or a motion computing m1400 (or similar).
Click to expand...

These are great especially with the record ability. Have been using them for years and love them. To each his own, but I prefer to have the audio of exactly what went on - not sure if your tablet can record as well. If it can - perfect.


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## G3RG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ScribbyDaGreat*
> 
> These are great especially with the record ability. Have been using them for years and love them. To each his own, but I prefer to have the audio of exactly what went on - not sure if your tablet can record as well. If it can - perfect.


It can do anything your desktop can









Just slower lol


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## TheWolfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *motorsportcfd*
> 
> I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned the B&N Nook Colo


I'm a bit confused. I had a Nook Color with Cm7 for about a month. It was fun and a great size, but I couldn't find any serious apps out there for note taking (Compared to OneNote, anyway). Did you have a stylus? I really doubt that one color CPU could match your handwriting...or did you type on screen :O


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## eskamobob1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maila*
> 
> hmmm i think im gonna look into this. i mainly just wanna be able to digitally write over pdf's. so sick of re drawing flip flops and multiplexers into my noteboook!


samsung 7 slate FTW... if you have the money, then it is the best you will find.. has mid range laptop componants in it and an amazing touchscreen with an active digatizer... best option IMO if you can afford it

@ OP, i would just stick to regular paper (or that pen thing)... it will give you the best retention, and hand writing recognition is always horrible and only does short amounts at a time (not to mention it can drop of the pen a lot)... the only things i would even consider for this task are full windows OS devices.. the m1400 is great, but a little slow (but you cant beat it for the price)... if you are willing to go well over your budget, then i definitely recommend a windows 7 tablet... the only two i know of with good handwriting recognition and an active digatizer are the ASUS EP 121 and the samsung 7 slate, but both will run you around $1000


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## maila

ya i mean i dont really need/want handwriting recognition. i just want an accurate stylus and to be able to write on top of pdf file worksheets


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## Zalgroth

You could check out the HP 2730p Convertible Tablet. You can find it for around $300 on eBay (at lowest, perhaps a bit cheaper if you're willing to compromise). It's got a dual core processor as well as a Wacom active digitizer tablet. It's a bit old, and I wouldn't expect running any kind of video games on it, but I'm sure if you installed Windows 7 (or just used XP), Microsoft OneNote or Office or any other editing software would work fine. I haven't used it myself (I'm strongly considering purchasing one, as I have similar needs to you), but other people claim that it's very good.


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## spsuninja

Here's a method that's worked for me for two semester's now and I believe it's the best by far. It works best with a tablet or at least a smart phone with a large screen. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVtVVGk3dEQ

and here's a google doc's presentation that helps explain the benefits of this method and how it compares to competing products: https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgzjc4wg_125f7qzmvcp

I should mention that I record all the lectures with a digital audio recorder. During my note taking, I glance at the recorder to see at what time I am writing each particular note. I then write the time next to the note so I can easily listen to what the professor was saying as I was writing. This saves me from having to write a lot. For example, when the professor starts naming off topics that will be on the test, I simple write down the time, then write "he discusses what will be on the test at this time".

Because all my notes are simply pictures and can be stored digitally, I can save the audio files and my notes in the same place. I made a formula sheet to end all formula sheets using this method for one of my nuclear tests I had a couple of weeks ago. I actually shared it with another student (via google docs) before the test. We both got good grades and he profusely complimented me on it soon after.


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## Artikbot

Pen+notebook and a Kindle with the PDFs loaded.

The best, by far.

Oh, and DO have cross references. If there's a schematic on the PDF, say, example 32, just reference to it instead of re-writing it completely.


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## memery.uag

I've been using a WacomIntuos5 for a while now. That in combination with Windows Journal Writer has worked perfectly for me. It even does text conversion. I also run Ubuntu and noticed a native driver for the Wacom Tablets. I haven't used it w/Ubuntu yet but the small tablet with wireless is awesome with Win7 Journal Writer. Page numbering, date stamping with time is automatic and the title of every note is converted to text and appears as note title when you hit save. Taking the time to "train" it for your handwriting soaks up a bit of time but is worth it. the proportions of the small tablet are awkward to use with most screens but the 'precision mode' function cures that problem instantly. Rotate the mapping for a portrait orientation and you are golden. There is even a Math Input Panel that recognizes formulas but that might take more getting used to. It works great for me.


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## snoogins

Grab a Asus WIN8 RT tablet used if you can find one. Might be able to get it in that price range, comes with Microsoft Office, and the writing input on the keyboard is surprisingly reactive.


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## eskamobob1

Nice res


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## spsuninja

Here is how I took digital notes in school: http://crowdfundingforum.com/showthread.php/1982-(Indiegogo)-The-Infinity-Binder?referrerid=2582

It's cheap. It's easy. And it works.


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