iPad Office Suites Do Exist

The iPad actually has quite a few options when it comes to office suites, which is really all I’m concerned about as far as productivity. iWork (Pages, Keynote and Numbers), Documents To Go and Quickoffice are just a few options that pop into my head. If it’s a free solution that you’re looking for, Google Docs is pretty much all you need. Personally, I ended up getting Quickoffice since it seamlessly supports Dropbox (which I use religiously).

I haven’t had the need for the keyboard dock yet, but I’m sure I’ll get one sooner or later when I end up having to crank out a large document on the road.

iPads Are Extremely Portable

I once thought netbooks were the closest to portability that anyone could get. Boy, was I wrong. Very wrong. The iPad is a device I can easily bust out of my bag and start playing with immediately. My netbook, on the other hand, took a little bit more work to get up and running, including waiting a few minutes for it to boot up and connect to Wi-Fi before I could really do anything.

I also don’t need to lug around that annoying AC adapter brick. There have been times when I would simply just let my netbook die because messing with the AC adapter would have just been a pain. Laziness on my part? Maybe, but with the iPad, all that’s needed is a convenient USB cable and the tiny wall adapter.

iPads Are Faster

Even though iPads have a slower-clocked processor (1GHz compared to the 1.8GHz dual-core my netbook had,) the lightweight OS of the iPad means that applications load way faster than they would on any netbook.

iPads Have Incredible Battery Life

The first-gen iPad’s battery life clocks in at around 10 hours according to Apple, but tech review site Tested did their own test and were able to get almost 16 hours of non-stop video playback. My netbook usually mustered up only a measly five hours of juice — six hours tops.

Weaknesses of iPads (and Overcoming Them)

Obviously (and unfortunately) the iPad isn’t awesome at everything. There are still some downsides of Apple’s tablet that don’t make it an adequate option for a handful of on-the-go users. One of the biggest complaints I hear is that the iPad doesn’t have any other ports besides the 30-pin connector and the headphone jack — in other words, the iPad lacks USB. To this I say, “the cloud is your friend.” Take advantage of Dropbox, Google Docs, iDisk or any other cloud-based service. You’ll end up quickly forgetting about flash drives and external storage (at least I did.)

In the end, the simple fact is that there are things that you’ll just have to sacrifice for portability in general. It’s not just with tablets, but with any netbook or laptop. You won’t be able to run specialized software or have a full-sized physical keyboard with a mouse. The browsing experience won’t be as solid as if you were on a desktop and you won’t have some of the advanced features of a desktop with you while you’re on the go. That’s simply the nature of the [portable] beast.

I’m interested to hear what thoughts you have for using an iPad/tablet over a netbook or laptop (or not). Shout ’em out in the comments!

Image Courtesy: Yagan Kiely

The post Why I Ditched My Netbook for an iPad first appeared on Techerator.

Check out Windows 7
Netbooks Starting $350

With their initial release in late 2007, netbooks are quickly becoming a large part of today’s line of consumer computers.  It is estimated that netbooks now make up 20% of new PC orders (MaximumPC).  I recently purchased my first netbook and have thoroughly enjoyed using it for the reasons I’ll explain in this guide.

I often get several questions when using my netbook such as “Why is that laptop so tiny?” and “What kind of programs can you run on a computer that small?”  I have put together a short list of reasons why I would recommend someone to consider purchasing a netbook.

Portability

Portability is the biggest factor when considering netbook.  With their small size and minimal weight, netbooks are ideal for people always on the move.  Some common places to use your netbook include while traveling, in a backpack for school, or just sitting on the couch watching TV.

Long Battery Life

Netbooks often remove power-hungry components that are found in a standard size laptop.  Many netbooks offer highly efficient processors such as the Intel Atom, which allows for even greater battery life when compared to other mobile processors.  The smaller screen size also makes a difference when looking at total battery life.

Compatibility

Netbooks originally started off as a Linux product and many Linux distributions offer a optimized version of their operating system specifically for netbooks.  With the increased popularity of netbooks, however, Windows XP is estimated to be on 90% of netbooks sold (PCWorld).  This means you can use all the software you use on your desktop without converting any files or switching operating systems.

Speed

Netbooks originally received their moniker because they had poor hardware specifications and were primarily intended to browse the internet.  While netbooks still can’t compete with a full-fledged desktop system for processing power, most modern netbooks come with fast processors and 1+GB of RAM, all of which is more than capable of running all modern software packages.  You probably won’t be playing any games on these types of machines, though.

Size

A major advantage of a netbook is its physical size.  Most netbooks will have an 8 to 12 inch screen.  This smaller size makes netbooks great for taking them anywhere, and with a a smaller physical size comes a lighter device.  Most netbooks weigh right around 2-5 lbs.

Are you interested in purchasing a netbook?  Do you think they are just a fad or are they here to stay?  Let us know by commenting below.

Checkout more of our articles on netbooks here.

The post 5 Reasons Why A Netbook May Be Right For You first appeared on Techerator.