Need a device for school...

[FearoftheNight]

Hey guys. Just realized I love technology but I don't really use it for school so I'd like some input on what to get...

I want a device to store all my pdfs/ppts for my classes so I can have them all in one place. I've never had an e-pen or stylus but I'd like one to take notes with too on the pdfs/ppts if there's a good product for that. I'd also like some kind of auto backup to the cloud option preferably dropbox or drive. What's the best hardware/software solution for this? So far I'm thinking iPad/android tablet/ms surface and some kind of cloud software?

Thanks!!

Further thoughts: Any idea what an ideal size screen would be for this? Also is it a pain to get files onto an ipad? Ideally I'd like some kind of cloud based solution for backup/syncing purposes...

 

[vi edit]

Surface 3 + one note + onedrive.

 

[destrekor]

I had a Surface Pro for a few years, and while it was great, I slowly got annoyed with the small display size and the 16:9 ratio that made portrait viewing worthless.

However I would have been ecstatic had it existed when I was in college, it came out a few years after I graduated. I got by with a cheap Acer laptop for classes, at the time that's all I wanted, I focused on my gaming PC.
Today that's still the case but I have a MBP for portable utility, and that would be no better in classrooms than the cheap Acer I had. I found I don't utilize touch hardly at all and don't really miss it for daily life and my current work habits, but had the Surface 3 or Surface Pro 3 existed during college, I would have called it the holy grail.

Perfect size, and yes, the touch and pen features + OneNote would be beyond fantastic for classwork. Annotating slides given our beforehand, or working up your own notes, and so much more. I fell in love with OneNote on that cheap Acer laptop I mentioned, it's free-form use and syncing was brilliant, and even without touch it worked great for note taking, but it would have been THAT much better with stylus support.

In short, I thoroughly support a Surface 3 for classes. If you see yourself holding onto it for more productivity and want to throw more computing power at things, the Pro 3 would be perfect, but if you want to be economical, the Surface 3 will meet your every need.

note: I just realized the Surface 3 is a smaller screen than the SP3, but... it retains the same ratio, which that much I remembered. Even at 10.8, the 3:2 ratio is excellent. Again, for current usage, that's a great size. I'd highly prefer the SP3 and the upcoming SP4 for the larger screen size for better daily use, but especially during school, smaller (within reason) is absolutely better, AND it's not so small that it is hard to use. It'll be easier to use on many desks, for sure, and light enough to use as a touch/pen tablet at length.

 

[FearoftheNight]

Hey guys. Do I need to use 1note and 1drive? Is it possible to stay w/ Dropbox or Google Drive? Why this over ipad or android?

Also how is the stylus implementation? Is it finicky or good to use? I don't need this to be a laptop or pc replacement either. Alrdy own a few smartphones and laptops and a 7 in tablet.

 

[Buttercream]

Hey guys. Do I need to use 1note and 1drive? Is it possible to stay w/ Dropbox or Google Drive? Why this over ipad or android?

Also how is the stylus implementation? Is it finicky or good to use? I don't need this to be a laptop or pc replacement either. Alrdy own a few smartphones and laptops and a 7 in tablet.

Do you need to use OneNote and OneDrive? No, of course not. It's nice, they each have their own metro app, and it backups to 15GB of free storage that you can expand.

Dropbox Notes is in beta which you can sign up and reserve for. Google has their whole shebang (doc, drive, chrome, etc) all wrapped up in Chrome windows 8 mode.

The stylus is very good. An active stylus with good precision that you can hover above the screen to use as a mouse. Try it in person to decide if it's worth the extra $50 to you.

Why Surface 3 over iPad or android? That depends on what else you want to use it for. The Surface 3 being full Windows can double as a laptop, though it can get expensive quickly if you decide to get the accessories. Ipad and android each has their thriving ecosystem of apps, but their OS is more limiting. They are media consumption device first and foremost.

 

[FearoftheNight]

Do you need to use OneNote and OneDrive? No, of course not. It's nice, they each have their own metro app, and it backups to 15GB of free storage that you can expand.

Dropbox Notes is in beta which you can sign up and reserve for. Google has their whole shebang (doc, drive, chrome, etc) all wrapped up in Chrome windows 8 mode.

The stylus is very good. An active stylus with good precision that you can hover above the screen to use as a mouse. Try it in person to decide if it's worth the extra $50 to you.

