Thursday, May 10, 2012

Tablet, Ultrabook or Laptop?

Like almost everyone, I have used a Windows interface on my computer always. I have been using an Android phone for the last year, and with every new app coming out, the reasons why I NEED a Windows OS on my computer seem less and less. Now that Windows 8 is also targeting tablets and a similar app ecosystem, I am considering whether I should ditch Windows altogether for an Android tablet.

In a couple of months, I will have to leave my desktop here and get a new computer in America. I would like to have the mobility of a tablet but also the comfort of typing on a keyboard. Most of the time I spend on the computer, is checking news on Google Reader or catching up on my social networks on Tweetdeck. But every now and then I have to type things like email, documents etc which would be really hard to do without a physical keyboard. For email, I use Gmail and for word processing I use Google Docs/Drive and for storage I use Google Drive, Dropbox and Box.

The tablets running Android can accommodate for any use I currently have or can think of! I will need to do web development for which there are a ton of Android apps. The only drawback with tablets is the lack of a physical keyboard.

With manufacturers aiming more towards mobility, the difference between ultrabooks and laptops are decreasing. I can easily assume that I do not need a DVD drive in my computer, which is the main difference left between an ultrabook and a laptop. So I don't think buying a laptop would be feasible for me since I would like to have the mobility of carrying it to classes.

Between a tablet and an ultrabook the difference in hardware is: the ultrabook has the keyboard and trackpad as well as a bigger battery. But the tablet has a touchscreen! The difference in software is mostly Android for tablets and exclusively Windows for ultrabooks. As I mentioned earlier, I have no qualms about ditching Windows altogether and going for an Android OS.

In the end, I would like to have a tablet but with the functionality of a physical keyboard! If you have been keeping abreast with the current news, you will know that the only one I can come across which solve my problems is the ASUS Transformer range with the keyboard dock. It is a tablet which clicks into a keyboard dock giving it an additional battery life as well. The Transformer is a good merger between a tablet and an ultrabook, giving me the best of both!

Now the question remains, which one of the ASUS Transformer is the one for me? That is a post for another day! :)

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