The Ultimate Netbook And Smartphone Comparison – Which Will Suit You?

The Apple iPhone and the Asus ee.

Two icons which represent the massive global interest in the netbook (the laptop’s little brother) and the smartphone (the cell phone’s smarter cousin).

But what is the description for each and which purposes/situation will each work in?

We examine this in this look at the netbook and the Smartphone.

Netbooks

 

 

Right now netbooks are currently the hot product within mobile computing world.

While I have talked about netbooks in an earlier blog on Chinavasion it’s worth having another look at this popular member of the laptop family.

One of the reasons that they are so popular is that they occupy an important niche by offering a combination of wireless internet access and productivity.

Netbooks are ideal for those who enjoy their wireless internet access on the move along with productivity tools, e.g. business people, students and mobile city dwellers with busy lives.

While they don’t have the same raw power as their larger notebook counterparts, they are designed for wireless internet use in mind and they perform this function extremely well.

As a result, the netbook market has been doing very well lately.

 

Netbook share vs notebook share from 2007-2012 ^{(engadget.com/2009/02/02/report-claims-14-6-million-netbooks-shipped-in-2008-further-gro/)}

 

See Netbooks Versus Mobile Internet Devices – What Is A Netbook for a more detailed look at the netbook.

 

 

Smartphones

 

Smartphones represent the successful convergence of several key accessories including the:

• phone
• organiser
• camera
• media player

The most successful smartphone companies are Nokia, RIM and Apple. Combined, these three account for a massive total market share of 71.2%.

Smartphones are truly portable devices due to the requirement of the form factor. They are aimed at a broader market, being pitched as a phone first and a smartphone (with all the added functionality that brings) second.

 

Smart phones come in a range of shapes and sizes, as wide and as varied as our PDA Internet Cellphone and Touchscreen Cell Phone.

 

Competition in this market is fierce and, with recent developments including the Google Android interface and Apple’s multi-touch, incredibly consumer-friendly.

Analysts have projected that, in 2013, the global mobile phone market will be worth a colossal US$200 billion.

So which type of unit should you choose?

For the average user, the smartphone would be sufficient to meet their usual minimum requirement of surfing the internet, sending emails and doing other basic chores.

However, the ultra-competitive nature of the netbook market is constantly driving down prices while expanding the feature sets available to users.

Although more expensive, this additional financial cost is only marginal compared to the most high-end smartphone models.

As such, netbooks can do more, give you a larger LCD screen and a full size keyboard.

VSIn terms of pure functionality and design, netbooks do more than smart phones but cost more.

Smartphones excel at the one thing they specialize in: making phone calls. This alone ensures a clear separation in features.

Despite this, convergence of features still continues alongside innovation.

For example, it is possible to surf the internet, upload videos and write blogs using smartphones.

The main drivers of innovation with their touchscreen user interface are the iPhone, Android G1 and the upcoming Android G2.

In the end, the true winner is you, the consumer, as manufacturers of both smartphones and netbooks compete for a larger slice of market share and customer volume.

But which should you choose?

That very much depends on what you need it for. If you like your current phone abd want something that you can take to the coffee shop and take care of your emails and reports then perhaps you should consider a netbook.

But if you’re due for an upgrade of your phone and can get most of your heavy duty internet browsing done at work in front of a PC or heavily-spec’d laptop then go with a smartphone.