Welcome! Please Browse around, there are hidden gems in this site.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Getting a Tablet - Handwriting Recognition + Typing Speed

So, I'm ready to get one finally. I think its clear now what is happening. There are 3 options.

1) The incredible Ipad 2 (Now Ipad 4 and Ipad mini (which you can fit in your white coat later on!), easy to use IOS operating system, smart software updates, with the ability to sync with your laptop or iphone wirelessly, thousands of applications, and you can easily jailbreak them in seconds.
2) All other tablets using Google's Android Honeycomb Operating System, which range in size, speed, and battery life comparable to the ipad. Acer, Asus, Motorola, Toshiba, Samsung, all have adopted this operating system. That means, if you like this platform, just shop for the tablet you like best and for the best price, they are pretty much all the same. If you haven't used it yet, go check it out at your local Computer store. Basically it still has bugs, its not quite as good as IOS i think, and it looks like a Digital Picture frame to me. I still wouldnt mind having it, but at the end of the day, its fast as hell, multitasking works really fast, theres a ton of applications out there, its customizable, and its just a cheaper (and it is cheaper) version of what you get on the Ipad.
3) Windows 7 Tablets with Stylus support. These computers are more expensive and have shorter battery lives. However, they have precise stylus support, and are able to function like a laptop... wait.. so why not have a laptop then? I can't really justify an answer.

The use of a stylus guys, I think really requires one more step. Handwriting Recognition. Once this goes mainstream with good solid software, I consider it being a very valuable tool.

Imagine this scenario... You take notes on your Tablet with a stylus... about ohhh Biochemistry... you draw a diagram with arrows showing inhibition points and write out the names of the enzymes.
Later that week you try to recall the information, but you just can't do it. You have to go back to your notes. Okay. so you do a search... no results. Why? Because the notes you did in handwriting format can not be searched. why? because it is not standard text.

If our software was able to take what we write in freehand, and accurately turn it into text, so that we could easily search for it later and catalog it, then yes, this could be a valuable study tool. The other strike against a stylus for note taking is this: it is faster to type on a keyboard than it is to write words with a pen (atleast it is for me, and im sure it is for you too). If not, goto this website, and get your speed up.

What's your WPM? -----> TypeRacer

Typing fast is a valuable, VALUABLE tool for anything these days, especially med school.

So, in conclusion.
- I am considering tablets with styluses a waste of time. A bluetooth keyboard is a much more important feature for what we do.
- That leaves us picking Andriod vs Apple. For me, its a simple choice. Its about money. Do you want to spend an extra $200 for the 32GB Ipad 2? or get the cheaper, android version for $400. That's it.

It may be interesting to see what Windows 8 does for us, offering another mainstream operating system that can be synced across all of your devices without all that extra learning how to use it stuff and setup, but right now Ipad 2, jailbroken and with a couple helpful apps and a wireless keyboard, is the best option in my opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment