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[neutralname]

Over the next few years I expect to be spending much more time on trains and away from home and office.  And I expect to be doing more online teaching. 

At home I have a desktop with a large screen that works pretty well for grading papers and going through discussion boards.  But I can't use that away from home.

I know my little notebook won't be large enough for doing work away from home. So I am wondering what to get instead.  A tablet, slate, or a laptop?  Does the iPad 2 work well for this? -- it seems rather small to do grading on.  I've been looking at the Eee Slate (12.1 inch) and wondering whether that wouldn't be right for me: my main concern is the rather short battery life. 

PS Is there any point trying to do paper grading on an e-reader like the Sony Reader Daily Edition?

[infopri]

I have a workhorse laptop with 15.4" widescreen and an early Asus EEE with a 7" screen.  I don't own--or want--a desktop computer.  I find it somewhat difficult (but not impossible) to work on the EEE, but part of the reason is that it runs Linux and open-source applications.  I love that it's so tiny.  The small keyboard and screen are a bit of a challenge, but I have small hands, so it's not as big a problem as some other folks might have.  These days, the EEE has a bigger screen (not sure of the exact size) and is available with Windows 7, so the newer ones are undoubtedly easier to use.  I don't know anything about the EEE Slate, though.

All that said, I have no problem whatsoever doing all my work on my 15.4" laptop.  I prefer to do my grading on paper, but I'd feel the same way even with a big desktop monitor with excellent resolution.  (I'm old-fashioned that way.)  As I said, I went for a workhorse laptop, rather than the smaller/lighter variety, so it does everything I need it to do, and it weighs in around 6.5 pounds, give or take (I don't have the specs handy right now)--heavier than I'd like, but not too heavy to take anywhere I want.

I don't have an iPad (My Better Half just ordered his, but it won't arrive until next week), but from what I've seen after using a friend's, I don't think I'd want to do any serious work on it.  It looks great for reading, but I'm not sure it would be that convenient for anything that required any large quantity of input from the user (such as writing anything longer than a paragraph or two).  But that's me.  YMMV.

[neutralname]

My main concern about laptops is that they are hard to use on trains and planes.  A tablet or slate is more convenient.  So far though, even the 12" tablet seem too small to be useful.  Maybe what I'm looking for is a 15" tablet with 10 hours battery life for under $1500 -- and this does not exist yet.

[infopri]

My main concern about laptops is that they are hard to use on trains and planes.  A tablet or slate is more convenient.  So far though, even the 12" tablet seem too small to be useful.  Maybe what I'm looking for is a 15" tablet with 10 hours battery life for under $1500 -- and this does not exist yet.

Laptops were much easier to use on planes when the laptops were smaller and the plane seats had more room between rows.  Now, yes, sometimes there's little room to get the lid open.  I wouldn't expect a laptop to be hard to use on a train, though.  Am I missing something?

In any case, perhaps what you need is a tablet, where you can have the screen flat against (and hiding) the keyboard or, when have the room, you can swivel the screen around to reveal the keyboard, making it more like a laptop configuration.  I haven't used one of these, or even seen one for a long while, but I know that, when they first came out, some of my colleagues were very excited about them.

[larryc]

I just got a Lenovo X201 convertible tablet PC, and I used to have an  older model of the same. Fantastic machine. When I grade papers for an online class I download them into a folder. As I open each one I paste my rubric right into the paper, then mark the paper with a stylus just as I would take a red pen to a physical paper. Then I make some check marks in the rubric and write a grade. I Alt-Tab over to my grade spreadsheet and enter the grade and on to the next paper.

In tablet mode with the screen folded flat you could easily work on a train or airplane. But at 3 pounds it is too heavy to hold like a paperback and read for long.

The Lenovo Thinkpads are built like tanks and have the best keyboards of any laptop. My battery life with the extended battery is about 5 hours. I think if you watch for the very frequent Lenovo sales you could pick one up for $1500.

[infopri]

I just got a Lenovo X201 convertible tablet PC, and I used to have an  older model of the same. Fantastic machine. When I grade papers for an online class I download them into a folder. As I open each one I paste my rubric right into the paper, then mark the paper with a stylus just as I would take a red pen to a physical paper. Then I make some check marks in the rubric and write a grade. I Alt-Tab over to my grade spreadsheet and enter the grade and on to the next paper.

In tablet mode with the screen folded flat you could easily work on a train or airplane. But at 3 pounds it is too heavy to hold like a paperback and read for long.

