Purchase a Laptop for Science at UoM, yay or nay?

[VivaTequila]

Hey guys,

Basically been seeing all the people in lectures with their laptops, and it looks like a highly efficient way of learning information. I never have used written notes, and the same stood for first semester. I wrote everything down in lectures, and then abandoned it. All through year 12, I used a (now ancient) laptop, and it was much more efficient for taking notes etc.

I was wondering if you personally find using a laptop in lectures useful, particularly in 2nd year Chemistry/Biology subjects? Would you recommend it for someone who already uses computers to learn much more efficiently than bookwork?

Basically the only reason I can't see it being practical is because it's hard to copy down information that is to do with mathematical formulae, etc, so hence I'm asking to see what you think. If I was doing an arts degree, it'd be a no-brainer and I'd have bought one at the start of the year.

Also, where do you guys find netbooks other than jb/dick smith, because neither of those have these in stock:

Samsung N110 (Netbook)
Samsung N120 (Netbook)
Acer Aspire One AOD150 (Netbook) (only ~$290)
Asus Eee PC 1000HE
Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 (looks swag)
Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PE
Toshiba NB250
Acer Aspire (looks swag)
Samsung NF210 (10hr Battery)
Toshiba NB550D (10hr Battery)
Samsung N230 (supposedly 14hr battery)

Cheers for insight

[Starlight]

Well I have a mac, easy to carry around as it's only an 11 inch macbook air. I thought it was much easier to stay organised by making a bunch of uni folders. Only used it really for lectures and kept hand written notes for tutorials (mainly because of formulae etc for what you've said and the internet connection is awful in redmond barry for bio tutorials). When I came to the organic chemistry section for chem I just kept handwritten notes for that too. So I think having lecture notes on the laptop is useful since it's easy to refer back to, all you have to do is search for it on the laptop. So I take it you're not into macs?

[iamtom]

I have 11" ZENbook from ASUS. Won it thanks to Monash. It's pretty good.

[lexitu]

Well I have a mac, easy to carry around as it's only an 11 inch macbook air. I thought it was much easier to stay organised by making a bunch of uni folders. Only used it really for lectures and kept hand written notes for tutorials (mainly because of formulae etc for what you've said and the internet connection is awful in redmond barry for bio tutorials). When I came to the organic chemistry section for chem I just kept handwritten notes for that too. So I think having lecture notes on the laptop is useful since it's easy to refer back to, all you have to do is search for it on the laptop. So I take it you're not into macs?

The laptops on that list make me cringe

If you're looking for portability, low cost, and a way to write mathematical formulae easily, perhaps you should consider an iPad? I have to admit that I discounted them as serious study tools but since convincing myself to get one I say otherwise. It's obviously not the place to do the majority of any research papers you get in Science, but it is a great tool for lecture annotation, note taking, research and more. And it's built thoughtfully unlike any of the computers on that list.

[VivaTequila]

Well I have a mac, easy to carry around as it's only an 11 inch macbook air. I thought it was much easier to stay organised by making a bunch of uni folders. Only used it really for lectures and kept hand written notes for tutorials (mainly because of formulae etc for what you've said and the internet connection is awful in redmond barry for bio tutorials). When I came to the organic chemistry section for chem I just kept handwritten notes for that too. So I think having lecture notes on the laptop is useful since it's easy to refer back to, all you have to do is search for it on the laptop. So I take it you're not into macs?

The laptops on that list make me cringe

If you're looking for portability, low cost, and a way to write mathematical formulae easily, perhaps you should consider an iPad? I have to admit that I discounted them as serious study tools but since convincing myself to get one I say otherwise. It's obviously not the place to do the majority of any research papers you get in Science, but it is a great tool for lecture annotation, note taking, research and more. And it's built thoughtfully unlike any of the computers on that list.

What's wrong with the laptops on the list? They're all pretty sweet for battery life.

[lexitu]

Well I have a mac, easy to carry around as it's only an 11 inch macbook air. I thought it was much easier to stay organised by making a bunch of uni folders. Only used it really for lectures and kept hand written notes for tutorials (mainly because of formulae etc for what you've said and the internet connection is awful in redmond barry for bio tutorials). When I came to the organic chemistry section for chem I just kept handwritten notes for that too. So I think having lecture notes on the laptop is useful since it's easy to refer back to, all you have to do is search for it on the laptop. So I take it you're not into macs?

The laptops on that list make me cringe

If you're looking for portability, low cost, and a way to write mathematical formulae easily, perhaps you should consider an iPad? I have to admit that I discounted them as serious study tools but since convincing myself to get one I say otherwise. It's obviously not the place to do the majority of any research papers you get in Science, but it is a great tool for lecture annotation, note taking, research and more. And it's built thoughtfully unlike any of the computers on that list.

What's wrong with the laptops on the list? They're all pretty sweet for battery life.

Try using them; shoddy trackpads, poor keyboards, too small / low-res screens, bloatware from manufacturers, and general ugliness, amongst other things.

[mark_alec]

Laptops aren't necessary. Printed lecture notes + hand writing is all that is needed for science.