Why Surface 3 over iPad or android? That depends on what else you want to use it for. The Surface 3 being full Windows can double as a laptop, though it can get expensive quickly if you decide to get the accessories. Ipad and android each has their thriving ecosystem of apps, but their OS is more limiting. They are media consumption device first and foremost.

Are DB an drive well integrated feature-wise and convenient? I prefer a more seamless experience. Also I'd reiterate that this is not my main device so it'll be primarily for school. I just want all my reference books, pdfs, powerpoints in one place and scribbe some comments on them and having a 1 step/convenient way to back them up to the cloud.

I wouldn't mind being able to type up some stuff or do some general web/productivity/netflix on this thing but I have a rMBP pro for my real heavy lifting. So based on this context would it be worthwhile for a s3 w/ stylus (possibly kb) vs an ipad/android w/ stylus?

Also how is the os in it's current state? Will it get win 10 for a worthwhile upgrade to user experience?

 

[Buttercream]

I never used Dropbox Notes, and I believe it doesn't have stylus support.

Chrome in windows 8 mode pretty much acts like chrome OS. Here's a video on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnCZjwTVC7w

Google Docs don't have stylus support either.

OneNote, unsurprisingly, works well with a stylus. You can scribble, draw, write, pretty anything you would want a stylus for.

Office has great stylus support, so you're covered for pdfs and ppts.

You should be able to find pdf editing app with stylus support for ios and android, not sure about ppt though.

Once you have the right software on all three platform, it really boils down to the hardware. Surface 3's 3:2 screen is great for your use-case, the front-firing stereo speaker is handy for netflix, and the kickstand is sublime.

So ask yourself, just from a hardware standpoint, Surface 3 or iPad air 2?


P.S. Windows 8.1 as it stands, is a bit of a mess. Windows 10 is coming in a over a month, and Microsoft is giving it away to anyone with a pulse. So yes, it'll get 10.

 

[richierich1212]

I recently bought a used Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition used for about $240. You might want to try one out. The Note 8.0 was good too but not large enough for me.

 

[FearoftheNight]

I never used Dropbox Notes, and I believe it doesn't have stylus support.

Chrome in windows 8 mode pretty much acts like chrome OS. Here's a video on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnCZjwTVC7w

Google Docs don't have stylus support either.

OneNote, unsurprisingly, works well with a stylus. You can scribble, draw, write, pretty anything you would want a stylus for.

Office has great stylus support, so you're covered for pdfs and ppts.

You should be able to find pdf editing app with stylus support for ios and android, not sure about ppt though.

Once you have the right software on all three platform, it really boils down to the hardware. Surface 3's 3:2 screen is great for your use-case, the front-firing stereo speaker is handy for netflix, and the kickstand is sublime.

So ask yourself, just from a hardware standpoint, Surface 3 or iPad air 2?


P.S. Windows 8.1 as it stands, is a bit of a mess. Windows 10 is coming in a over a month, and Microsoft is giving it away to anyone with a pulse. So yes, it'll get 10.

what about using office or 1note and using dropbox as an automatic backup or sync solution? by hardware you mean the physical hw/design not the specs right? the stylus is an additional $50 and do I need to buy any other stuff?

also what are your thought re the surface os and windows 10 if that will run on it to?

 

[Buttercream]

what about using office or 1note and using dropbox as an automatic backup or sync solution?

You can only use OneNote and Office with OneDrive, Microsoft likes you to stay their ecosystem, and they don't give you much option otherwise.

You can use Google Drive and/or Dropbox, but I'm afraid it won't be a seamless experience.

by hardware you mean the physical hw/design not the specs right? the stylus is an additional $50 and do I need to buy any other stuff?

Both actually. I really like the design of the Surface 3, especially the kickstand. Yes, you can slap a case on a iPad/android tablet that will prop it at an angle, but those add quite a bit of weight and bulk. I also like the 3:2 screen and front facing stereo speaker.

Spec wise, it's kinda a toss. Yes the Surface 3 is more powerful, but by virtue of running full windows means it'll be compared against much more powerful core processors from laptops and 2 in 1s. iPad and android tablets are more anemic in horsepower, but most apps don't require much anyways.

Important to point out though, Surface 3 gives you more storage for less money that iPad and high-end android tablet.

The Stylus is $50, since most other tablets don't come bundled with one, the cost is universal no matter which camp you choose.

I did not like the keyboard cover for the Surface 3, the keyboard itself was serviceable, but the track pad was too small to be any use for me. YMMV.

also what are your thought re the surface os and windows 10 if that will run on it to?

