# Best laptop/tablet for taking notes in class?



## topdog82

I had saved up about 1,500$ for a laptop. I planned to use this laptop to take notes in class and ONLY for that purpose. I already have a great gaming desktop but it is a bit hefty

I got the Microsoft surface. It works nice. I use one note to take notes, and record lecture AND often have the textbook for the class on the side

I am having second thoughts about it however. I feel that 1,300$ for a tablet/laptop is great. But a tad excessive. I have till next Wednesday to return it and get full money back

Any college students out there who have experience with other laptops for taking to class? My friend suggested the MacBook air?

Basically, it just needs to be fairly small, and light


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## tremmor

Asus Eee about $300.00 
Light, small and cheap.


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## topdog82

tremmor said:


> Asus Eee about $300.00
> Light, small and cheap.



thanks I will be sure to check it out! I want to use it in person before I make the purchase

I was looking at some reviews just now. It is about 4x cheaper than the Microsoft surface, and looks like a overall better device

EDIT: If anyone else has any other suggestions, plz let me know


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## tremmor

Besides light and small it does not have a cd rom. No big deal. you can download programs or use a external hd drive for backup and i even have a external cdrom. 
I use for bill paying and business only. nothing else. Not fast but works. Yes, i agree and put your hands on it. Keyboard is small, and screen.


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## topdog82

tremmor said:


> Besides light and small it does not have a cd rom. No big deal. you can download programs or use a external hd drive for backup and i even have a external cdrom.
> I use for bill paying and business only. nothing else. Not fast but works. Yes, i agree and put your hands on it. Keyboard is small, and screen.



also, do you know if you can record and play lecture on it?

The problem I am currently encountering with the surface pro is that the keyboard and screen are a tad TOO small. I like the surface pro but purely because I have my notes, and lecture in one place. Also, it is small and light

So once again, looking for a laptop that is light, has recording capabilities etc for lecture, and is light and small. more $ for a better product isn't an issue as long as it is below $1500 and gets the job done


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## DMGrier

Just use sound recorder built in Windows to record your lectures, might want to pick up a external MIC for sound quality though. There are not many other suggestions since no one is going to recommend a killer laptop for note taking. 

My only other suggestion I use a chromebook I bought for $249, works very well since my campus has extremely fast wifi. As for sound recording for $50 you could pick up a really nice recorder using SD and just plug it into the chromebook and transfer the files over in which you could listen to the audio on your computer then or chromebook's come with 100 GB of google drive which means you could sync and listen on Android device if you own one.

The Asus and Chromebook with extrenal audio recorder are the only two options I can think of.


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## topdog82

DMGrier said:


> Just use sound recorder built in Windows to record your lectures, might want to pick up a external MIC for sound quality though. There are not many other suggestions since no one is going to recommend a killer laptop for note taking.
> 
> My only other suggestion I use a chromebook I bought for $249, works very well since my campus has extremely fast wifi. As for sound recording for $50 you could pick up a really nice recorder using SD and just plug it into the chromebook and transfer the files over in which you could listen to the audio on your computer then or chromebook's come with 100 GB of google drive which means you could sync and listen on Android device if you own one.
> 
> The Asus and Chromebook with extrenal audio recorder are the only two options I can think of.



I apologize for the typos beforehand, I was very tired

Ok sounds good. I am looking at the lower end in terms of price

inspiron touch 13z also looks like a decent option at around $700. Chromebook, and asus are also considerations. I will look em up this weekend


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## strollin

The Surface Pro tablet (hope  you didn't get the Surface RT) is nice but very pricey.  With an i5 processor, it's got more power than most netbooks.  When you need the keyboard you can attach it but when it's not needed you can detach it and use it as a tablet.  If you don't need/want the ability to switch back and forth between keyboard/no keyboard then there isn't a lot of advantage to having it and a regular laptop or netbook may be a better choice for you.


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## topdog82

strollin said:


> The Surface Pro tablet (hope  you didn't get the Surface RT) is nice but very pricey.  With an i5 processor, it's got more power than most netbooks.  When you need the keyboard you can attach it but when it's not needed you can detach it and use it as a tablet.  If you don't need/want the ability to switch back and forth between keyboard/no keyboard then there isn't a lot of advantage to having it and a regular laptop or netbook may be a better choice for you.



yeah that's exactly what I am saying

it was 1300$ with the keyboard, case and and warranty

I find I never really detached the keyboard and I have had it for 4 days. The only time its tablet function comes in handy when I (hate to getdescriptive here) read the news during my morning bowel movements and when I and watching Netflix in bed right before I sleep.

The surface pro is great in general, but I really just want a NOTEBOOK for taking notes. I wish I had more uses for it

So I plan to return it. I have used a desktop for most internet surfing and gaming

What I really do like however is windows 8 itself. It had some bugs to begin with, but after the 1st day it was running smoothly. I like one note and how it organizes notes as well as lectures in one place (one note is a great program). That is really the main reason I am enjoying it at this moment

I like its apps and functions. But I really think as an overall product it isn't that great. It would be great if I were a businessman and needed a pad/tblet to check emails

anyways, I thought about it. I will most likely use the money I get from returning it to buy a smaller dell laptop for much cheaper that runs windows 8. I will probably use the defult recorder that the laptop provides


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## paulcheung

I have this
http://www.amazon.com/HP-11-g010nr-...TF8&qid=1370704063&sr=8-1&keywords=hp+envy+x2
it is not so fast like the surface pro but should be enough for what you want to do for half the price. the screen is little bigger than the surface pro. only problem it is that the skype report the computer is little slow. I have office 2010 installed and I have no problem with it.
Cheers


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## kmkrreeves1

just another thought, I don't know if you bought Microsoft office separate, or you're just using the office trial on the surface, but one note is part of Microsoft office, and you will have to buy a copy (or get a computer that comes with it) to have one note. You can also use the web apps for free (I didn't know about this) https://skydrive.live.com/?id=documents&xt=docx&action=CreateWord you just log in to sky drive and click create and you can use word, excel, one note, and powerpoint. (I am pretty impressed with how well the web app works, and that microsoft isn't making you pay for it)

If you go with a chromebook, which really wouldn't be a bad option for your needs, you can use the web app, but you can't buy the traditional office for it. 

Just a warning, if you go with the web app, you won't be able to access anything without the internet.

And there is no real reason for you (in my opinion anyone) to buy the macbook air... That is a waste of money


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