Solved! Pad vs. netbook

[Julie03]

Hello,

I am new to the pad and netbook market. My need is something portable that I can take notes in class, fast upload of movies and web browing. Nothing irritates me more though than the lag time when browsing. I was thinking if I get the asus eee pad that might suffice plus it has camera and video to boot. thanks for answering. Sorry, I'm not very technical, but I'm doint research and learning.

 

[nukemaster]

If you are taking lots of notes, you make consider a netbook as a actual keyboard tends to be easier for many users. Plus depending on the OS, you may have more software options available.

This is not to call tablets useless, just my personal preference for typing is to have a physical keyboard vs touch screen.

The biggest netbook hurdle is the fact that not all are very fast and some have less battery life then others.

 

[Supernova1138]

From a strictly value standpoint you are probably better off with a netbook or even a laptop depending on which tablet you are looking at. Right now most of the tablets are way overpriced for what they can do, they are essentially crippled netbooks that sell at the price of a decent laptop. Note taking on a tablet will be quite awkward unless you buy a keyboard attachment. Tablets are more content consumption devices rather than machines to do any work on.

If you are looking at a tablet around $300, that's not too bad, though those tablets aren't the greatest performers. If you are considering something more expensive like the iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab, just spend the money on a decent laptop, you'll get a much more capable and versatile machine compared to the tablets.

 

[WR2]

Your pad or tab won't be running windows so you'll be working with an Android app or Google Docs for taking notes.
The pad/tab's virtual keyboard can take some getting used to, and some people just don't like them for serious work.
If your classes have class handouts in MS Office apps (Powerpoint, etc) that can be a problem for Android devices.

 

[WR2]

HP Pavilion dm1 11.6-inch sub-notebook $350
AMD Fusion E-350/E-450 1.6GHz Dual-core APU, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 11.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ Radeon HD 6310 graphics.

HP Pavilion dm1-4010us (Late 2011) Review


Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1-Inch, 16GB, Wi-Fi) $450
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Wi-Fi) Review

 

[Julie03]

Thanks everyone for all of the great advice!