We won’t turn into a history lesson, as the history of ultra portable gadgets is definitely in the making, but we have to give you a little context about the two lightweights that are going head to head today. actually, one is a single product- Asus’s Eee Pad Transformer, while in the other corner we have an entire class of devices, namely 10 inch netbooks.
Tablets and netbooks went their separate ways, sort of. Both were introduced as ultra portable computing solutions, with the netbook being a shrinked laptop, both in terms of size and performances, while tablets were signaling the future- touch screens, apps, open source software. Netbooks were aimed more at traditional computer users, which needed a small form factor Windows computer to use on the go in the exact same way they use their normal, 17 inch laptops.
Tablets, on the other hand, were the must have for a newly emerged demographic of gadget enthusiasts, which wanted a more intuitive and entertainment driven experience than what a laptop could offer. the Transformer, as the name says, changed the status quo, as this 10 inch slate comes with a docking station/keyboard and offers a very similar setup to a netbook…at least on the outside.
Build, design and physical characteristics
Netbooks are much more lightweight and slim than laptops in the 13.3-14 inch spectrum. a netbook weighs around 1 kg usually, with older versions being a little bulkier. also, some 11.6 and 12.1 inch netbooks are even thicker and heavier, but we won’t deal with them for now, as the Transformer is a 10 inch slate and we want the two categories to have the same screen size.
Anyway, it’s hard to say exactly how thick and heavy a netbook is, considering that manufacturers have different designs and these details can vary according to specs, battery etc. the Transformer, on the other hand, is 0.51 inches thick and 680g heavy, but when put together with the docking station, the duo is really close to netbooks.
Each manufacturer tries to come up with a special design for their netbooks, but most of them have a plastic finish in order to keep prices down. other use more pretentious materials, but overall a netbook is sturdy and solidly built. the Transformer has a plastic finish and feels sturdy, but it’s not as tough as most netbooks out there. the back has a patterned finish, which is also plastic, and that is similar to the one on a line of Toshiba netbooks.
The Transformer and its docking station form a device strongly resembling a netbook
As for ports, netbooks usually have USB 2.0 ports, some of them have USB 3.0 ports, card readers, VGA/HDMI slots and audio jacks. the Transformer doesn’t fall much behind, although tablets are not necessarily hailed for having a wide selection of ports. Asus’s slate has microSD and miniHDMI slots, while the docking station has a couple of USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader and a standard HDMI port.
Hardware and performances
Netbooks traditionally run on ULV processors, both from Intel and AMD. Current netbooks run either on Intel Atom processors, mostly newer types, like N550, N570 or even the recently launched N2x series, or on AMD Fusion chips. Fusion processors have built in HD graphics, but 10 inch netbooks usually pack slower versions, like the C-50 and recently the C-60, as better processors are aimed at larger netbooks and even laptops.
Atom chips are either single core, running at speeds between 1 GHZ and 1.66 GHZ, while dual core ones have a maximum speed of 1.66 GHZ. Atom processors can deal with basic tasks like browsing, playing SD videos, and editing texts, but anything else will choke this fragile ULV processor. That’s why very rare and rather expensive netbooks are entertainment devices, the ones packing either a ION dedicated video card, like the Asus 1015PN, or an integrated HD graphics chip from AMD.
The Transformer comes with a dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor that can natively deal with 1080p playback (does not support hardware H.264 decoding though, thus many Full HD files won’t play properly on Tegra 2) and decent gaming. the tablet definitely offers a better entertainment experience in comparison to virtually any netbook. the netbook’s advantage is that it can deal with multitasking and productivity tools maybe a tad better, but that mostly happens with dual core chips, which tend to be on mini laptops which are more expensive.
Also, some Atom chips might have better power saving technologies than a Tegra 2 chip, but that depends on the configuration and user routine. All in all, the Transformer offers better performance in almost every aspect in comparison to mainstream/entry level 10 inch netbooks.
Netbooks usually have a tough chassis, most of the time made from plastic
Display
Almost all 10 inch netbooks have a 10.1 inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. Some offer matte displays, but in an attempt to sell gloss as class, many companies use highly glossy screens, which are both horrible to use outside and attract fingerprints and smudges. in order to keep prices down, most manufacturers use mediocre displays, which lack good viewing angles and brightness. also, excepting just a few convertible netbooks, most 10 inchers don’t have touchscreens.
