iPad for Law School? Forum

[dr123]

How do you Convert DVD and Video to Your iPad?

[rebexness]

[savagedm]

I'm a 1L and I use my iPad for notes in class every day. It works well as long as you have Pages and don't mind manually tabbing in for every line (I do
Notes in outline form). I would recommend actually having a computer for making full outlines at the end of the quarter/semester, but for daily stuff, it's great!

I was thinking that investing in a cheap netbook, an iPad, and a bluetooth keyboard for both would be a great option. You use the iPad to take notes and study, use the laptop to make your outline and take the exams. Basically it's the same concept as having a physical pad and pen, but instead of a pad and pen, you have an iPad, which wont ever run out of pages or clutter your shit up.

[bk1]

I was thinking that investing in a cheap netbook, an iPad, and a bluetooth keyboard for both would be a great option. You use the iPad to take notes and study, use the laptop to make your outline and take the exams. Basically it's the same concept as having a physical pad and pen, but instead of a pad and pen, you have an iPad, which wont ever run out of pages or clutter your shit up.

But an iPad is nothing like writing on actual paper. Plus capacitive pens are mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[savagedm]

I was thinking that investing in a cheap netbook, an iPad, and a bluetooth keyboard for both would be a great option. You use the iPad to take notes and study, use the laptop to make your outline and take the exams. Basically it's the same concept as having a physical pad and pen, but instead of a pad and pen, you have an iPad, which wont ever run out of pages or clutter your shit up.

But an iPad is nothing like writing on actual paper. Plus capacitive pens are mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

This is true, I admit I resort to first writing my notes on a pad for some classes before transcribing them to my documents and am unlikely to change this if I were to get a tablet. However, I still think it'd be worth it to have the iPad/Notepad combo going in class and then laptop for exams. But I am actively looking for a way to be able to have one machine that does everything with the option of different peripherals to ease its use. (i.e. smart phone with a quantum graphics chip and 8gb storage chip that can be used to dock to touch screen tablets or regular TVs for video and such. It's a great concept and we are going to see more of this stuff over the next few years, but I doubt one device for everything will be out before we graduate.

[bk1]

This is true, I admit I resort to first writing my notes on a pad for some classes before transcribing them to my documents and am unlikely to change this if I were to get a tablet. However, I still think it'd be worth it to have the iPad/Notepad combo going in class and then laptop for exams. But I am actively looking for a way to be able to have one machine that does everything with the option of different peripherals to ease its use. (i.e. smart phone with a quantum graphics chip and 8gb storage chip that can be used to dock to touch screen tablets or regular TVs for video and such. It's a great concept and we are going to see more of this stuff over the next few years, but I doubt one device for everything will be out before we graduate.

Yeah I am really a fan of doing the all in one if possible but suspect it won't happen for a while. Though I'd hazard a guess that most tablets will forever be poor substitutes as digital pen/paper inputs and always inferior to devices dedicated to that task, mainly because it isn't a highly desired feature by many consumers so I don't see companies trying very hard to perfect it.

On that note, I don't understand people who have iPhones/Android phones or any smartphone really and still carry around an mp3 player. WTF is with that?

[savagedm]

This is true, I admit I resort to first writing my notes on a pad for some classes before transcribing them to my documents and am unlikely to change this if I were to get a tablet. However, I still think it'd be worth it to have the iPad/Notepad combo going in class and then laptop for exams. But I am actively looking for a way to be able to have one machine that does everything with the option of different peripherals to ease its use. (i.e. smart phone with a quantum graphics chip and 8gb storage chip that can be used to dock to touch screen tablets or regular TVs for video and such. It's a great concept and we are going to see more of this stuff over the next few years, but I doubt one device for everything will be out before we graduate.

Yeah I am really a fan of doing the all in one if possible but suspect it won't happen for a while. Though I'd hazard a guess that most tablets will forever be poor substitutes as digital pen/paper inputs and always inferior to devices dedicated to that task, mainly because it isn't a highly desired feature by many consumers so I don't see companies trying very hard to perfect it.

On that note, I don't understand people who have iPhones/Android phones or any smartphone really and still carry around an mp3 player. WTF is with that?

