Advice for a University Student

[asmodius666]

(X-posted to Mac software and Office groups)

Hi,

First off, apologies for the long query, it's also quite multifaceted,
so it might be more applicable to other groups, if someone could
advise me where to cross-post to I'd be grateful.

I'm a disabled student, about to transfer to another university in
England. Due to my needs I require electronic solutions to note taking
(OneNote seems to be the best solution so far).

I need a notebook computer, but I'm not sure what would be the best
solution in terms of OS and software.
If I had a Windows solution, I'd want Vista as a clean install, every
PC with an XP upgrade I've seen had a noticeable performance drop.

Ideally I'd use a tablet PC (not a slate), but other here they're hard
to find and ludicrously expensive for the spec(around £1200), plus the
only ones I've seen are XP. I looked at the Samsung ultra-mobile ones,
but I'd need to be able to run subject-specific software too.

My current solution is a Wacom Tablet attached to a PC using OneNote
2003, the only problems I have encountered are the lack of stylus-
inputted date to text on non-tablet PC's, and the lack of keyboard
short cuts to switch pen colours, or from pen to typing quickly.

The new student package for Office has OneNote, but not Outlook, which
I've always used to organise myself (and to a lesser extent Microsoft
Project).

How do calender and Mail in Vista work? I use a Smartphone
activesync'd with Outlook at the moment, and I can't get on with the
Hotmail web app, which I'm guessing Mail is based on.

My other option is a Mac with Office (and Parallels for windows
programs). Entourage sounds like a decent organising package, and the
notetaking features in Word for Mac look helpful, plus I've had no end
of trouble with Windows laptops, I've got a powerful XP rig at home
for tinkering with, I just want something portable to get the job
done, it's only going to be used for Office programs and chemistry
software.

In short:

-I need decent organising software (email/calender/tasks).
-I need a notetaking solution close to OneNote on a tablet.
-I don't have a huge budget.

What would work best? I tried asking in stores around here, but
they'll tell you anything to get a sale.

 

[Michel Bintener]

Hi,

I'm afraid I can't give you a definite answer on what to do, I can only make
a couple of suggestions.

Entourage is a very nice application; I use it all the time. One thing to
keep in mind is that even though Entourage and Outlook share a basic
philosophy, that of integrating several related PIM components (calendar, to
do, etc.) into one single application, Entourage is not Outlook for Mac. As
a student, chances are that you do not make use of Outlook's more advanced
business capabilities, so you should find Entourage more than adequate. In
addition to that, the applications that are part of Mac OS X, such as iCal,
Address Book and Mail, may already be powerful enough, depending on your
needs, so I'd suggest giving those a try as well.

As far as note-taking is concerned: the notebook layout view in Word 2004 is
very nice, and I find myself using it on a semi-regular basis. However, it
does not compare at all to OneNote in terms of flexibility. Keep in mind
that the view is part of *Word*, meaning that it is more of a fancy outliner
than a creative scratchpad. There are a couple of dedicated note-taking
applications available for Mac OS X, such as NoteBook or NoteTaker, to name
but two of them. Personally, I prefer NoteBook to Microsoft Word 2004 when
it comes to serious note-taking. Again, your mileage may vary, so go ahead
and give it a try.

You mention that you are on a tight budget, and since you want a portable
computer, you may want to consider the MacBook, Apple's cheaper laptop
family (note that I said *cheaper*, not *cheap*). They are very small and
light, yet robust enough to suffer the slings and arrows of student life.
There's also a company that turns MacBooks into tablet PCs; the final
product is called ModBook, I believe. If you really want to have a tablet
Mac, that would be the right laptop to get.

Again, let me repeat what I said in the beginning: these are only a couple
of suggestions, and you will need to see for yourself which one is right for
you. Every Mac comes with a Test Drive, a trial version of Microsoft Office
2004 which runs for 30 days, so you will have enough time to see if
Entourage and the notebook layout view suit your needs.

There are a couple of cross-platform experts in this newsgroup, so they may
be able to give you some further details. Hope this helps.

