From our conversations, and my observations of your behavior at meetings, I understand that you require a tool beyond the current capabilities of your cell phone and legal pad, something which will combine the functionality of both of these devices. You want something that allows you to:
Let's start here, shall we? It's a wide-open field and I want to narrow things down for us.
By which I mean handheld communication devices. In this arena, for me, it comes down to the iPhone versus the Blackberry. Both are amazing devices, and you know the iPhone has changed my life. Hands down the iPhone has the most functional interface of anything in this space. It runs on OSX — a computer operating platform which brings together some of the most important computing achievements of the last fifty years. It's future is bright, so bright that it is difficult to recommend a purchase in the present when there are so many developments planned for subsequent releases.
The Blackberry is a mature and well-loved device. It features unrivaled "push" technology — it is always "listening" for incoming emails, letting you know instantly when they have arrived, in the manner of a pager. It also allows for secure connections with company servers, and features business-class contact management applications, designed to sync up with enterprise-level software packages, such as Microsoft Sharepoint and Exchange.
But neither of these devices are comfortable for the purposes of serious research, web browsing and document editing. And you already have a cell phone.
I refuse to suggest you start carrying a laptop. I believe that using a device in meetings that automatically puts a screen between you and your co-workers fundamentally transforms your position, isolating you and making you less accessible. I dislike it intensely when people I work with bring laptops to meetings, unless they are clearly using it to take notes, or to display information actively under discussion.
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Not just what remains but an exciting synthesis of the best things about laptop computing and cell phones, all in a device which doesn't negatively impact your in-person communication style, letting you interact with your data in a way that is quick and intuitive, through a stylus or your fingers. Gesture recognition (moving the stylus in special patterns over the screen) can dramatically improve efficiency beyond standard keyboard input. Handwriting recognition has also become effective and practical.
These are also exclusively Windows-based devices, which will ensure interoperability with your desktop PC. Most tablet PCs run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, a superset of Windows XP Professional.
Disadvantages include a slightly higher cost, a maximum screen size of around 14 inches, and in general, a lack of built-in CD/DVD drives to decrease the device's total weight.
The big decision we are confronted with now is whether you should have a model without a physical keyboard to augment the pen as your primary input device. Devices without a keyboard are called "Slates" and have the advantage of being lighter, slimmer, and more rugged than so-called "Convertibles," which combine a flat writing surface with a keyboard attached via a swivel point (see Fig. 1). However, convertibles are far more common than slates, and more practical.
| Name | Price | Weight | Slate or Convertible | Link for more information | Notes |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet | $1600 | 3.7lbs | Convertible | Link for more information | |
| Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC | $2500 | 3.6lbs | Convertible | Link for more information | *sweet* |
| Gateway Convertible Notebook | $900 | ? | Convertible | Link for more information | Large screen, student (low) price point |
| HP Pavilion tx1000 | $1400 | 3.9lbs | Convertible | Link for more information | Runs Vista; touchscreen; entertainment focus; not shipping until late February |
| Portege M700 | $1500 | depends on configuration | Convertible | Link for more information |
Convertible Tablet PCs allow you to engage in mobile computing with both sides of your brain; with a keyboard and with the freedom to use your hand to write and draw directly on the screen. I want one! They have historically been most enthusiastically adopted in the field of higher education (always a good sign). They are approximately the same price as regular laptops and we just want to make sure the model you choose comes with a wireless card so that you have high-speed wireless internet access wherever you are on campus. You can check in with your office PC via Remote Desktop, and possibly by accessing the shared drives directly (we'll need to check with Josh on this).
I hope this information is helpful. If you want to go forward in this direction, we can talk again and I can work to refine these recommendations.