Heh well I have 150gigs of music on my ipod, that's my reason, but otherwise I agree. I found this last night too, a GREAT thing to consider: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/12/palm ... e-cellpho/

I think having a tablet with usb hookups inside that functions essentially as a touchscreen monitor would be ideal. You slide your compatible phone into the unit, which would contain a larger internal batter and all that other jazz, then it basically acts as an external monitor display which would use your phone's processing power to do the tablet functions. With the advent of quantum processors and all that new tech that's coming out, it's probably VERY possible.

[bk1]

Heh well I have 150gigs of music on my ipod, that's my reason, but otherwise I agree. I found this last night too, a GREAT thing to consider: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/12/palm ... e-cellpho/

I think having a tablet with usb hookups inside that functions essentially as a touchscreen monitor would be ideal. You slide your compatible phone into the unit, which would contain a larger internal batter and all that other jazz, then it basically acts as an external monitor display which would use your phone's processing power to do the tablet functions. With the advent of quantum processors and all that new tech that's coming out, it's probably VERY possible.

I have more music than my phone can hold and so I just choose what I want (like I don't need every single Beatles CD with me at all times ).

That Palm idea looks a lot like what Motorola is doing with the Atrix: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/28/moto ... -4g-video/

[savagedm]

Heh well I have 150gigs of music on my ipod, that's my reason, but otherwise I agree. I found this last night too, a GREAT thing to consider: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/12/palm ... e-cellpho/

I think having a tablet with usb hookups inside that functions essentially as a touchscreen monitor would be ideal. You slide your compatible phone into the unit, which would contain a larger internal batter and all that other jazz, then it basically acts as an external monitor display which would use your phone's processing power to do the tablet functions. With the advent of quantum processors and all that new tech that's coming out, it's probably VERY possible.

I have more music than my phone can hold and so I just choose what I want (like I don't need every single Beatles CD with me at all times ).

That Palm idea looks a lot like what Motorola is doing with the Atrix: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/28/moto ... -4g-video/

Amazing, just pair it with some sort of android tablet and I'm all over that shit.

[fundamentallybroken]

How do you Convert DVD and Video to Your iPad?

Retake and apply next cycle.

[lolschool2011]

Ok quick question for any techies... what's the best 1k or under laptop for law school?

[bk1]

Ok quick question for any techies... what's the best 1k or under laptop for law school?

As I've said before, I'd recommend one of the Asus Ultralights or a Thinkpad Edge.

[blazinswordofjustice]

another option: --LinkRemoved--

my 2L friend has a regular kindle and a scanner, cuts the binding on all his books, scans them and then reads the pdfs on the kindle, not for everyone but he loves it...


oh and macs suxx0rz!

[lolschool2011]

another option: --LinkRemoved--

my 2L friend has a regular kindle and a scanner, cuts the binding on all his books, scans them and then reads the pdfs on the kindle, not for everyone but he loves it...


oh and macs suxx0rz!

If he shares those PDF's with anyone I smell copyright issues...

[afc1910]

.

[bk1]

From my experience, Asus is slow.

What model did you have and what were the specs?

My experience with their laptops has been great and I have never seen a professional review site refer to them as slow.

[savagedm]

From my experience, Asus is slow.

What model did you have and what were the specs?

My experience with their laptops has been great and I have never seen a professional review site refer to them as slow.

Agreed, on an ASUS now and this is the first laptop I've ever owned that hasn't seen any noticeable slowdowns after a year of ownership and "techie" (as it was put above) use.

[blazinswordofjustice]

How do you Convert DVD and Video to Your iPad?

Retake and apply next cycle.

hahaha

or you could use handbrake, its pretty useful/easy

[bigjinjapan]

From my experience, Asus is slow.

What model did you have and what were the specs?

My experience with their laptops has been great and I have never seen a professional review site refer to them as slow.

Agreed, on an ASUS now and this is the first laptop I've ever owned that hasn't seen any noticeable slowdowns after a year of ownership and "techie" (as it was put above) use.

I had an 11" Asus S6F that was really nice, though it did suffer from some cracking issues. I only kept it 2 years. Asus is nice in that they don't ship a ton of bloatware with their systems, and their customer support was pretty good. I love my VAIO Z but they're overpriced and loaded with crapware off the shelf.

