The Tablet vs. the PC: Which Should I Buy?
Technology has returned to what students used in the classroom 100 years ago: tablets. Today though, Anne of Green Gables would probably pay a higher price for breaking a tablet over Gilbert Blythe’s head.
Electronic tablets made of computer chips and LED lights serve a very similar purpose to tablets made of slate. Unlike laptops, tablets are designed to share the sentence you just wrote, the graphic you just designed or the information you’ve just found. Tablets replace a pad of paper – scribble a note on them while sitting at a desk. And they replace books – read them while lounging on your couch.
What you can do with a laptop you can’t do with a tablet, and what you can do with a tablet you can’t do with a laptop. Or can you? The boundaries between laptops and tablets are quickly disappearing. Compare, for example, the Asus 10.1-inch Eee Pad Transformer and the Asus Eee PC Netbook Laptop.
The Asus Eee PC Netbook Laptop with a 10.1-inch screen is super lightweight. Smaller than most laptops, you can take it wherever you go, and it’s less conspicuous in board meetings than a full-size laptop. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer features a keyboard docking station (sold separately) that gives you the choice of using it as a tablet or a laptop. Or connect a regular keyboard to it through its USB drive.
As are most PC-based tablets, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is powered with the Android 3.0 operating system, a.k.a. Honeycomb, that supports touch screen features. Its screen has an ultra-wide 175-degree viewing angle that’s perfect for sharing content with friends and co-workers.
The device also uses an NVIDIA® Tegra 2 dual core processor that supports Adobe Flash 10.1, 1080-pixel video playback, faster loading times and faster browsing abilities, while consuming less power than full-sized laptops. It’s equipped with 32 gigabytes of memory.
The tablet features cameras in both the front and back. It also comes with high-definition audio CODEC stereo speakers, an internal microphone and a microSD card reader. By itself, the tablet has an 8-hour battery life, which is doubled when attached to a keyboard docking station. Encased in thin but strong Corning® Gorilla® Glass, the device is resistant to scuffs and scratches often incurred during frequent travel and constant use in the classroom.
Asus Eee PC Netbook Laptop
The Asus Eee PC Netbook Laptop has 250 gigabytes of memory, compared to the Transformer’s 32, which offers tons more power and storage capacity. It’s also powered with the Windows 7 operating system, which has been redesigned from older Windows versions to give you an enhanced user experience while completing everyday tasks. Although it doesn’t support touch screen features like Honeycomb does, it competes well in terms of easy network sharing, connecting you instantly to Wi-Fi hotspots at cafes and libraries. It also connects you to local networking hubs such as Wi-Fi enabled printers and fax machines.
The laptop is one of the first to include the Intel® Atom N450 processor, which is now even more efficient in combination with the Super Hybrid Engine. It features built-in stereo speakers, a built-in camera and microphone. It has a 4-hour battery life on a single charge. Both of Asus’ products share an extra bright, LED-backlit screen that’s one of the most vivid on the market.
The tablet and the laptop have their differences, and manufacturers like Asus distinguish their products by meeting the needs of the particular markets they wish to attract. But it’s just a matter of time before the technology will merge, helping to facilitate communication like never before.