Windows 8.1 is IMHO, a hot mess. A layer of tablet (metro) UI on top of windows 7. Imagine iOS running on top of OSX, you get a seamless experience as long as you use iOS apps, but anytime you need to you OSX apps, or even as minor as to make some setting changes, it swaps you between iOS 8 and OSX snow leopard (remember that?).

Yes, Surface 3 will get Windows 10. It's dropping on July 29th. Here's the latest build for the gist of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkwkl27eCxw

 

[FearoftheNight]

You can only use OneNote and Office with OneDrive, Microsoft likes you to stay their ecosystem, and they don't give you much option otherwise.

You can use Google Drive and/or Dropbox, but I'm afraid it won't be a seamless experience.



Both actually. I really like the design of the Surface 3, especially the kickstand. Yes, you can slap a case on a iPad/android tablet that will prop it at an angle, but those add quite a bit of weight and bulk. I also like the 3:2 screen and front facing stereo speaker.

Spec wise, it's kinda a toss. Yes the Surface 3 is more powerful, but by virtue of running full windows means it'll be compared against much more powerful core processors from laptops and 2 in 1s. iPad and android tablets are more anemic in horsepower, but most apps don't require much anyways.

Important to point out though, Surface 3 gives you more storage for less money that iPad and high-end android tablet.

The Stylus is $50, since most other tablets don't come bundled with one, the cost is universal no matter which camp you choose.

I did not like the keyboard cover for the Surface 3, the keyboard itself was serviceable, but the track pad was too small to be any use for me. YMMV.



Windows 8.1 is IMHO, a hot mess. A layer of tablet (metro) UI on top of windows 7. Imagine iOS running on top of OSX, you get a seamless experience as long as you use iOS apps, but anytime you need to you OSX apps, or even as minor as to make some setting changes, it swaps you between iOS 8 and OSX snow leopard (remember that?).

Yes, Surface 3 will get Windows 10. It's dropping on July 29th. Here's the latest build for the gist of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkwkl27eCxw

so how is the ms ecosystem? I'm not sure I want to be part of another one. and you'd recommend the surface despite your reservations with the os? does windows 10 look like a huge promising change and upgrade?

 

[mmntech]

so how is the ms ecosystem? I'm not sure I want to be part of another one. and you'd recommend the surface despite your reservations with the os? does windows 10 look like a huge promising change and upgrade?

The ecosystem is a bit convoluted right now. In terms of apps, the short answer is not good. However, things are improving. Windows 10 will feature developer tools for porting existing iOS and Android apps. Microsoft's strategy of offering free upgrades as well will greatly increase the install base, giving developers more incentive to create native apps. It gets everyone working on the same page. Don't forget that any app you buy for your desktop should work on your Surface, and vice versa. That's one thing you can't do with iOS and OS X.

Ditching ARM in the vanilla Surface in favour of x86-64 has also significantly improved functionality and software availability. It can run any desktop app provided you meet the minimum system requirements. If you prefer LibreOffice to Word, you have that option now.

For Windows 10, check out Microsoft's overview of features. You can also download and install the beta to take it for a test drive.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/features

I don't think the Surface is for everyone. If you're a power user, or want a tablet you can work with, you'll like it. If you're using it for school, it will be valuable tool. Surface Pro 3 might be a better option though due to the larger 12'' screen. Better for multitasking in desktop mode.

If you're doing a lot of writing, a new MacBook Pro is probably even better. Though we're getting into pricey territory, a proper keyboard is superior to the Surface touch cover. MacBook Air if you want something lighter and cheaper. Don't bother with the 2015 MacBook.

 

[s44]

If you're doing a lot of writing, a new MacBook Pro is probably even better.

A keyboard is absolutely not a replacement for a pen. Taking notes on a keyboard worsens your learning.

I'd suggest a Galaxy Note, either the 10.1 2014 edition mentioned already or the 12.2" Note Pro (refurb for much better price). I use OneNote sometimes, Lecture Notes for other stuff. The Surface 3 may work, but the Surface Pro is just too big and heavy to use as an actual tablet.

 

[FearoftheNight]

The ecosystem is a bit convoluted right now. In terms of apps, the short answer is not good. However, things are improving. Windows 10 will feature developer tools for porting existing iOS and Android apps. Microsoft's strategy of offering free upgrades as well will greatly increase the install base, giving developers more incentive to create native apps. It gets everyone working on the same page. Don't forget that any app you buy for your desktop should work on your Surface, and vice versa. That's one thing you can't do with iOS and OS X.

