Question for the gadget junkies......

[T-Man007]

Who ownes or has looked into Tablet PCs?

I'm thinking I could save a lot of time in my job by having a Tablet PC. I could enter a lot of the stuff that goes into the report while I'm still at the house. But, these things range in price so much that I have no idea how to determine the route to go. Basically, I only need it to run one program, my appraisal software, that's all I care about. If I can spend a little more time at each house to save myself a half hour or more at typing the report, that's worth it over the long haul because I could spend more time in the field.

Thanks!

[jamescb77]

Re: Question for the gadget junkies......

is there a reason why you need a tablet PC verse a laptop unless you need to write things into the document by hand i would just look into getting a very small laptop to take with you. it's cheaper lighter and easier to use to be honest i only have a small experience with tablets and there cool but seem more like a look at how cool my computer is than how functional it actually is

[T-Man007]

Re: Question for the gadget junkies......

I have a laptop, but the thing is that the laptop is not user friendly when I'm walking through a house taking notes. For my job is would be much more user friendly to have something easier to carry and that would allow me to just click (for a lack of a better word) the things I need to. Ok, here's the deal, I'm a real estate appraiser and so I have to carry a clipboard with my inspection sheet and a measuring tape. The inspection sheet has a bunch of items and conditions for those items that I circle as I walk through the home. Then, on the reverse side, is my sketch page where I draw the sketch of the home and write down where all the rooms are what have you. Having a tablet pc would allow me to be able to draw the sketch and then when I'm looking over the home I can fill all that out right there on the spot. The way it is now I fill all this stuff out and draw the sketch and all that, then, I go to the office and repeat all of it. I have to redraw the sketch into the sketch program and transfer all my notes into the appropriate fields in the report. I figure, I could save myself anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes a report, depending on the size of the home. I've tried taking my laptop but it's only useful in the car. I would go out to the car and start to enter the data, only to find I'm still doing the same thing....reapeating steps. The softwar company also has a version of the software for a pocket pc, but the screen is so small that you have to constently move it around and it is not user friendly for sketching in the field.

So, that's why I 'think' the tablet would be better for me. But, I have no idea what to look for in one to tell you the truth.