asus tf good for school!

lgGslateuser

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Hi all. I am a current xoom owner don't hold that against me please. My wife recently said she was going to go back to school with some online courses and she thinks she needs another laptop but at the same time thinks she would like a tablet to have as well. I immediately thought of the TF. I'm curious if anyone here is using one to help them with school. What are the plusses and minuses. Can she get away with not using an laptop? How would she get software on this thing if she needed to. What happens if she is given a CD to use? Any help with the limitations would be great before I spend $550 on this. Thanks in advance.
 

baycruisers

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Personally, (and I haven't yet bought a TF keyboard), I use my TF more as an entertainment (movies, books, music), news, social networking and browsing tool. I'd be hesitant to rely on it as a productivity device. You could certainly use Polaris Office for some productivity tasks, but I'd wait to see the course syllabi before I'd commit one way or the other, especially given the fact that with back-to-school specials you can find a very nice laptop for not much more than you'd pay for a basic TF.
 

NickA

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You said "another laptop", so she already has one? If so, then the Transformer would compliment that perfectly. It's great for taking notes, e-mailing and and researching on the web if she needs to do that. Not too mention it sounds like she just wants a new toy, and I can appreciate that :)

But you can find a decent laptop like @barcruisers said for just a little more.
 

lgGslateuser

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Thanks for the input. I said another laptop because her current one overheard all the time and is on its last legs. I need to buy something but I was trying to kill two birds so to speak. $550 isn't bad for a multi-use piece of gear but if i have to buy her a laptop and a new tablet that's going to be pricey. Although if the TF can't handle the tasks of school then its not worth getting the keyboard. She would be very happy with the tab itself and a laptop. So if anyone else who does use the TF in school cares to share I'd like to hear some thoughts.
 

baycruisers

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Thanks for the input. I said another laptop because her current one overheard all the time and is on its last legs. I need to buy something but I was trying to kill two birds so to speak. $550 isn't bad for a multi-use piece of gear but if ave to buy her a laptop and a new tablet that's going to be pricey. Although if the TF can't handle the tasks of school then its not worth getting the keyboard. She would be very happy with the tab itself and a laptop. So if anyone else who does use the TF in school cares to share I'd like to hear some thoughts.

My personal reservations aside, this is a good question and I'm glad you raised it. The line between productivity and everything else is getting blurry, especially with Google docs and Microsoft 365 and other cloud-based services emerging as alternatives to traditional desktop-based software.
 

scoobdude

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Use the current staples coupon and get 100 bucks off. That should help. Another idea is linux on the transformer. I think its in the works. Ubuntu always comes with open office if that is needed. But just for the battery life alone it seems worth it to me.

On the down side it still has its quirks like the browser and slow kb. But there are more apps coming out daily that should fill up any voids.