A lot of people are busy all the time now. Everyone is on the go, rushing from meetings to appointments to interviews, never getting a moment to stop and check e-mail at a desktop computer. Desktops are fine for office buildings, but for the modern businessman (or businesswoman), what we really need is a portable computer. But there are several options available to you. How do you know which one to pick? Take a look at these tips to figure out whether you want a laptop, a netbook, or a tablet.
A laptop and a netbook are very similar. In fact, just looking at a netbook, most folks probably wouldn’t even know that it isn’t a laptop. Netbooks are small, super-portable laptops meant for easy connectivity to the Internet and minimal functionality. It takes the power and speed of a mid- to low-range laptop and folds it into a neat little package. This means that laptops are more powerful and more versatile, but it’s hard to beat a netbook for simple portability.
A tablet computer is like a laptop with no keyboard. The vast majority of tablets use touch-screen technology for you to control the interface, usually with your fingers (although some use a stylus). These are similar to netbooks in that they are super-portable, but their computer power is a little weaker than that of a standard laptop. However, unlike netbooks, which run standard operating systems (like Windows), tablets run proprietary software. The iPad, for example, runs Apple’s iOS, and other tablets run Google’s Android system. Each of these allows for additional “apps” to be downloaded to the tablet, but you can’t install programs the normal way (which you can do on a netbook).
When it comes down to it, you have to ask yourself what you’ll be using the portable computer for. If you want something that is trendy, looks cool, and has a wide variety of capabilities, ranging from the fun to the professional, then you should consider a tablet. If you need something super-portable, but you want to run specific programs and software designed for the Windows operating system (as long as they’re not too power-intensive), then a netbook would be great for you. If you need a lot of power, or a larger screen, or more overall versatility, then you should consider a full-size laptop.
Most people these days need a portable computer. Maybe you need it for work, or maybe you just want information on the go. But knowing which type of portable computer you want can help a lot in narrowing your search and simplifying your selection process.