For netbooks, just get the cheapest you can find (deals have them going for <$200 every now and then). I use one and once you get used to the trackpad and keyboard it isn't too bad. If you care about bloatware then install a fresh operating system (ideally not Windows 7 Starter) and it should be fine.

[simpak]

I use a laptop in every class! I like that it's more efficient. Sometimes I use my iPad but mostly for like, anatomy when I want to label slides. I'm the most disorganized person ever so if I just used handwritten notes I would lose them all. I find its more efficient for me to take notes and then review the slides when I'm summarizing after a lecture, that way you're more likely to process information actively. If I do write on the slides in lectures I can never understand anything I've written down anyway. SO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND, even though I feel like people are staring at me for writing so much...

I have a hp and it's a true laptop, not a netbook. It's pretty old now because i got it in 2010 when o first started at uni. I didn't get a netbook because I was planning for my exchange and didn't want poor processing power and ram when all I have to use is my laptop in my dorm and no desktop like I have at home. I guess each to their own. My friend got a MacBook air and that looks super good for uni, and my brother has that acer ultra book thing. I don't think it matters which you buy really, but if you're gonna get a full laptop I recommend one without a cd drive. My laptop is super light and relatively thin for its age because it has no drive, and it still has a 13 inch screen and only cost like 1k. I use an external cd drive if I ever have to use CDs, which is rare these days anyway...

[Gloamglozer]

Well I have a mac, easy to carry around as it's only an 11 inch macbook air. I thought it was much easier to stay organised by making a bunch of uni folders. Only used it really for lectures and kept hand written notes for tutorials (mainly because of formulae etc for what you've said and the internet connection is awful in redmond barry for bio tutorials). When I came to the organic chemistry section for chem I just kept handwritten notes for that too. So I think having lecture notes on the laptop is useful since it's easy to refer back to, all you have to do is search for it on the laptop. So I take it you're not into macs?

The laptops on that list make me cringe

If you're looking for portability, low cost, and a way to write mathematical formulae easily, perhaps you should consider an iPad? I have to admit that I discounted them as serious study tools but since convincing myself to get one I say otherwise. It's obviously not the place to do the majority of any research papers you get in Science, but it is a great tool for lecture annotation, note taking, research and more. And it's built thoughtfully unlike any of the computers on that list.

Problem is, with a iPad, if they do use it for maths, it's going to be difficult to run MATLAB or Mathematica.

[paulsterio]

If you're going to get a notebook, get a proper one. Personally, I find that it's convenient to carry a notebook around uni in general, even though I don't go to lectures because I carry all my books, files, music and just basically everything on it, so wherever you are, in the library, on the bus/train, or whatever, it's like having your personal office with you.

I also have the Desktop at home + Laptop setup, which is actually quite good, but I still got a quality laptop instead of a cheap netbook which is a pain to use. I agree with Lex, if you're want something cheap and don't want to spend much, get an iPad or another tablet. Kogan has the Agora, a 10 inch Android tablet going for $179, which is a reasonably good device, also good to look at is Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 which is currently cheaper than the iPad (can get it on Kogan).

If you're willing to spend though, I'd suggest getting a previous generation ultrabook, you can pick up some good Sandy Bridge bargains at clearance prices at stores like MSY.

The ACER Hummingbird S3-951 2364G34iss is $599 at MSY, and it has a proper Intel Core i3 processor, which is good enough for day-to-day use at uni, and is far better than any Atom-based netbook.

Just Ctrl-F "S3-951 2364G34iss" in this document and you'll find it http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/notebook.pdf

[VivaTequila]

http://shop.myer.com.au/shop/ProductDisplay?storeId=10251&urlLangId=-1&productId=21241&urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=10051

Was planning on getting this '08 Samsung NC10 which features 8Hrs battery life, it's $370 from Myer, and it's specs are
1.66GHz Intel Atom processor
1GB memory
250GB hard drive*
Windows 7 Starter

@Above are the Atom processors REALLY that bad? I want to capitalize on battery life, but not if it's going to render me unable to do the most basics of tasks.

[paulsterio]

Yes, they are really that bad, I had an Atom computer once.

I still don't understand why you're willing to spend $370 on that computer and not chuck up around $230 more for that computer which I pointed out in my last post.

Trust me, you'll want something that will last you a few years as well as something which won't be frustrating to use, cause guess what, if it's frustrating to use, you won't use it

[Russ]

Atom processors aren't terribad, they're just not designed for doing anything other than basic tasks.

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers/hp/pavilion-11-inch-notebook-sku-75684/ is a decent compromise, mostly since it lets you stay away from MSY

[paulsterio]

mostly since it lets you stay away from MSY

What's wrong with MSY? And don't say the old "bad customer service" or "long queues" - they do sell things for cheaper, so it's the price you pay I guess

[VivaTequila]

I want to keep my budget to a minimum because all I'll be using it for is charging devices, writing notes,  and surfing the net at uni. I have a PC at home for everything else.

The Acer Aspire One is on sale for $350 at Myer until July 16th, I think I might get that.