(X-posted to Mac software and Office groups)

Hi,

First off, apologies for the long query, it's also quite multifaceted,
so it might be more applicable to other groups, if someone could
advise me where to cross-post to I'd be grateful.

I'm a disabled student, about to transfer to another university in
England. Due to my needs I require electronic solutions to note taking
(OneNote seems to be the best solution so far).

I need a notebook computer, but I'm not sure what would be the best
solution in terms of OS and software.
If I had a Windows solution, I'd want Vista as a clean install, every
PC with an XP upgrade I've seen had a noticeable performance drop.

Ideally I'd use a tablet PC (not a slate), but other here they're hard
to find and ludicrously expensive for the spec(around £1200), plus the
only ones I've seen are XP. I looked at the Samsung ultra-mobile ones,
but I'd need to be able to run subject-specific software too.

My current solution is a Wacom Tablet attached to a PC using OneNote
2003, the only problems I have encountered are the lack of stylus-
inputted date to text on non-tablet PC's, and the lack of keyboard
short cuts to switch pen colours, or from pen to typing quickly.

The new student package for Office has OneNote, but not Outlook, which
I've always used to organise myself (and to a lesser extent Microsoft
Project).

How do calender and Mail in Vista work? I use a Smartphone
activesync'd with Outlook at the moment, and I can't get on with the
Hotmail web app, which I'm guessing Mail is based on.

My other option is a Mac with Office (and Parallels for windows
programs). Entourage sounds like a decent organising package, and the
notetaking features in Word for Mac look helpful, plus I've had no end
of trouble with Windows laptops, I've got a powerful XP rig at home
for tinkering with, I just want something portable to get the job
done, it's only going to be used for Office programs and chemistry
software.

In short:

-I need decent organising software (email/calender/tasks).
-I need a notetaking solution close to OneNote on a tablet.
-I don't have a huge budget.

What would work best? I tried asking in stores around here, but
they'll tell you anything to get a sale.

--
Michel Bintener
Microsoft MVP
Office:Mac (Entourage & Word)

***Always reply to the newsgroup.***

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Some quick thoughts--

I'm not sure all chemistry software out there runs on a Mac. Check that
before making a decision. The chem program at the university might
perhaps have some recommendations or requirements?

Does your incoming university have a Disability Services center or some
sort of Student Learning Support, etc? You might see if they recommend
anything.

Is a Mac (and having to repurchase software for it) any cheaper than a
tablet? I'd run the numbers, taking into account which of your programs
are OEM versions that are tied to your current Windows machine and can
not be transferred, and that your university may have special deals even
cheaper.

Chances are that you can get Windows Office programs at an academic
discount even without buying the Student version (although, I can't find
a package that includes the basics and OneNote and Project and
Outlook)--for example:
http://journeyed.com/home.asp
You have to prove student status, and I don't know if they ship to the
UK, but I would expect something similar exists for the UK, as there are
4 or 5 sites like this. Ask around, google.

I would also look for user groups/webpages related to your specific
disability, as they might suggest certain programs, etc, that make life
easier.

 

[asmodius666]

Thanks for the information.

Looking further into a Mac, Apple's site mentions something about
'Inkwell', what exactly is that? Is it included with OSX?

Theoretically, it looks like I could use the Word outliner (or
NoteBook looks interesting) by typing, and add diagrams with a tablet
(which is the main reason I needed one). Is this the case?

 

[Michel Bintener]

Thanks for the information.

Looking further into a Mac, Apple's site mentions something about
'Inkwell', what exactly is that? Is it included with OSX?

Inkwell is the handwriting recognition technology that is part of Mac OS X.
See here for more info:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkwell_(software)>

I don't know how reliable it is, though.

Theoretically, it looks like I could use the Word outliner (or
NoteBook looks interesting) by typing, and add diagrams with a tablet
(which is the main reason I needed one). Is this the case?

Again, it depends to some extent on how Inkwell performs. I've never used
it, so I can't say anything about it from a practical point of view. But I
should add that there is a pen tool in Word's notebook layout view that
allows you to sketch drawings alongside your text.

