Tablets Versus Netbooks, Part I

The ultra portable computer market sure has been heating up lately! It seems like only yesterday Asus debuted the first commercially successful netbook, the  EEE PC, and with it created a new fad of inexpensive and super portable laptop alternatives.

Two years after that, Apple unveiled the iPad. Following the success of the iPhone, the iPad is generally referred to as Apple’s answer to the netbook fad, and it’s been quite successful. Although the slate concept had been done before (and failed), Apple proved again to never underestimate their marketing prowess. This brought about a new fad (or at least, reincarnated a previously failed one), and the modern tablet was born. Now, hardly alone in this market, Apple’s iPad is only one of a wide variety of options available from the likes of Android, HP, and RIM.

The question is, are tablets really an answer to netbooks? Or rather, can you replace a netbook with a tablet?

While many argue that tablets and netbooks are designed for different purposes, we at Techcitement wonder if the ultra portable market is really big enough for the both of them. With the market clearly favoring tablets at the moment, this has became a burning question. Can the giant phone concept replace the micro laptop one in practical use? This is a question I intend to answer over the next few days as I blog about my experiences in trying to do exactly that.

Before I explain my experiment, a little background is in order. I personally love netbooks – I have owned many of them dating back to the original Asus EEE 701, and I find them extremely useful to take on trips or bring places that a full-sized laptop wouldn’t be practical.

One thing I find interesting about netbooks is that Asus managed to do what years of Windows-based Tablets and UMPC concepts failed at – attract consumer attention. Asus nailed it by offering something that resembled a mini laptop (instead of a slate or sideways keyboard), with little-to-no learning curve because we were already accustomed to their larger counterparts. Modern netbooks are exactly like your desktop or laptop computer, only smaller. This new tablet fascination is a throwback to the failed UMPC and XP/Vista tablet slates of yesteryear. And what’s crazy about it is that it seems to be working.

When the iPad was announced, I didn’t understand the practical use of it. When I travel, the netbook is great for video chat with my family, typing up documents, or making changes to something via USB stick. Occasionally, I watch movies or play flash games if my kids are with me. The original iPad had a browser, but lacked flash, a camera, USB port, keyboard, or much in the way of MS Office editing support.

“What a joke” I thought to myself. “There’s no way I can use that for ANY of the things I use my netbook for!”

I surely didn’t need both devices.

Tablets have evolved since then, and I’m now reconsidering my stance on the subject. With optional keyboard attachments, built in cameras, and some even offering USB ports and Flash in the browser, I suddenly find myself able to imagine using one of these the way I use a netbook if I so wished. Granted, the tablet is not designed to be used in this way, but it had better be able to hold its own if it’s supposed to replace the netbook

The proposed experiment

Tablet Versus Netbook

I’m starting with a Viewsonic G-tablet running Android, because it supports Flash, a USB port, and sports the powerful Tegra 2 chip. It is a nondescript tablet, and that is exactly why I think it perfect for this test. The lack of certain netbook-like features made the iPad an unfair candidate, and some higher-end tablets were unavailable for this test or had unfair advantages such as sporting the ability to boot into Windows or it had a built-in keyboard. It also helps that the G-tablet is hugely popular in the aftermarket ROM community and priced at about what I paid for the Acer Aspire One netbook, which is what’s in use here as the reference netbook.

This particular netbook has been used mostly for browsing the web, chatting with friends online, watching video (Hulu, Netflix), typing up mid-sized emails, editing office documents on the go, loading images from a digital camera for upload, and video chat. The goal is to see how many of these things the G-tablet can do comfortably.

Initial impression of the tablet form factor
Ok, I get it. Tablets are nice. The form factor is a lot nicer to use than a netbook for casual browsing on the couch or throwing into your bag to carry along. While webpages render more accurately if held in landscape orientation, the ability to turn it portrait style like an eReader is a really nice touch for scanned documents, books, or comics.

The only downside to this design is that you  have to hold it physically. This is great for casual use, but if you want to sit down at a desk or table, you need a stand or something to prop it up on. In contrast, a netbook can be placed virtually anywhere and simply opened up. You also aren’t generally worried about the display of a netbook – it is protected by the body when closed. A tablet requires a good case, preferably one with a built-in kickstand to help solve both of these problems.

I actually found a cheap wooden $4 picture frame easel works quite nicely as a stand, and easily found it in stores like Walmart. I could prop the device up in portrait or landscape, and the protecting stand also doubles as, well, a picture frame easel.

Yes, I found that the tablet actually makes a handsome digital photo frame when not being used as a tablet. The wooden easel looks great on my bookshelf, and loading images from my digital camera looked excellent on it.

Fair enough, there is benefit to the tablet form factor over the netbook, but can they comfortably do what netbooks do? Stay tuned as I test out a keyboard, office editing suite, and more in Techcitement’s next installment Tablets Versus Netbooks.

*Photos of equipment courtesy of Rina G.