Companion/Portable Device: Netbook or Tablet?

[CageFree]

I have a 17 in laptop that is my primary computer, as well as a desktop. I am looking for something I can take to school with me that doesn't weigh much and I can use for notetaking and writing.

I'm trying to decide between a netbook of some sort and a tablet (looking at the Nook color, lenovo and the galaxy tab). The advantage of a tablet would be the ability to annotate directly onto PDFs and to take and save handwritten notes, provided I have the right software; the netbook, however, would be better for typing.

I've been out of school for several years.. back when I was an undergrad, the decision was spiral or composition books.

Just wondering what your experiences have been with using either (or both).

[Chasely]

17" laptop? That hurts my back just thinking about it.

If your purpose is to take notes and write, then a netbook is the easy winner. I'm sure there are applications besides Adobe Acrobat Pro that you can use to annotate and take notes on PDFs. I'm a Mac guy, so I don't have any specific recommendations, but I would try to optimize portability and battery life. Perhaps go for a slightly bigger screen if you plan on using it for longer periods without breaks.

[OregonGal]

My main issue with netbooks is the size of the keyboard--I have tiny hands and still have trouble typing on them! I'm looking to get an ultrabook because they're very lightweight without sacrificing the screen or keyboard size.

I've seen people taking notes on tablets in lecture forums before so it's obviously done; I think that depends on your comfort with the note-taking app you use. My main concern with the tablet would be your ability to access/transfer your notes and be able to edit/annotate on another system, because I have no idea how those note-taking apps work with desktop versions.

[CageFree]

I ended up going with this:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/B1F62AV?HP-Pavilion-dm1z-4200-Entertainment-Notebook-PC

The transferability of files and the ability to use the same software everywhere was a huge concern for me.

[kateausten]

I was discouraged from buying my netbook instead of a tablet and I have no regrets. But, this was a couple years ago when there were no $200 tablets on the market, so a tablet plus keyboard attachment would have been much more expensive than my $300 netbook. I also bought it for extended travel and use it as my only computer for any travel, so the large hard drive (I think it's 150gb) comes in very handy for storing movies and all the photos I take on one vacation and stuff like that. If I were shopping right now for something strictly for use in class, I'd go with one of the cheaper tablets like Amazon Fire with a keyboard attachment, because they are smaller and lighter and I don't have a smartphone so it would be nice to be able to join the 21st century and use apps. However, if you think you'd like to use it instead of your laptop for things like travel or writing papers in a coffeeshop, a netbook is nice because of the keyboard and being able to easily use MS Office or Open Office on it (I'm not sure whether you can do that on tablets or not).

Edited July 19, 2012 by kateausten

[juilletmercredi]

"If your purpose is to take notes and write, then a netbook is the easy winner."

Not sure if I agree with that. I take notes and write on my iPad with an external keyboard ($30 on Amazon.com. Works like a charm). It's almost as easy as using a netbook; the screen is actually about the same size. Plus I can use it without the keyboard when I just want to read the news or watch a video without booting up the netbook.

I had a netbook. I used it intermittently for about one year, and then stopped using it altogether. I gave it to my sister once I got the iPad. I use my iPad every day.

[1Q84]

To tack on to the above: this is a great review of all the major iPad keyboards out there. Definitely worth a look!

http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/9/3229047/best-ipad-keyboard

The Logitech and Apple ones look particularly awesome.

[Eigen]

I don't know... I've got an iPad with a bluetooth keyboard, and a macbook air, and I tend to use the Air a lot more if I need to actually write something. Now, for instance. I really do like the apple keyboard- it's small and comfortable to type on. It's more the cursor manipulation than the actual typing that I feel like is slow and cumbersome.

The iPad is great for displaying data, keeping articles on, etc. but when it comes to actual productive writing, I feel like it falls short. Mostly in the programs that are available to it, and the ease of editing/markup.

I find the iPad and Air combo are fantastic for portability, and I'm even more excited about the rumored 8" iPad supposed to be coming out this fall. But with instant on and a full suite of programs (Scrivener, Endnote, etc) and a better wireless connection, if I need to get work done my Air is usually the one I pull out. And since my 11" air in case is about the same weight as my iPad in case, they're both equally portable.

[Chasely]

"If your purpose is to take notes and write, then a netbook is the easy winner."

Not sure if I agree with that. I take notes and write on my iPad with an external keyboard ($30 on Amazon.com. Works like a charm). It's almost as easy as using a netbook; the screen is actually about the same size. Plus I can use it without the keyboard when I just want to read the news or watch a video without booting up the netbook.

I hadn't thought about that. The iPad becomes a lot more flexible with the external keyboards.

In order to make me feel better about my choice, a quote from the inventor of the computer: :

I’ve been against Macintosh company lately. They’re trying to get everyone to use iPads and when people use iPads they end up just using technology to consume things instead of making things. With a computer you can make things. You can code, you can make things and create things that have never before existed and do things that have never been done before.

A cool little story: http://joelrunyon.com/two3/an-unexpected-ass-kicking

That being said, people are becoming more creative with iPads and finding ways to be productive on them.

[CageFree]

An iPad was never an option for me. I absolutely hate Apple and will never purchase one of their products. I did consider the Galaxy Tablet but in the end, I'm pretty happy with my HP DM1Z... it's small like a netbook but it's actually a computer, so it has more power than a netbook.

[Eigen]

I'm always surprised of how strong of feelings people have towards things.

There are very few companies (are there any?) that I "hate" and would never purchase from.

[moarmoonfire]

There are programs that let you take notes directly onto PDFs, if that's an issue. I use Skim (on a Mac) that works pretty much perfectly.