--
Michel Bintener
Microsoft MVP
Office:Mac (Entourage & Word)

***Always reply to the newsgroup.***

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi,

If possible, check your university to see if they have grants or special
funds to help you purchase special equipment such as an expensive tablet.

There's a new MacPro tablet in the works:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/01/10/modbook/index.php

Check out Microsoft Word's notebook view:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/word2004/using.aspx?pid=usingword2004&
type=howto&article=/mac/LIBRARY/how_to_articles/office2004/wd_audionotes.xml

Information about Wacom and inkwell as an alternative to a pricey tablet
http://www.wacom.com/productinfo/inkwell.cfm

Use Entourage instead of Outlook. Pretty much the same.
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/entourage2004/entourage2004.aspx?pid=e
ntourage2004

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

(X-posted to Mac software and Office groups)

Hi,

First off, apologies for the long query, it's also quite multifaceted,
so it might be more applicable to other groups, if someone could
advise me where to cross-post to I'd be grateful.

I'm a disabled student, about to transfer to another university in
England. Due to my needs I require electronic solutions to note taking
(OneNote seems to be the best solution so far).

I need a notebook computer, but I'm not sure what would be the best
solution in terms of OS and software.
If I had a Windows solution, I'd want Vista as a clean install, every
PC with an XP upgrade I've seen had a noticeable performance drop.

Ideally I'd use a tablet PC (not a slate), but other here they're hard
to find and ludicrously expensive for the spec(around £1200), plus the
only ones I've seen are XP. I looked at the Samsung ultra-mobile ones,
but I'd need to be able to run subject-specific software too.

My current solution is a Wacom Tablet attached to a PC using OneNote
2003, the only problems I have encountered are the lack of stylus-
inputted date to text on non-tablet PC's, and the lack of keyboard
short cuts to switch pen colours, or from pen to typing quickly.

The new student package for Office has OneNote, but not Outlook, which
I've always used to organise myself (and to a lesser extent Microsoft
Project).

How do calender and Mail in Vista work? I use a Smartphone
activesync'd with Outlook at the moment, and I can't get on with the
Hotmail web app, which I'm guessing Mail is based on.

My other option is a Mac with Office (and Parallels for windows
programs). Entourage sounds like a decent organising package, and the
notetaking features in Word for Mac look helpful, plus I've had no end
of trouble with Windows laptops, I've got a powerful XP rig at home
for tinkering with, I just want something portable to get the job
done, it's only going to be used for Office programs and chemistry
software.

In short:

-I need decent organising software (email/calender/tasks).
-I need a notetaking solution close to OneNote on a tablet.
-I don't have a huge budget.

What would work best? I tried asking in stores around here, but
they'll tell you anything to get a sale.

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[asmodius666]

Thanks for the links.

Yeah, I did have a grant on my previous course (for a windows 3D
graphics rig) but these are one-off per student, nationally. I could
probably get one to cover software expenses though.

So far, Entourage looks like it can handle all my email/calender/task
needs, and the project centre is a real bonus (I used to use the Works
version a lot, basic though it is). I doubt it would synch with my
smartphone, but the missing sync can if it's really important,
otherwise I can just use the MacBook to keep tabs on things (only
reason I used the phone was it was the only portable I had).

For notetaking, the only reason I considered OneNote is that I could
add diagrams to typed text quickly with a graphics tablet, and
organise them later. Looking at it, Word Notebook with the scribble
tool (or importing via Inkwell) should suit my needs.

There's an Apple reseller near here (the longest running in the UK, in
fact), I'll call them and see if they have Office installed on any of
their display models (or a staff one) so I can try it before buying a
notebook.

Given I start my course in October, it may be worth holding off
purchasing until I hear more on 2008, unless any good offers crop up
at the local store. Might be worth running the numbers against a 2007
equipped Vista Laptop too, though unless I *need* the department's
chem software on windows (and so parallels and XP) I could just use
the labs. Besides, I'm pretty much sold on the Mac's other features.