Suggestion for pad/netbook to travel with

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casanovawa

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For the last few years I have been travelling with a trusty HP netbook and it was good for most of the things i need it for - rugged enough to be carried around with the odd bump and bang, storing all the photos i take with my DSLR, wifi/internet in accommodation, skyping back home, bit of general typing/office apps and watching the odd movie in airports etc... Alas it has stopped working and so i am looking for something new...

Some of the pads look interesting, but not going to go with them just because they are more the 'in thing' if a netbook will do the job better... I didn't really use the netbook when i was home, i don't travel far to work and so watch movies/tv shows or browse the net on the train etc... It was pretty much just used when on travel... I would also usually take 1 gig portable hdd with me for storing and backing up photos and movies etc and from what i can tell most of the pads don't seem to have a USB connection to use hdds unless i then go and invest in a wireless hdd which doesn't excite me much...

I think some new sort of microsoft pads have come out that come with USBs although i despise the Windows 8 format and some of them seem to have some cut down windows 8 for mobile sort of things which also has less functionality is it?? I saw an ad on tv this morning for a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and had some guy doing some travelling to Samarkand and he was taking all sorts of amazing pics and then adding text and swishing this way and that, but i figure those ads always make products look better than what you will usually ever get out of them, plus once again haven't looked if its compatible with USB... Lastly i like a proper actual keyboard to type on rather than tapping on the screen, so i guess when considering price it means investing in a little keyboard as well and hopefully that will give it some level of the ruggedness and protection that a netbook has in its hard case...

Or do i just stick with a netbook, which there seems to be fewer and fewer for sale these days as pads take over the market...

Price range i would be happy with $300-600, not into spending thousands... If anyone who studies this stuff a bit more than me has anything to add would be glad to hear it...
 
I just did 3 weeks with a 7 inch Android Tablet. No issues with it but I am not sure I want to do it again. I may just stump up for something like an ultrabook. A 10 inch tablet is almost at a small ultrabook size... though a lot cheaper.
I HATE on screen keyboards and the lack of processing power when moving and trying to do basic stuff with the pictures I take can be frustrating. It doesn't pretend to be powerful but I am used to a full size ( and much heavier ) laptop so I felt the difference. It'll be a while ( up to 12 months ) before I plan to travel for pleasure again so I will wait a while before I buy as things change so quickly in the IT world.
 
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Since getting my first Mac Book Air about 4 years ago never looked back!
Highly recommend :)
 
The windows surface comes with a proper tactile keyboard that fits into the cover. Am trying to decide whether to get the Surface 2 or 2 Pro though!
 
Yeah I think the Windows Surface systems were what I was thinking of... Why no one else has thought that a winner would be to have the tablet features but also allow it to be used similar to a laptop like the Surface systems do i don't know?!?! I mean how useful is a USB plug these days, my old netbook could even have a phone plugged in or the ipod with a USB cord to charge battery without carrying multiple adaptors and all etc... Although as I say i really don't like that Windows 8 system, the sooner it dies a death the better!!!

But i did have a fiddle with the Samsung Note and it was nice, it also comes with a type of photoshop app to fiddle with your photos which is great because i would like to do a bit of photo manipulation while on the road, but stuck with just a 5MP camera on it (the 2014 model has an 8MP) camera so not that great for taking photos and with just a micro SD slot, not that easy to get photos from the camera onto it and hard to get it off and store it on a hdd....

As usual there never seems to be something to do everything you want unless it costs a fortune... Macbooks are too expensive and not an apple fanbois... And after saying i would never travel with a full size laptop again i did in November and just about broke my back!!!

Hmmm.... Travelling in April so will have to make a decision soon...
 
Personally I have a Samsung Chromebook and I love it. I think they are going for about $370ish here in OZ, Can get one for about $250USD in the states.
 
I am super happy with my Acer A1-810 8inch tablet, with USB slot, HDMI and micro card slot. Worked a treat and fitted in my a handbag, no issues at all. Took good photos but no flash. Found 8 inch easier to travel with than 10 inch and you can load it up with movies, music etc without the hassle of iTunes. The App Store has plenty of apps. It will come under your budget.
 
Netbooks are dead these days, it's all about 'ultrabooks' or the Chromebook which is basically a 'netbook for the cloud'. I have a friend who bought a Surface Pro late last year, on sale, and he loves it. Fully functioning Windows 8, not the hobbled 'Windows RT' that comes with the regular Surface. Great battery life and can handle all the everyday apps you'd want.
 
I recently took the leap to a Macbook Pro Retina 13" - like one or two others here, I was used to a full sized laptop and didn't want to sacrifice some of that power.

So far it seems like a win - great battery life (9+ hours), brilliant display, it's heavier than the air which is a downside, but it's just barely bigger...

EDIT: Just saw your price range. Nvm that then. JB Hi-Fi had a lot of ultrabooks around the ~$700 mark which might suit your requirements, although slightly over your budget.
 
Well, you know, I love my iPad. Even though you're not an Apple fanboi. I love my few Apple gadgets and I'm no fanboi or apologist. I've done several trips with nothing but my iPad and it certainly does the job, even without a USB port. And if you get a new iPad Air, there are cases available (Belkin I think? Not sure) that have a Bluetooth keyboard built in, so you get your tablet and the keyboard without too much bulk, and very easy to carry around.
 
I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 recently, and I just hate screen keyboards, so I bought a very light Bluetooth keyboard that is almost the same size as a laptop keyboard, and it's a perfect combination. A mate just got a belkin bluetooth keyboard cover too for his note...

I do travel with a laptop too, but only to access a few work applications that aren't easily accessible on Android, or iOS for that matter.

The micro SD card slot is handy too for my media ect...
 
I just bought an Acer Iconia w5 tablet. I don't like touch screens, however this unit also has an option for a removable keyboard with extra battery. This is quite common now.

Acer | Iconia W5

The acer keyboard isn't cheap, but it makes it into more like a notepad and extra battery life.

aldi was advertising a keyboard and cover for a tablet for $20 that uses blue tooth to communicate to the tablet, but it is a little too small for the Acer.
 
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I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 recently, and I just hate screen keyboards, so I bought a very light Bluetooth keyboard that is almost the same size as a laptop keyboard, and it's a perfect combination. A mate just got a belkin bluetooth keyboard cover too for his note...

I do travel with a laptop too, but only to access a few work applications that aren't easily accessible on Android, or iOS for that matter.

The micro SD card slot is handy too for my media ect...
The beauty is that you have been able to use bluetooth on QF flights (aside from take off and descent) for a couple of years.

Virgin Australia recently joined in.

Use of Electronics Onboard the Flight | Virgin Australia

I still like my net book - I was eating a meal and watching a movie last evening without having to find a place prop up a screen.
 
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