Netbook vs. Tablet

[msommers]

Curious which direction you chose and why.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I chose a netbook for screen size (12.1"), good keyboard (although the EEE pad kind of solves that), 1080p/5.1 playback on my HT, and the general usability and familiarity of a computer (USB inputs, windows 7, peripherals, availability of programs/utilities, etc.). I use it for backing up pictures on holiday as well - netbooks usually have larger hard drives than tablets.

The downside is size, weight, and it isn't instant-on like a tablet would be (start up time about 45 sec). It's still extremely compact when compared to most laptops, but definitely not as convenient as a tablet.

If I just wanted something to surf the net on the can or whatever, I'd buy a tablet. I wanted more of an actual computer, so I opted for a netbook.

I've been super happy with my netbook so far (ASUS 1201N). Light, fast, plays back 1080p/5.1 video via HDMI, and easy to travel with.

Both are great, I think it just depends on your intended use.

[chkolny541]

typing this on my netbook now. Love it, i got it because its a great compact size 12 inch, incredible battery life compared to any laptop (advertised as 13 hr, but i get 10 hr) So i only really have to charge it every few days which i love. Went backpacking and didnt have to charge it for nearly 2 weeks! And it does everything that i need my computer to do, just browse the web, word processing programs and have a good battery life, my netbook nails all 3 of those points! Plus its only 400$!

I also have a "boot booster" on my netbook, so start up is less than 20 seconds

[jsn]

How does the "boot booster" work? I have a HP Mini and my main gripe against Net books is the boot time. Mine was advertised to boot up in under a minute, which was true, but it took another few minutes before I would be able to open any program or applications i.e., for word processing. That ended up being a HUGE pain in the ass.

[Kg810]

Option 3: Both

[Xtrema]

I love my tablet for email but it pretty useless otherwise.

[WhippWhapp]

ultraportable + tablet.

Tablet rules for couchsurfing, ebooks, pdf's, youtubing.

Anything approaching serious work requires a k/b + mouse plus windows.

Stay away from anything with an atom in it...

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by WhippWhapp
Stay away from anything with an atom in it...

What's wrong with the Atom processors?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by msommers
Curious which direction you chose and why.

I chose netbook, because at the time, there weren't many tablets, and they either sucked, or were quite expensive (2008). Netbook is a MSI Wind u100, and it's still working quite well to this day.

I'm looking at getting a replacement though, and will probably go with a Asus EEE Slate EP121. It has the portability of a tablet, but can dock into a keyboard, and still has Windows 7.

Battery life sucks balls, but it's not often I'm more than 4 hours away from some kind of power source. I mean, even airliners have onboard charging ports these days.

[Unknown303]

I like my asus tablet but do miss the netbook for w7. Having everything on the same platform would be nice but right now i only really need a tablet for couch browsing.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Unknown303
I like my asus tablet but do miss the netbook for w7. Having everything on the same platform would be nice but right now i only really need a tablet for couch browsing.

For the Asus EP121, I believe they're supporting Android installations. Haven't looked much into it, but would be awesome to have a dual op system, one for W7, and another for Android, to conserve battery life, when just browsing, etc.

[Cos]

I voted Asus EEE Pad because I love mine. Also I can get a keyboard for it.

Only issue is the lack of W7 but I wouldnt be surprised to see a dual boot at some point.