<p>So does anybody have any idea what we're supposed to do about a computer. Do they have requirements and, if so, what are they. Is anybody getting a mac? I love macs but i hear they're not great for Cornell.</p>
<p>Good question. What major did you say you were? I am going to email the department (both AEP and Physics) and ask which would be better. (Apple or PC) Definitely Laptop though. I would like to try Apple as I am a PC user now. However it would be more expensive and more of a transition. </p>
<p>(OK fine I will say it. My comma key on my keyboard doesn't work and it just irks me to have to type sentences without it! Perhaps someone noticed.)</p>
<p>Laptop is better because you can carry it around, home on breaks, to a friends room, etc.</p>
<p>PC and Apple are compatible, but some programs like next years cable via internet (CUTV) and the free napster filesharing arent accessable for macs.</p>
<p>I am getting a Toshiba Satallite R15 I think. Gotta love the tablet...that way if i ever want to take notes in a math or science or non-humanities class, I can, not that I will, most likely.</p>
<p>Ahh, that is a good point to bring up. Is it wise/worth it to go with a Tablet PC? How is the longevity/durability of them? Good for watching TV as well? (Via CUTV. BTW, how much does that cost? Why is it better than regular cable? It is only through wires, right? No wireless CU.)</p>
<p>Ah you are going with the tablet? That's an issue I've been back and forth with for a while. I just heard about IBM's new tablet, although I'm having trouble finding any real info. </p>
<p>If I don't end up with a tablet, I will most likely get an IBM ThinkPad T-Series (or possibly a Sony Vaio S-Series).</p>
<p>BTW, I've heard great things about Tablets' screens and visibility. Some even have the ability to be seen in the bright sun, so that is an advantage!</p>
<p>yeah cuz cornell has so soo so soo much sun , lol, jk though its got the same sun as where i live, ontario.</p>
<p>uhh.. whats a tablet PC?</p>
<p>It's a laptop where you can flip the screen around so that when you close it, the screen becames a writable screen, like a PDA. You can write and take notes by hand without paper or a keyboard.</p>
<p>tablet sounds cool. How much does it cost? Any good suggestions for 1,000 to 2,000 price range? I'm bio major ,and many diagrams, drawings just can't be typed in. A concern is: The screen won't go bad from all the wear and tear of scribbling onto it? how long does a tablet laptop last?</p>
<p>I've changed my mind soo many times about what kind of computer to get, wow, where do I start?</p>
<p>At first I wanted a tablet, but I didn't think I'd use it as a tablet that much. Plus, tablets right now are more expensive than regular laptops, with lower specs (battery life, HD space, etc.). I actually looked at some today @ CompUSA though (one from Averatec and the Toshiba sparticus mentioned). I'm a bio major too, but I didn't think of the diagrams. Still, I think I'll settle for a notebook / PC in the end. A notebook would be more convenient/portable, but the screens are so small and i don't like the touchpads/notebook mice, and I don't think I'll really need the portability much. And PC's are cheaper too. But I'm still undecided. ^_^;</p>
<p>you can get a top of the line tablet in that range. they're midweight figure around 6 lbs for a powerful one.</p>
<p>If i dont get a tabled def a notebook. a desktopp is not portable home, or to my bed with a wireless network ;)</p>
<p>I'm concerned about tablet durability, I want to get the cnet review and wait a month or so so it comes down a little bit in price and i can get some feedback from the potential suckers who bought it right off.</p>
<p>I never had a problem with a PDA screen from scribbling until i got lazy and started using closed mech pencils to write instead of the provided stylus (i lost it). the tablets come with their own stylus w/ integrated right click button on some, so yeah, they're designed for that.</p>
<p>I've changed my mind alot too. Ultimately it comes down to laptops being portable to and from home on breaks. They're not that much more $, can be mailed for repair easier, etc. In terms of mice, keyboards, screens etc., you will 1. be more comfortable with them after using them for a few weeks, and 2. can plug in any of those peripherals at your desk. you can even get a port replicator to plug them into so you only need to connect the 1 replicator plug to your laptop.</p>
<p>If you want to take notes in class, a tablet makes sense if you're not like, a history major. make sure to get wireless, or have a PCII card slot for a wireless card!</p>
<p>I really discourage desktops for college unless you're doing 3d CAD engineering or advanced mathematics simulations or something that will need a LOT of power (not like, a lot, i mean a huge poopload) a laptop is worth the extra few hundred to get an equivilant system. Everyone i've talked to, no holds barred, says they're better for college.</p>
<p>I also advise not to skimp. the less you buy now, the sooner you will need to upgrade. you don't need to buy top of the line, but if you buy near the top of the line or somewhere in the higher end of the product market, you'll be able to get through college without having to replace your computer just when those loans are starting to loom in your near future.</p>
<p>good advice sparticus, you're truly tech-savvy, at least more so than I am. I imagine some ppl like me would be in a stone age writing on stone tablets if not for ppl like you (really i first thought tablet = something that primitive). i sincerely enjoy reading your posts. </p>
<p>sorry if i didn't catch it before, but what do you plan to do after college? I thought you'd go right into grad school right? Can't certain loans be postponed in payments until after grad school like med school and then paying them in the real world earning a full career's salary?</p>
<p>Thanks, thats a pretty frickin shaweeeeet compliment. ;) I'm really not that tech savvy. I pick up how things work pretty quickly, and I know how to get around on a computer, but i'm no programmer or anything.</p>
<p>After college it's either job or grad. school for me. I don't even know what I plan to do in college, so post-college thoughts are way out there. Certain loans can probably be postponed; I was just saying that plunking down an extra two grand for a new computer in your last year of college might not be ideal, heheh.</p>