Netbooks Dead or People switching to Tablet because of its glamor quotient?
A couple of years ago, Netbooks were considered very good for mobile computing because laptops were too heavy to carry along all the time, Netbooks were fast, lightweight, cheap and could do the “work” like a traditional laptop could.
Two years hence, the present situation is very different, this generation of mobile computing has a new contender – Tablet PC. Although Tablet PCs costs much more than Netbooks, but they have loads of “apps” and are designed for multimedia entertainment, a Tablet PC is what you need if you want to “feel” productive 
and happy 
but can tablets do the same level of work that a laptop or a Netbook can? I doubt it.
I personally didn’t like Netbooks very much, they had a small screen and didn’t support any games which was hard for an avid gamer to accept, they didn’t had much processing power to support high graphics software like Adobe Photoshop or Dreamweaver and therefore I thought they were a waste of money.
Now I am a blogger, and writing i.e. typing is something that I do almost daily, currently I blog from my desktop but once I begin to live in a hostel, I would not be taking my desktop with me, therefore I would have to buy a portable computer but the point is, whether to buy a notebook or a laptop.
I don’t really think that a Tablet PC can ever, in a million years take the place of a laptop for “work”, fun and play is a different thing but definitely not for work. It is very easy to get distracted when you have loads of apps installed on your tablet, I know that can happen on a traditional laptop as well, or on a netbook (because of internet) but still a laptop or a netbook is more productive and I am up for debate on this topic anytime.
Benefits of a Netbook over Laptops
Portable and easy to Carry, anywhere, anytime
Most netbooks weight around 1.5 Kg which makes it very portable, I mean, I can slid it into my backpack and go anywhere, since it doesn’t weigh much and doesn’t take up much space, it won’t hurt my shoulders and I can access my blog, write codes anywhere, even while travelling.
Also, I am planning to create a photo blog constituting pictures that I would click while travelling and of the places that I am going to visit so… it would help me do that too.
Boots up Quickly, works well in Sleep Mode
Laptops, especially Windows Laptops take somewhere from 2-4 minutes to boot up, Netbooks have an advantage here, they work well in Sleep mode and since they don’t consume much power in sleep mode, you can go for days without charging your Netbook, doesn’t this give you another reason to start travelling.
Average one works for about 8 hours/charge
Almost every Windows Netbook runs for about 8 hours on a single charge, this feature is ranked quite high on my requirements in a portable computer. Acer TimelineX full fledged laptops also have battery life of about 7 hours so in this category these two guys are at par.
Cheap, as compared to both Laptops and Tablets
A good laptop costs around Rs. 25000/- to Rs. 30000/- and a fine Tablet costs about the same and you can get a Netbook, a good Netbook from Dell or HP at Rs. 20000/- or more if you want to upgrade, if screen size is your concern then some manufacturers have Netbooks with a screen size of 12” which is pretty viewable.
Extremely Productive, Supports Everything
You can run internet on it which means you can run every document on your Netbook because of Google Docs, also Microsoft Office can be installed on Windows Netbooks which makes them very productive, if you are blogger then you won’t need anything, just Windows Live Writer, which I am using currently for writing this blog post, that is what is need to write a good blog post.
If you are designer or something, then I would suggest you go for a laptop with dedicated graphic card, I know that is work too but high on graphics laptops were made for that sort of stuff, so… there is no point in cursing Netbooks for not being able to support designers.
It works well in a “Work” Environment
Netbooks are pretty handy, you can carry it anywhere and since they supports Windows, you can connect you Netbook to any remote display and give presentations and do all that “business” stuff without any problems. They also support Skype and come with front camera, so video chat is also something you won’t miss in a Laptop.
Basic Disadvantages
Gaming
You know it very well, netbooks are not very good gamers, but still you would be able to play internet games, flash games and a few PC games that don’t require high end graphics like Torchlight.
High-end Video Editing/Designing
Netbooks come with Integrated graphics, not dedicated graphics, so it’s not for video bloggers who like editing videos on graphic consuming platforms, I am not able to use those softs on my desktop as well.
Conclusion
If you just want a computer for programming, web development or blogging then both Netbook or a lightweight laptop would do good but if you want to consume computing resources thoroughly using high-end games etc. then it is recommend to go for a high-end laptop.
For an engineer, like me, it would be unnecessary and stupid to pick up a high-end gaming laptop, because I am going to study engineering, and I know that it would require me to put in loads of hours in solving mathematics/engineering problems and I won’t have much time for gaming. Also, I would be blogging during my engineering, but that’s productive, although it would consume time but blogging is something that’s beneficial both in terms of money and future.
I think, I would go for a lightweight, 13-inch laptop from HP or some other brand, that’s going to be just perfect for me. Netbooks is a great option too, but at this point I can afford to spend 30 grands, and 13 inch screen size looks better than a 10 incher.
I personally feel Netbooks are cheap and productive, they do what you want them to do, and that’s its USP. What’s your opinion regarding the subject on the matter? Would you buy Netbooks?
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