The Lenovo Thinkpads are built like tanks and have the best keyboards of any laptop. My battery life with the extended battery is about 5 hours. I think if you watch for the very frequent Lenovo sales you could pick one up for $1500.

Larry's describing exactly the kind of machine I was thinking of.  It does sound like your best bet.  (BTW, my workhorse is a Lenovo Thinkpad T61.  Great machine, but as I said upthread it's a laptop and it's on the heavy side.)

[neutralname]

I just got a Lenovo X201 convertible tablet PC, and I used to have an  older model of the same. Fantastic machine. When I grade papers for an online class I download them into a folder. As I open each one I paste my rubric right into the paper, then mark the paper with a stylus just as I would take a red pen to a physical paper. Then I make some check marks in the rubric and write a grade. I Alt-Tab over to my grade spreadsheet and enter the grade and on to the next paper.

In tablet mode with the screen folded flat you could easily work on a train or airplane. But at 3 pounds it is too heavy to hold like a paperback and read for long.

The Lenovo Thinkpads are built like tanks and have the best keyboards of any laptop. My battery life with the extended battery is about 5 hours. I think if you watch for the very frequent Lenovo sales you could pick one up for $1500.

Thanks Larry, that's very helpful.  I found a review comparing the Lenovo with the HP's EliteBook 2740p, saying they are comparable.  It concludes:

The bottom line: in an apples-to-apples comparison, the X201T offers lower performance-though still solid-but longer battery life. The ThinkPad X201 Tablet’s utilitarian design could use an update, but it remains one of the best convertible tablets available. That doesn’t mean I would automatically choose it over the EliteBook 2740p, which matches the X201T feature for feature and has a nice design. It really boils down to your preferences in terms of design, as well as how you weigh performance versus battery life.

For me, battery life is pretty important, while performance is not really an issue. 
I think before spending the money I need to go to a store and see how they feel and how easy it is to add comments to papers.  Each is the same size as the Eee EP 121 Slate, which comes with a separate keyboard, and is about $1100.  But Acer computers are not known for their ruggedness.

I did just see the new Acer Iconia
http://www.acer.com/iconia/
which is pretty intriguing.  It seems that it will be about $900 for the largest version.  But it isn't clear when it will be available.  Probably not soon enough for me.

Infopri -- I'm talking commuter trains, not Amtrak.  You don't get much space. 

[larryc]

I have seen some wide-screen notebooks and netbooks, I wonder if that form factor would work better with your commutes?

The Iconica--I don't know. Ir I wanted to type on a touchscreen I'd just get an iPad or Android Tablet at a third of the weight. If you decide you don't need a convertible tablet you save at least $500 and open up a world of choices.

[octoprof]

If you want to be able to capture working problems (i.e. your writing process along with your voice) then go for a tablet. My online course is full of problem demonstrations recorded using Camtasia and OneNote on a tablet PC.

I wouldn't go for a wide screen unless you are ready to do some alterations to screen size settings when recording with Camtasia (or whatever) and if you are willing to lug around something very heavy.

My Lenovo tablet is smallish and light but with a super long lived battery that I adore.

[larryc]

Here is a widescreen 12" laptop that is a screaming deal and might be the right form factor for you: http://www.dealdigs.com/story.php?id=78856

[infopri]

I wouldn't go for a wide screen unless you are ready to do some alterations to screen size settings when recording with Camtasia (or whatever) [...]

My Thinkpad is a widescreen (15.4"), and it works beautifully.  I didn't have to make any adjustments for Camtasia or for anything else.

[octoprof]

I wouldn't go for a wide screen unless you are ready to do some alterations to screen size settings when recording with Camtasia (or whatever) [...]

My Thinkpad is a widescreen (15.4"), and it works beautifully.  I didn't have to make any adjustments for Camtasia or for anything else.

When I record in OneNote, I get interesting screen ratios if I'm not careful. :o)

[infopri]

I wouldn't go for a wide screen unless you are ready to do some alterations to screen size settings when recording with Camtasia (or whatever) [...]

My Thinkpad is a widescreen (15.4"), and it works beautifully.  I didn't have to make any adjustments for Camtasia or for anything else.

When I record in OneNote, I get interesting screen ratios if I'm not careful. :o)

Ah.  I haven't used OneNote, so maybe that's why I haven't had any difficulties with the wide screen (so far).  I've used Camtasia to record lectures (voice plus PowerPoint slides and/or dynamic screen-capture as I demonstrate various things via a web browser), and everything has come out fine.  I'm actually thinking of replacing the laptop within the next few months, and if I do I'll get another widescreen without hesitation.