Tablet or netbook?

[srw]

Help me, oh wise geeks of the forum, to spend some money. It is, if not of no object, then at least not especially a limiting factor.

I'm about to start spending part of each week living in a flat away from home. I need to get some sort of electronic gizmo so that I can make regular skype calls home, be connected to cyclechat and the rest of the internet, and play music, probably through a decent external stereo system.

I've got somewhere around 50GB of MP3 files ripped from CD (so far - I have no intention of stopping buying CDs), and about 22GB of photos. I want to use the flat as a secure back-up location. Every computer we have runs Windows - Win 7 is an adequate operating system, and I'm instinctively distrustful of Apple and its control-freakery.

I know that getting a netbook would work - I'm writing this on a 1.2kg Packard Bell with 220GB of hard drive space (110GB free). This computer accompanied us across France on a bike, so I know it's reasonably light and robust. It could also presumably connect pretty easily across the internet to my home PCs.

But I'm also thinking that a tablet might offer a good alternative. I could do with a note-taker and meeting recorder, and also an e-reader. Both friends and colleagues have iPads, and rave about them. But no iPad (and, for that matter, no tablet at all as far as I can tell) will take all of my existing photos and MP3s, let alone the ones we'll create or buy over the next few years. An iPad doesn't seem to work neatly with an external HD. The Asus EEE pad transformer prime has some extremely good reviews, and has a USB port and a dock with a keyboard.

But the iPad does come in a 3G flavour (but will I ever need to be internetted away from a hotspot?) and does seem to have a far wider range of apps (including the one no self-respecting champagne socialist could do without).

So. If you were me, how would you spend your money?

 

[col]

If I already had a netbook, as you have, Id go for the Ipad. I think its only downfall is that its not as connecty with usb for printers ect, but I could be wrong. It does everything a laptop would do otherwise.

 

[srw]

When you say "its only downfall" do you actually mean "its only downfall apart from all its other downfalls"?


Sorry. I'll stop now.

 

[col]

When you say "its only downfall" do you actually mean "its only downfall apart from all its other downfalls"?


Sorry. I'll stop now.

No I really like them, just a bit dear at the mo or Id have one.

 

[HovR]

I personally prefer netbooks over tablets. My netbook is smaller than an iPad, faster than an iPad, about the same weight as an iPad (maybe a little more), can run more programs than an iPad, has better connectivity than an iPad (printers, external monitors, external HDD's/CD drives, cameras, phones etc etc), better keyboard than an iPad, (much) cheaper than an iPad. The list could go on.

As you may be able to tell, I'm not a big fan of Apple, but all of the above remains fact!

Edit: I specifically stated iPad in this post, but a lot of it also applies to other tablets.

 

[col]

I dont doubt it, my laptop would out do one too. But Id just like one, they look very nice and iv had nothing but good reports of people that have them.Just the simplicity of no fold up screen, easy to carry, well easier than my lappy anyway. Really just a very handy thing for mobile email, skype, icg,web ect. If I wanted to print or charge or copy something, Id do it on my laptop.

 

[Norm]

We looked at the options a few weeks ago, and went with neither of them, buying a small-screened laptop from the same sort of price range, with Win7, i5 2.4gb chip, 500gb, wireless & bluetooth, DVD, HDMI... etc

The reason for our decision is mainly that tablets are, IMO, amazingly excellent internet devices with portability, fantastic screens and battery life but they are not good for computing. Netbooks are more versatile, still with the size and battery life and adding some computer stuff, but they are still a compromise which we didn't want to make. Most of the stuff that we need (gaming, homework, surfing, MS Office etc), together with not leaving the home much, meant that laptop was our choice.

From your two choices, I'd go with the netbook beause they are computers, not just viewers, but I'd also get an external hard disk (Western DIgital My Passport, Lacie Rugged, Iomega eGo) and a good case and you have space to back up your home stuff as well as having what you need on the road.

 

[HovR]

I dont doubt it, my laptop would out do one too. But Id just like one, they look very nice and iv had nothing but good reports of people that have them.Just the simplicity of no fold up screen, easy to carry, well easier than my lappy anyway. Really just a very handy thing for mobile email, skype, icg,web ect. If I wanted to print or charge or copy something, Id do it on my laptop.

Yeah, tablets are a fun gadgets - Nice bits of technology, and look really sleek - But I just can't justify spending double the price of a netbook for something statistically less capable.

 

[lukesdad]

Bought wifey an i pad for her birthday, amazing piece of kit IMO.

 

[col]

Yeah, tablets are a fun gadgets - Nice bits of technology, and look really sleek - But I just can't justify spending double the price of a netbook for something statistically less capable.

Nor can I.

 

[col]

Bought wifey an i pad for her birthday, amazing piece of kit IMO.

Hey LD

 

[lukesdad]

Hey ho col how you doin, seen any moon landings recently ?

 

[col]

Not lately

 

[marinyork]

Wait a teensy bit. There are really big things happening this year with tablets and things choices may become clearer. As it happens right now we've just had the biggest geek porn computer and gadget show on the planet, CES, and this tells you a lot about 2012.

As regards iPad, it is heavily rumoured that iPad 3 will be out 'soon'.

If it was my money I would buy a niche small end laptop with as powerful kick to it as money would buy, pedantically looking over every feature (not to save money, but features/future proofing).

 

[yello]

But Id just like one

There's your answer.