My desktop PC is getting dusty. My office chair is no longer being used at home and so it now resides at work. I now spend the majority of my time on my two Tablet PCs and reclining in a chair or couch. I thought about this after Lora wrote a similar thread on WhatIsNew.

I love my Acer Tablet PC. It is a convertible that spends at least fifty percent of its time in slate mode. I suspect it will eventually end up solely in slate mode. My iTablet from Sand Dune is equally spectacular.

Both Tablet PCs help me stay organized, keep focused on what is important, and help me think of new and creative ways of looking at things. Interestingly, they do two distinct jobs.

When I’m at home, I keep both Tablet PCs going at the same time. My sister, brother and I use skype to talk about servers, sites, and plans for CES. I also keep iTunes on the slate and listen to my audiobooks. Therefore, the iTablet is really my media PC.

I tried to rejuvenate my iPod but I just ended up with one problem after another. It has become easier to just keep the audiobooks on the iTablet and listen to them directly. I purchased a Logitech headset and microphone so that my daughters don’t have to listen to my audiobooks.

My Acer Tablet PC is taken to work with me each day. It sits next to the Pentium II desktop. I have yet to use this Acer directly for PowerPoint presentations. Instead, I have a desktop in the center of the room that connects to the Tablet PC through a network. The PowerPoint is then projected with an Epson digital projector.

The Acer also keeps a backup copy of my student grades, keeps all of the lesson plans, lecture notes and professional development notes.

In fact, I was thinking about how I’m using the Tablet PC more and more. It’s no wonder that my desktop PC is covered with dust. It just isn’t being used as often.

Lately I’ve been playing with OneNote. Well, that isn’t correct. I’m no longer playing with OneNote but the software has become a staple – along with GoBinder and PlanPlus for Windows XP.

Lora showed me a PowerToy that helps me snip internet sites easier. I’ve fixed the tabs so that they make more sense. I’m finally clearing my desk of old notes, scrap papers, and reminders. You can actually see the top of the table. The transition has taken me several years but I can finally see some hope of becoming organized.

Amanda Murphy writes about her First Encounter with OneNote and I completely agree with her that the “topology” is important to put thought into before notes are scattered.

As I learn more features of OneNote, I become more amazed by the program. I just wish all of my students had a Tablet PC and then the information could just be given to them directly and without paper.

After thinking about my increased use of the Tablet PC form factor and how my desktops are becoming less useful, I wonder whether this is just a natural progression. Have your habits changed since purchasing a Tablet PC?

__________________
Layne P. Heiny / Administrator for Tux Reports Network

Please do not send private messages requesting technical support. Place your request in the proper forum and hopefully someone can help you.

Computer Sites
Tablet PC Blogs | Technology Questions | Tablet PC Post | Windows Vista | What Is New

Prelaunch
Insane Politics

LPH,

You said it! I love my Acer TM C300. I can't imagine ever being held down again by a desktop. I installed a wireless router in my house and now I handle email from the living room, listen to m1live.com in the kitchen, and although I probably shouldn't admit this, I've even read email while in the bathroom.

As a non-traditional student (read old adult student) I've fallen for the note taking abilities and the ease of reviews for tests. I'm able to snip diagrams from websites and place in OneNote. Yeah, the old way of drawing them helps one remember them, but I'm learning that not focusing on my lacking artistic abilities actually allows (wow 4 words in a row that start with a) me to pay greater attention to the details.

Since you are in education, if you or your students need software you might want to check out efollet.com, they link to journeyed.com which provides for greatly discounted software for those in the ed world. For example I got OneNote for $39.98 whereas the local BestBuy was stiffing folks at $199.99. About the lowest non-ed price I could find was $89. They have lots more offerings so check them out. Darn, I wish they had a referral program. Some of my fellow students have really appreciated the link.

Friends are however beginning to give me a hard time. I've always got the thing with me. However, they're always glad that I'm accessible. I do have a slight addiction to Yahoo Games WordRacer with one of them. It is a great late night stress relief. I do switch to keyboard mode for this one as I can type faster than write (earning me more points). Sometimes I work at perfecting my penning abilities just for practice though.

I'll add that I'm pleased to have a convertible. It seems the best of both worlds. I've become more and more adept with true tablet mode, but even still I find that there are some things that are much easier if I at least have plugged in an external mouse. For example more precisely moving objects on a OneNote page, and moving tabs/pages to specific locations in a series of tabs/pages. For the external mouse on the go I love the Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse. I do have a standard size Wireless Mouse plugged into my port replicator for when I dock at home.

Please continue to share your thoughts and ideas.