Ditching ARM in the vanilla Surface in favour of x86-64 has also significantly improved functionality and software availability. It can run any desktop app provided you meet the minimum system requirements. If you prefer LibreOffice to Word, you have that option now.

For Windows 10, check out Microsoft's overview of features. You can also download and install the beta to take it for a test drive.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/features

I don't think the Surface is for everyone. If you're a power user, or want a tablet you can work with, you'll like it. If you're using it for school, it will be valuable tool. Surface Pro 3 might be a better option though due to the larger 12'' screen. Better for multitasking in desktop mode.

If you're doing a lot of writing, a new MacBook Pro is probably even better. Though we're getting into pricey territory, a proper keyboard is superior to the Surface touch cover. MacBook Air if you want something lighter and cheaper. Don't bother with the 2015 MacBook.

Ah I already own a mbp. I want a device where I can review the ppt/pdfs my instructors send out on the go and put some reference books in and have them sync to dropbox/drive. I just want a stylus so I can scribble some comments on the slides but nothing too serious. I just want to have it around so I can flip open the device open up the lectures and read them whenever I have some downtime. I don't plan to do anything else on it. I have my macbook for that. Is the surface a good fit for my usage scenario?

 

[Yuriman]

A keyboard is absolutely not a replacement for a pen. Taking notes on a keyboard worsens your learning.

I'd suggest a Galaxy Note, either the 10.1 2014 edition mentioned already or the 12.2" Note Pro (refurb for much better price). I use OneNote sometimes, Lecture Notes for other stuff. The Surface 3 may work, but the Surface Pro is just too big and heavy to use as an actual tablet.

But nor is a pen a replacement for a keyboard. Try to get through college without a keyboard.

 

[gorcorps]

Me personally? I would get a Surface 3 pro and use OneNote. It's the most expensive option, but IMO it's far and away the best experience for note taking. Don't even think about the aftermarket stylus things you can use on an ipad or generic android tablet, they just serve as an extra "finger" so there's no palm rejection like in a proper stylus application. You can get one of the Samsung tablets with a stylus that'll work pretty well, but I'm one that would recommend the biggest one you can get.

The Surface Pro is your best bet IMO. My 2nd choice would be the 12.2" Note Pro, then the Surface 3.

 

[FearoftheNight]

Me personally? I would get a Surface 3 pro and use OneNote. It's the most expensive option, but IMO it's far and away the best experience for note taking. Don't even think about the aftermarket stylus things you can use on an ipad or generic android tablet, they just serve as an extra "finger" so there's no palm rejection like in a proper stylus application. You can get one of the Samsung tablets with a stylus that'll work pretty well, but I'm one that would recommend the biggest one you can get.

The Surface Pro is your best bet IMO. My 2nd choice would be the 12.2" Note Pro, then the Surface 3.

Can you clarify a bit on surface pro vs surface 3? I'm still debating whether I want to be part of a new ecosystem when I alrdy have android/ios/chrome os/window 7...

 

[Obsy]

Go to a Best Buy (or better yet a Microsoft Store) and try the Surface (Pro) 3 with a stylus. You'll know if you want it as a note-taking-by-handwriting device.

 

[FearoftheNight]

Go to a Best Buy (or better yet a Microsoft Store) and try the Surface (Pro) 3 with a stylus. You'll know if you want it as a note-taking-by-handwriting device.

Will do. Any thoughts on this vs say a Galaxy Note 10.1?

 

[vi edit]

Office integration on the Surface devices is great. Setup outlook for your email, and send it to one note. Get an attachment? Print it to One note. Need a pdf generated? Print it to a PDF from One Note. It syncs perfectly to OneDrive when you are on/off wifi. I've got the i3 version of the SP3 and it's perfect for business use and note taking which is exactly what I bought it for. Battery life is great, it boots up fast, and the standby time is fantastic on it to.

My only complaint is the non-stop windows updates and getting caught off guard having to wait for an update to apply and missing the first 10 minutes of a meeting when that happens.

 

[sbpromania]

What about the new Surface 3? It's affordable, it has a nice screen ratio for your needs and you benefit from Microsoft's ecosystem.

https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/products/surface-3

 

[Obsy]

Will do. Any thoughts on this vs say a Galaxy Note 10.1?

I found the Note's pen digitizer to be too inaccurate and laggy near the edges of the screen. I don't think the Surface tablets exhibit this behavior until you're at the extreme edges (all relative to how much writing space I need). Otherwise, it was a really fantastic tablet for 2014 and I was sad to sell it.