The Transformer, on the other hand, has an IPS display, similar to the one on the iPad 2. It has great viewing angles and a 1280 x 800 resolution, beating what netbooks have to offer. also, it supports touch input, but this is not such a great argument against netbooks, as having touch input and Windows in the same scenario doesn’t really means anything good. unfortunately, the screen on the Transformer is also glossy because Asus added a Gorilla Glass layer, which protects the device from scratches.
Software
Most netbooks (dare I say all of them?) run on Windows 7 Starter which is a diet version of Windows 7. It needs less resources to run and occupies less hard disk space, but also has limitations, like accepting a maximum of 2 GB of RAM. still, it will be able to deal with text editors, browsers, media players and basically any type of Windows app you’re familiar with.
One thing that doesn’t work on Starter is touch based input. so there’s no flexibility when it comes to user experience on a netbook- you have a keyboard, a touch pad and that’s about it. the advantage is that most people are familiar with Windows, even if at a basic level, and you don’t need time to adapt to the requirements of a netbook’s software.
A tablet, like the Transformer, is a completely different ball game. It runs on Android Honeycomb 3.1 and all its apps are optimized for touch, which is a UX paradigm still in its infancy. Sure, geeks and people dealing with technology from an early age won’t have problems with Honeycomb, but this is still a relatively small niche.
Android has alternatives for most Windows apps, like dedicated browser, text editing tools, media players. also, unlike Windows 7, that supports a limited selection of apps, the Transformer can run basically thousands of apps (including some great looking games), which can be bought from Android Market.
The Transformer’s IPS screen delivers astonishing viewing angles
Sure, most of them are designed for earlier versions of Android, but will run decently on Honeycomb as well, and dedicated 3.x apps are being released all the time. overall, Honeycomb is a more versatile, intuitive and fun OS, but needs time for getting used to, while Windows 7 Starter, although limited in functionality, will appeal to virtually any computer user out there.
There are also a few netbooks out there, with stronger hardware, that run on Win 7 Home Premium, which offer a complete OS experience.
Battery life
Since their inception, netbooks were meant as highly autonomous machines and thus battery life is very important when looking for a netbook. Ultra cheap netbooks come with 3 cell batteries, that offer around 4 hours of autonomy, but for a very little extra investment, around $20-30, you can get a bigger battery that grants around 8 hours of battery life. there are some netbooks that can go on a single for even more than that, like the Asus 1015PEM, that can go on a single charge for more than 10 hours.
The Transformer’s built in battery is rather modest for a tablet, as it can go on a single charge for about 7-8 hours. However, if you’ll add the docking station keyboard, you’ll get a combined 13 hours of battery life, but you’ll have to pay an extra 150 bucks for the device.
Prices
The netbook market is highly varied when it comes to prices. Entry level netbooks, with older Atom hardware, can be found for a little over $200, while newer devices, running on MeeGo, are available for $199. better spec-ed netbooks, with dual core processors, better resolution and dedicated video cards can cost as much as $400, some of them even more, if you want more RAM than the stock 1 GB, better OS and superior battery. You can check extensive netbook pricing categories here and here.
The Transformer goes for $384, the 16 GB version, or $494, the 32 GB version, being more expensive than some of the most expensive netbooks. also, the docking keyboard station will cost you an additional $150, making the entire package cost at least $535.
Netbooks come in many colors, but most of them have a pretty bland design
The Transformer seems to be a more attractive machine in terms of hardware and performance, but the netbook has its own category and purpose. Netbooks are mini laptops, usually pretty affordable, which are there to complement the computing routine of users “on the go”, as the cliche goes. Tablets, on the other hand, with the Transformer as a worthy front man, comes with a different approach to leisure gadgeteering, so to say, proposing a very intuitive UX, touch input, keyboard extension, so much flexibility when it comes to customizing the appearance of the software and the apps to go with it.
But a tablet will cost you more, will drain the battery faster and will generally have a weaker build. in the end, it’s all about what you seek from an ultra portable device, with the Transformer being the recommended choice for those being more revolutionary or passionate about new technologies, while a decent netbook will fit the bill perfectly for those just looking for more of the same Windows experience they master for many years.
Related posts:
- Asus EEE Pad Transformer vs Slider – battle of the EEE Pads
- Asus EEE Pad Transformer- 10 inch Honeycomb tablet easy to switch to a netbook
- Asus Eee Pad Transformer versus iPad 2 – tablets go mano a mano
- Asus EEE Pad EP101TC and EP121, plus Asus Tablet are here
- Asus EEE Pad Slider- ultra portable Honeycomb tablet with an integrated keyboard
Last updated: August 22, 2011 | Tags: Asus Eee PC 1015PN, EEE tablet
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