SWMBO wants to downsize her PC to either a Laptop or a Tablet.
Now obviously both have their upside & downsides, so what we are looking for is a review or comparison site that compares the two different systems.
We can find plenty of sites that compare each with themselves, but not one that compares Tablet v Laptop.
Anyone know of such a site?
They're a bit apples and oranges, i.e., not directly comparable.
What I will say is that since getting an iPad, I fire up the PC a *lot* less often. The "instant on" capability makes it a much more attractive device to use 90% of the time. If you do a lot of Office stuff and typing, a device with proper software and a keyboard will always be better. The iPad is also a great way of displaying & sharing photos.
Tim
No - sorry I do not.
To change from any form of PC (desktop or laptop, Windows or OSX or anything else) to *only* a tablet seems to be unlikely to be satisfactory. I am aware of the various keyboard options for iPads and Android tablets, but they still don't really achieve the same usability. And there keep on being things that simply do not work well within the limitations of an iPad.
Yes - I have a laptop (two, actually) and an iPad.
Maybe a MacBook Air (or a similar formula Windows ultrabook) would be an acceptable compromise? Especially if an external monitor is available for when a large screen may be wanted (even a TV)?
Agreed, I'm looking at the netbook/laptop/tablet thing ATM and coming down on the side of a small tablet. My use will be email/web and some document reading (word and pdf) whilst travelling.
I've paid a couple of visits to PC World to have a bit of "hands on" and that has confirmed my hatred of the touchy mousey thing on netbook/laptops and the lack of a touch screen annoyed me as well. I have a feeling that somewhere there is a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 with my name on it. The 10" jobbies seem a bit cumbersum in the hand.
It really depends on what she wants to do on it. I can't help thinking that the screen on laptop is in the wrong place, too close, too low, for comfort when on a desk. The keyboards are a bit squidged as well I make use of the seperate arrow keys and insert home delete end, with shift. Having them buried would be PITA for me for my normal home use.
I've had a number of laptops over the years, but I agree that lack of a "full size" keyboard is a drawback. Mind you, some come with a "docking station" so that you can use them with an external keyboard and monitor. I almost always plug in an external mouse ( Muji - the japanese run stores - have a nice small one with an extendable lead for not a lot of pounds).
I've also just bought a tablet but it is a completely different animal. It didn't take me long to get an external keyboard for it - but that virtuallly doubles its volume. It does make using it easier, though. Yesterday, I used it on ebay and got myself a bargain.
It really all depends on what you (or she) is trying to do.
My windows machine is instant on, I never shut it down, just close the lid and it suspends. Its something apple copied.
BTW its also a 12" touch screen computer with a touch sensitive pen or finger input and a keyboard and touch pad.
Its also thick enough to actually hold unlike the ipad.
Mine works fine for photos, however I have a ~£30 photo frame with built in batteries that works far better.
I can't really say that there is anything an ipad can do that my windows machine can't. OTH my android phone can do most of what an ipad can do.
it suspends.
What's the GPS like in your computer? Does your PC do augmented reality overlays?
Tim
Its a bluetooth one.
Doesn't every computer (with the right software)? My phone does (with the right software).
So not built in then?
Tim
What's the augmented reality all about then (SWMBO got an iPad very recently)? David
It depends on what software you run..
for example I have some software that overlays the satellite positions on the view from the camera. you can get driving apps that overlay time/distance on the view in front, apps that tell you what a landmark is
Its not really new but it is more common now, in the past it cost money to get access to the databases, now some are free.
The difficulty is that they are not really comparable in many ways. Most tables are very much about content "consumption" rather than creation. So ideal for surfing the web, watching bits of TV, reading books, playing the odd games etc, but you probably would not choose to write book on one, or design your next project in sketchup.
If she is unsure of which camp she falls into, then something like the ASUS transformer prime would be worth a look (or the new cheaper plastic version):
As others have said they fullfill two different functions.
If it is truly just a downsizing exercise (you don't say what type of PC and monitor) then a 'desktop replacement' laptop should do the trick. Runs the same software, does the same job, takes up a lot less space. There is less connectivity because of the smaller case, and extending the capabilities is limited unless you add external devices and then you start to lose the space saving. I have used desktop replacement laptops on and off for over a decade both at home and at work and I have had my currrent Dell XPS M1530 for over 3 years. I do use an external mouse because I am too heavy handed for the mouse pad
Plenty of online discussion about laptop vs. tablet
So do your analysis - what does SWMBO do on her PC at the moment, what software does she use, is she reliant on any specialised software packages? Then look if she can do all this well on a tablet. If not, this solves your problem. If yes, then look at where and how she would like to use it. Tablet is easier on a chair or sofa, or in bed. Laptop is easier at a table/desk.
So, to answer (finally) the original question. No - I don't know of any site which compares individual laptops with individual tablets.
Cheers
Dave R
The most obvious difference would be that a lap top can be converted to use whatever operating system you like.
I don't know if tablets can do the same. It's the most obvious thing to me. Are you going to be stuck with built in obsolescence?
That's a very neat summary of the fundamental difference
David
Horses for courses.
do you really want fingermarked Ipads all over the place?
Mind you you can connect keyboards to tablets.
That is just as well, as when you have a real touch typist in the house a tablet is a complete waste of money... and annoying. Brian
The dead flesh mouse rectangle things are downright annoying. You generally need an external mouse to stay sane. Only a handful of portables have mouse substitutes I consider even vaguely adequate.
Minor irritation with tablet devices is the touch screen ends up smeared with fingerprints. I have both. The tablet gets used a fair amount casually for looking stuff up on the web from the living room without going off to the office where my main computer resides.
I would not want to type much into a tablet device...
You can also have a full size keyboard plugged into USB.
Yes. It would help to know how it will be used. Browsing the web almost anything that will talk to your network is OK but for serious data entry or photo editing it really matters how good the keyboard, pointing device and screen size and layout are. I find many laptops these days have far too fine a pixel pitch for the screen size YMMV.
Certain brands of laptop have annoying customisations that result in errant behaviour. Notably keyboard lockups and power management suspend resume issues that can be annoying when peripherals vanish. It is really very annoying when the keyboard locks up and disables the on-off switch for instance. Certain older Toshiba models have this feature.
I've have a "media player" that runs the Android operating system. I like Android on my phone but I don't like it for the media system. It's an input method thing. Android is ideally suited for a touch screen and completely unsuited for a remote control (incl. key entry) and a TV.
While I don't have a tablet I have a phone that runs Android and a laptop that runs Windoze. In general, the type of applications or software I have on the phone are not replicated on the laptop. In fact many things that work well on the laptop would be extremely clunky on a phone/tablet.
The other thing to consider when deciding on a laptop/tablet is the internal storage internal storage and inbuilt capabilities. Will your usage require the immediately need to add an external hard disk and/or keyboard and/or CD/DVD player? And can the intended purchase actually run your favourite existing software.
And if she wishes/needs to run Flash player iPad is not a good choice. (I.e. Flash is basically not available though there are various things that have been done to allow some Flash to work - e.g. special browser.)
Whilst I hate most Flash, and use a Flash-blocker on PCs, that can be a problem on some web sites.
Something inside denise's head?
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.