e-Lab-book.com

I must admit I did take notes in some classes while doing my Masters in Biochemistry with the old OQO. See below.

Funny, looking through my notes makes me realize how much I have forgotten already.

Now check out my notes from this week in one of my classes.

So here’s my list of the X60s advantages/disadvantages in note taking:

1) Ease of use.

Notetaking Area
It’s much easier to take notes in the larger (notebook sized) area. The OQO is like taking notes in your daily planner (which is good in some situations – but taking notes for a class is more intensive).

Responsiveness
CPU speed changes the usability of the tablet features. If you look at the notetaking samples above you will notice when using the X60 it was easier to change pen colors (thus more pretty colors). What you don’t see is the fact that I am able to erase and change stuff quickly. You can’t ask the professor to wait while your tablet changes pen colors or reformats something (actually you can – we all know those kind of people don’t we).

Shock Factor
Although the size of the OQO lends itself to being used more frequently – just pull it out, jot down some notes, put it back – actually, I have noticed that I am much more likely to use my X60 in class. Why? Well, if I decide I want to take notes on something and all of the sudden pull out my old OQO then someone always will be like – ‘what the heck is that, what are you doing?’ Hey, I’m a tech nerd so deep down I want that attention, but at the same time it’s a bit rude and disruptive and sometimes would prevent me from pulling it out in seminars and classes. The X60 looks like a laptop – which is very common now. People still notice, but it’s not as disruptive.

2) Battery Life

No contest – The X60 (especially with the extended battery) can last through 4 hours+ of classes and seminars. The OQO was hard pressed to make it through 1 hour (and I would never think to turn on the wifi to look something up).

That’s another added bonus – responsiveness and battery life allow for wifi use in class to look up and cut and paste stuff from the web. See below.

Well I was going to make a big list of good stuff – but, really, since I’m just looking at notetaking the other things should be saved for a different debate.

So where does the OQO win out?

Size, Tech nerd glory, that slide out keyboard (granted the X60 has a full size keyboard – but it’s a bit of a lugubrious effort to flip around the screen when compared to the slide out of the OQO)

The big list of benefits would be for either of these tablets over traditional notes. I won’t go into that list – but, those notes from my OQO above in my Receptor Biochemistry course would now be a recycled paper back had I taken them in a paper notebook. Some people keep all that stuff! That’s even worse, a closet full of notes you really will never look at .