Laptop or PDA???

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Okay, this may seem like a silly question--in fact; I'm not even sure I'm posting it in the correct place.

Anyhow, I'm trying to decide if I need to purchase a laptop for school. I'm starting in August and will be commuting. I've heard that some nursing students prefer PDA's. Anyone out there use either? What are the benefits of having one or the other?

So, if I decide to buy a laptop--I can still download all that great stuff onto it just like a PDA, right? Please excuse me if I sound clueless--I'm really not computer-savvy; YET!!!

I must admit; a pda sounds very appealing--especially since I won't have to carry around a bunch of extra books. I was just worried that it would become as expensive as a laptop until I got done downloading all the programs I would need.

A laptop sounds appealing because I can use it in between classes when the library computers are full. I also have a 45 minute commute and if need be--I can spend the night in the dorms if I get caught in bad weather.

I guess eventually I will have both--just wondering which is more practical to buy now!

You can buy extra batteries for the laptops, right???

That much I do know....yes you can buy extra batteries for your laptops. Expensive, but they can be bought.

(Speaking of which, I need one!)

You can buy spare batteries for laptops - but bear this in mind: the batteries must be charged while in the laptop (as far as I know, external chargers are not available). This means that for, say an 8-hour stint at college, you will need at least 2 batteries, probably 3. Each 'dead' battery will take several hours to re-charge - how are you going to recharge all your batteries before you need them for college again the next day, when you can only do one at a time. Bear in mind also that if you are using your laptop on mains power, then the battery charge time will be even slower.

I love laptops - I've got a brilliant Toshiba 'Tablet PC' myself, which was fabulous for my pre-reqs, because I can write notes directly on the screen with a special stylus instead of typing (great for diagrams etc.). However, it was only useful when I had lectures of less than 3 hours per day, because of the battery life. Until colleges supply electrical outlets to each desk, laptops will continue to be a problem for use at school. However - do get one for use at home. Mine has WiFi internet connection, so I can go online wherever I am in the house, study in bed etc.

Another thing to consider - I'm not sure that even a laptop is portable enough, or pracital enough for serious use during clinicals, you can't slip them into your pocket, and I would not want to risk any damage or theft occuring to my precious 'Toshie'. You've only got to spill something on it, have it slip off the table or bed, drop it, whatever, and kaput it's gone! Never mind the time it's going to take to boot up or come out of hibernation every time you want to 'quickly' look something up. Personally, I think PDA's win hands down in a clinical situation.

Best wishes,

Paint.

Well, I think I've decided to buy a pda! Only thing is: there are so many out there: different brands, prices, etc. I also need to find out which programs will benefit me the most. Maybe I'll contact the student services gal at school and see what she thinks! Thanks for all your replies gang--you've been extremely helpful!

Well, I think I've decided to buy a pda! Only thing is: there are so many out there: different brands, prices, etc. I also need to find out which programs will benefit me the most. Maybe I'll contact the student services gal at school and see what she thinks! Thanks for all your replies gang--you've been extremely helpful!

Hi jennielynn,

I have a PDA (H-P IPAQ) that I love. It has WiFi so I can sit anywhere in the house with it and study. I havent tried to connect using any of the other services but I know t-mobile sells services through Starbucks and other connections if you like to study there. I have downloaded RNfastfacts, Archimedes (free), diagnosaurus (free) and some other "free" programs. I am trying a "demo" for flashcards on the PDA right now but havent decided if it will work for me or not.

You need a laptop or desktop to sync up and download programs and information. The IPAQ uses Windows CE and has pocket word so information can be created using MS-Word and then transferred to the PDA pocket word and is in a nice format.

This IPAQ is pretty powerful for a little PDA (128MB SDRAM, 48MB Flash ROM, 400MHz processor, built-in wifi, bluetooth, etc.). I use a wireless keyboard that is almost full-size but it also has hand-writing recognition and a small keyboard you use with the stylus. For longer term use it is pretty efficient for power 4-5 hours but you can purchase extra batteries to pop in and can recharge them in the cradle when you arent using them. It uses the same storage cards as digital cameras so they are inexpensive. I wasnt sure I would use the storage cards but I have nearly filled one up and havent started class yet, so this seems very handy.

The only downside to the PDAs in my opinion is the screen size. If you download books you have a smaller area for text but the great thing over a real text is you can do a search to find subject faster...I'm hoping this speeds up my study reference skills.

Alot of folks use the Palms, these sound great too, more "free" programs available but I'm not sure of other specs. on those.

Good luck with your selections, hope you find something that works well for you and makes learning easier.

:)

+ Add a Comment