Back in the days when printers were as large as copier machines and external data storages came in the form of flimsy 8-inch or the smaller 3.5-inchy floppy disks, with a 200MB maximum capacity, reliable portability was the farthest from people’s minds. 

And then, in the mid-90’s laptops surfaced and gained popularity in the Philippines. Now, similar to the diversity of the selection in today’s coffee chains, manufacturers have customized the consumer’s hardware feature requirements depending on their lifestyle. Today, we have two prominent machines – the laptop and the netbook – trying to bite off each other’s necks using market sales and popularity playing a major part of their ad strategies.

If you’re wondering why function or features wasn’t mentioned in the previous sentence, it’s because the laptop and the netbook might look the same, but have totally different functions.

Netbook or Netbooklet?

Photo by Scrambled_Egg under CC by 2.0

People fear a smaller version of the notebook basically because fingers aren’t as small as when we played with building blocks. Any smaller and it would be the size of a PDA but without telecommunication capabilities.

The netbook is a very savvy gear for individuals who are always on the go. It is lightweight, ultra portable, has good battery life, a decent memory capacity, and considerably fast Internet speed given a good source.

The netbook is the very definition of on-the-go. Its bread and butter relies on the fact that it can save you from any boring, idle, unproductive situation so long as there’s wi-fi available. It could save your behind during a time where you have nothing better to do, but can it save your career in tight situations?

The answer to this question, more often than not, is no. Netbooks are known to buckle under the pressure of basic yet integral applications after a few hours of hard labor. And with its limited processing capacity, it cannot be used for serious work. It’s good for travel writers or reporters who rely on word processors, or constant connection to the Internet; but for more serious work, the Netbook crumbles under the gaze of the laptop.

Click here for more info on what to look for in netbooks.

LapTOP

It’s cute to have a computer that’s so small, you won’t realize that you left it on the table of the coffee shop you were at a few hours ago. Nevertheless, having a portable yet powerful machine with you is nothing short of splendid.

The powers of the personal computer cleverly compacted into a small miracle is what is known to us today as the laptop. Unlike the Netbook, a laptop is used for quality programs that a PC holds in its ammo bag.

For one thing, you can’t enjoy hi-def DVD movies in most Netbooks – a sacrifice of value for space. However, laptops today are defying that trend, by improving on picture quality even as they get slimmer.

Click here for a list of laptop review sites

Netbook vs Laptop

Photo by Ryan McFarland under CC by 2.0

So a laptop has better picture quality if you like movies that much. What else does it have over its little brother?

Sadly, the movie part is the only nearest aspect where the Netbook can catch up with the laptop. Everything else is just a bubble floating amidst its wildest dreams. One of this is the laptop’s capability to handle high-processing programs such as Adobe Photoshop.

Another feather in the dreams of the Netbook is the capacity to play games. We’re not talking Plants VS Zombies here. We’re talking Gig-consuming, graphics-hungry and time-eating games like MMORPGs or first-person shooter games.

However, not everyone wants to watch movies in their laptops every single day. And not everyone is a master at shopping or gaming. Whether it’s a Netbook or a laptop, it all depends on the user’s lifestyle.

Another difference between the netbook and the laptop reveals itself around six months after purchase. By that time, your netbook would seem near-obsolete in the market; the laptop’s will still be the same in terms of price, quality, and availability. From an economic point of view, a laptop is a better commodity and investment.

Click here for a guide to choosing between a netbook and a laptop

The Tablet PC: the Third Wheel

Since we’re talking about functionality, let’s discuss one of the latest pieces of hardware making waves, thanks to some nifty marketing strategies, and people who really can’t focus on keeping their money in their pockets.

The tablet is the latest, most marketed focal point by companies like Apple (can you say “oversized iPhone”?). However, the many applications of touch screen technology have yet to reach their peak.

One tablet function that comes out superior compared to a laptop is the ease of using photo editing programs with the touch-screen interface. With this feature, users armed with a stylus can, say, do on-the-fly photo editing – even in the presence of nitpicky clients.

And, looking daringly into the future, take the moment they finally invent Bluetooth-compatible projectors and combine it with the tablet’s technology; we’ll be seeing the future in classroom education.

For now, it’s ok for these tablets to be used as electronic brochures, menus, even as an expensive excuse to not carry heavy books. But considering their current indispensability, gadgets like the netbook (please don’t get any smaller), the laptop (please get cheaper quick), and the tablet (I hope you’re not serious about replacing the publishing industry) would fully take over tomorrow’s society.

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