Since you've all convinced me that the iPad is a lousy investment, I'm considering getting an 11" Air for the Fall. I'm not wild about making the switch to Mac and I know it's an overpriced netbook, but it's awfully thin and light and--most importantly--sturdy.

[savagedm]

From my experience, Asus is slow.

What model did you have and what were the specs?

My experience with their laptops has been great and I have never seen a professional review site refer to them as slow.

Agreed, on an ASUS now and this is the first laptop I've ever owned that hasn't seen any noticeable slowdowns after a year of ownership and "techie" (as it was put above) use.

I had an 11" Asus S6F that was really nice, though it did suffer from some cracking issues. I only kept it 2 years. Asus is nice in that they don't ship a ton of bloatware with their systems, and their customer support was pretty good. I love my VAIO Z but they're overpriced and loaded with crapware off the shelf.

Since you've all convinced me that the iPad is a lousy investment, I'm considering getting an 11" Air for the Fall. I'm not wild about making the switch to Mac and I know it's an overpriced netbook, but it's awfully thin and light and--most importantly--sturdy.

TBH use whatever you want to use for the next few years and buy it a few months before school so you can get used to it. You see any number of combos for note taking and the gadget you use to record shit should not be something that is objectively "better" than others; just something that works for you.

[bk1]

I had an 11" Asus S6F that was really nice, though it did suffer from some cracking issues. I only kept it 2 years. Asus is nice in that they don't ship a ton of bloatware with their systems, and their customer support was pretty good. I love my VAIO Z but they're overpriced and loaded with crapware off the shelf.

Since you've all convinced me that the iPad is a lousy investment, I'm considering getting an 11" Air for the Fall. I'm not wild about making the switch to Mac and I know it's an overpriced netbook, but it's awfully thin and light and--most importantly--sturdy.

Honestly I prefer to just start with a fresh install to deal with the bloatware that companies tend to package with their products.

The least bloatware I have had has been with Dell Latitudes and IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads, but that is probably due to those models being their business lines.

[Jennypenny]

I was thinking about getting an ipad for law school. Right now I'm getting my Master's degree in Accounting emphasis in Tax. We have a law textbook for all my tax classes and it is huge! I carry it in my arms because if I put it in my backpack, my back really hurts. One of my friends in class uses an ipad, and it looks really helpful. We have to bring the Internal Revenue Code to class as well, and it is huge, too. We all made copies of the internal revenue code segregated by type of entity (partnership tax, corporate tax, individual, estate tax) so we don't have to carry the whole thing to just partnership class. My friend can look up random cases and the Internal Revenue Code without lugging the huge book or even just the partnership section. In law school, there's much more than the I.R.C. to reference. I googled law school apps, and there's a Black Law Dictionary app, LexisNexis app, and a free app called LawStack that has "the Constitution, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and much more". I know in tax class you have to have the IRC. Wouldn't you need to have those procedure rules, too in law school? Having LexisNexis app would be really cool, too. Has anyone seen the cool law school apps? What do you think of them?

[Hattori Hanzo]

I have seen a few people in my classes use them with an external keyboard for note taking. I asked one of them and she said it was somewhat inconvenient but she preferred it because it fits nicely in her purse.

[Hippononymous]

I guess I'm fortunate in that I received an iPad 2 as a gift after my two year old laptop was stolen. Now I'm just reading all of this trying to figure out if I can do anything besides Angry Birds with it. Looks like not. Although, this discussion about Kinko's cutting bindings and scanning into an OCR'd PDF is interesting. I was never much into highlighting anyways...

Regarding the MacBook Air, I too have been looking into them. Only, I just can't pull the trigger. It's not the money, per se; I have no problem spending $1400 on a piece of hardware that's going to be with me 80% of the time for the next three years of my life, I just can't stand OS X. It's awful. And I've been using using Mac OS in different capacities since OS 8. It's like Red Hat, only without the penguin. Fine for network administration (so long as you don't want to do anything useful, like, say, ASP.net), but just not working for consumers.

So I've been taking a long, hard look at the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Series laptops with the SSD. They're advertised at 2.9 lbs and up to 23 (!?) hours of battery life. The place I'm working for until August is an IBM certified distributor, so I'm going to see if they can get me a discount. It seems that student discounts only run 5%. Hrrmph.

[hipstermafia]

You can definitely do more than play angry birds on your ipad, what the hell are you reading?