I am completely sold on tablets; while my X61t was in the shop last week I
felt naked using a non-tablet backup.
For meetings, I now take all my notes on the tablet. I don't care about the
the handwriting recognition, it is just a way to keep my raw notes in an
archived form and stay paperless. I think not having a screen sticking up
while doing this makes it easier to stay engaged in the meeting.
For giving lectures, I like being able to write on the screen (eg, do
computations) while projecting a prepared lecture.
For students, there is software (eg, OneNote) that lets you take notes and
(audio) record a professor's lecture at the same time; when reviewing the
notes, if you can't remember what something meant you can play back what he
was saying at the instant a particular note was made. Also, if your
daughter will be taking any math or physical science, she will find it
easier taking notes on a tablet than with a keyboard; few computers have
keys for mathematical symbols. (Incidentally, as a professor, the only
computers I allow for notetaking are tablets, since otherwise I can't see
the students' faces.)
Some of these functions can be done with an external tablet, or a pen
computer, or other tools.
The ability to use it in portrait mode is sometimes useful.
There are certainly some downsides to the X61 tablet compared to its
non-tablet siblings, and I suspect this holds as well for the X400t: it is
heavier than its non-tablet counterpart, the battery life is less, the
single hinge is slightly wobblier, there is no ThinkLight, it is more
expnsive. The ones which also have touchscreens (esp. from HP and Fujisu)
are also slightly fuzzier because of the touchscreen layer.
I hope this helps.
David
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