Notetaking On 2-in-1s

[AdvocateOfNyx]

I'm a high school student finally tired of taking paper notes.  Most upperclassmen I know have dropped the paper and pencil approach for a laptop to type their notes on.  However, I find myself constantly wanting to circle, highlight, and draw diagrams on my notes in all classes from AP Euro to Honors Algebra II.  My compromise?  A 2-in-1!

 

I've only ever had a cheap laptop and until I got further into tech I thought that all laptops were just generally bad - silly me!  Now, a teenager equipped with a source of income and the knowledge to do so, I decided to set out on a journey to spend my hard earned money on something I really needed as a birthday present to myself.  Except, that isn't exactly how it happened.

 

I made a spreadsheet looking at all of the 2-in-1s I could find before Black Friday in order to snatch a deal on one I really wanted.  As the day approached, I would scan ads trying to find a good deal.  I just wanted a sub $600 (US) 2-in-1, automatically knocking all Surface products out of my lineup (except for the Go, which which be a NO! for so many reasons)

 

Nobody had deals in that price range.  I could find a $200 one on sale for $180, but I was done with that $200 laptop junk.  I wanted a decent product for once.  So after Black Friday and Cyber Monday passed without any new discoveries, I decided it was time.  I ordered the Acer Switch Alpha 12 2-in-1 laptop/tablet for $550.

 

But now, desperately awaiting the arrival, I'm beginning to have questions pop up in my mind. 

1. Does anyone in here have experience with this particular product?  What tasks have you used it for and how has it performed?

 

2. How about experience with note taking on a 2-in-1 in general?  How do they work with OneNote?  Better software I should be looking at?

 

3. Anyone have any stories about the Acer Pen or Synaptics?  Should I be worried about anything?

 

4. Any tips for optimizing battery life (goes for any Windows 10 device, I guess) or how to remove whatever crap Acer has undoubtedly filled the precious 256 gigs of space with?

 

The only true experience I have is with the desktop I built myself, so this switch to an ultra thin and portable device is a big change and I just wanted to ensure the transition is as easy as possible for myself :)

 

Thanks!

 

Note: I don't know if this is the right place, but I figured 2-in-1s are closest to laptops so here I am :)

If this needs to be moved feel free to do so or let me know.

[genexis_x]

The CPU is 2 generation old. You can get a 2 in 1 with KBL-R/CFL-U CPU for about the same price

It does have high reso display, however battery life is short

[AdvocateOfNyx]

8 minutes ago, GeneXiS_X said:

The CPU is 2 generation old. You can get a 2 in 1 with KBL-R/CFL-U CPU for about the same price

It does have high reso display, however battery life is short

I have heard about battery life problems with this model so was considering turning the resolution down when not needed.  The other silent criteria were

1. Comes with keyboard and pen

2. Has USB type c

3. Tablet is COMPLETELY removable from the base. 

Can you link me the newer CPU models?  I'm very interested.

[genexis_x]

10 minutes ago, AdvocateOfNyx said:

Can you link me the newer CPU models?  I'm very interested.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-000X-00TS6

Need to add SSD, has low sRGB IPS display, build quality is just acceptable

 

Mind refurb stuffs?

[AdvocateOfNyx]

3 minutes ago, GeneXiS_X said:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-000X-00TS6

Need to add SSD, has low sRGB IPS display, build quality is just acceptable

 

Mind refurb stuffs?

Don't mind refurb at all as long as I trust the reseller - I've had both good and bad experiences with them.

 

Edit: I'd like them to have a pen and be a tablet completely separated from the keyboard when in tablet mode

Edited November 28, 2018 by AdvocateOfNyx
Clarity

[genexis_x]

13 minutes ago, AdvocateOfNyx said:

Edit: I'd like them to have a pen and be a tablet completely separated from the keyboard when in tablet mode

That's why 2 in 1 is a confusing naming. Calling it tablet or convertible would be much better

For tablets, you don't have a lot of choices

[AdvocateOfNyx]

7 minutes ago, GeneXiS_X said:

That's why 2 in 1 is a confusing naming. Calling it tablet or convertible would be much better

For tablets, you don't have a lot of choices

Sorry, I typically hear the Surface referred to as a 2-in-1 so I just assumed that being connected to the keyboard and not was a minior detail.  Given they do have major design differences, I guess I should have tried to find a more clear phrase.

 

In essence, I wanted a more affordable version of the Surface without the luxury.

[genexis_x]

2 minutes ago, AdvocateOfNyx said:

Given they do have major design differences, I guess I should have tried to find a more clear phrase.

Not your fault actually, I also use the term '2 in 1' often

3 minutes ago, AdvocateOfNyx said:

In essence, I wanted a more affordable version of the Surface without the luxury.

Lenovo Miix 520, though it costs almost $900. Has short battery life, just like most tablets

[markr54632]

No hardware reccomendations, but honestly I thought I would use a 2 in 1 at first, but hand writing recognition and hand writing note apps never worked for me. I ended up typing everything out anyway. 

 

Anything you would use the "tablet mode" for can be done with a cheap android tablet.

 

Anything you need a laptop for you are going to wish you had a laptop for still.

 

2 in 1s dont really excel at any task. They kind of perform shoddily at several.

[AdvocateOfNyx]

31 minutes ago, markr54632 said:

No hardware reccomendations, but honestly I thought I would use a 2 in 1 at first, but hand writing recognition and hand writing note apps never worked for me. I ended up typing everything out anyway. 

 

Anything you would use the "tablet mode" for can be done with a cheap android tablet.

 

Anything you need a laptop for you are going to wish you had a laptop for still.

 

2 in 1s dont really excel at any task. They kind of perform shoddily at several.

Huh, I'm not sure if I agree with you on that one.  Mine just came in the mail tonight - so far I've loved the pen and keyboard both.  In fact, I'd say I enjoy the typing experience much more than my laptop (Potentially because it has an optional tilt unlike the laptop).  The only thing so far that has bothered me is trying to keep track of the keyboard cover as I oftentimes want to switch over to tablet mode but setting a keyboard down on a desk feels weird.  Anyways, I'll update my experience if for some reason this changes but for what I intend to use it for (mostly note taking and light web browsing in school or on the go) I'm expecting it to work great.

[markr54632]

2 hours ago, AdvocateOfNyx said:

Huh, I'm not sure if I agree with you on that one.  Mine just came in the mail tonight - so far I've loved the pen and keyboard both.  In fact, I'd say I enjoy the typing experience much more than my laptop (Potentially because it has an optional tilt unlike the laptop).  The only thing so far that has bothered me is trying to keep track of the keyboard cover as I oftentimes want to switch over to tablet mode but setting a keyboard down on a desk feels weird.  Anyways, I'll update my experience if for some reason this changes but for what I intend to use it for (mostly note taking and light web browsing in school or on the go) I'm expecting it to work great.

It's a personal thing. I hope it works out well for you. I honestly found it to be more of a novelty than a valid input method.