Android Tablet: Netbooks vs Tablet

Friday 19 October 2012

Netbooks vs Tablet

Notebook computers and tablet PCs are two very different beasts that both live in the same jungle. Each sort of machine aims for a similar set of goals: ultimate portability and ultimate connectivity. These machines let users hold the whole world in their hands – so long as there is free wifi nearby. But do both machines have an equal footing in the computer industry? Will both be around in five years? To answer this, we need to think about what each machine does, and what each is best used for.

Netbooks are basically miniature laptops. They offer fold-out “clamshell” designs with a keboard at the bottom and a screen at the top. Long battery life, slim profiles, and antennas for every sort of wireless signal available ensure their portability. Their design is familiar, and the only thing that new users need to get accustomed to is their mini keyboards and small screens.

Tablets, on the other hand, are 100% screen. They lack keyboards and mice entirely, relying instead on touch input for all controls. While touch is tactilely invigorating and lots of fun to use, it really limits how these sorts of computers may be used. Playing games, surfing the web, or reading ebooks on a tablet PC are all easy to do, but touch-screen keyboards turns a simple task like writing a letter into something a lot more complicated than it needs to be.