With so many recent advances in smartphones and tablets, do you really need to replace your aging laptop with another laptop?

1. December 20, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
10 Laptop Substitutes for Working on the
Go
Samsung Galaxy Note
W
ith so many recent advances in smart-
phones and tablets, do you really need to
replace your aging laptop with another
laptop?
Compared with the first laptop I owned, which was
new back in 2000, my Motorola Atrix 4G has twice
the processor speed, twice the amount of RAM, and
more storage space.
At the rate that advances in mobile devices are mo-
ving, maybe it’s time to replace your aging laptop
with something that isn’t a laptop at all. Smart-
phones with laptop docks, and tablets with keyboard
docks, provide much of the same functionality with
less weight, more battery life, and more flexibility Smartphones are becoming bigger and more power-
than many laptops offer. And although most of ful, and they’re beginning to rival tablets in terms
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/10-laptop-substitutes-for-working-on-the-go/
these devices don’t run full-featured desktop office of power and productivity options. If you can live
productivity suites, you have plenty of lightweight with a 5.3-inch screen, you might consider a jumbo
options for managing word processing documents, smartphone as a possible laptop replacement, pai-
spreadsheets, and more–and even ways to control red with a Bluetooth keyboard for longer typing
your work computer via VNC. Many of these devices sessions. The Samsung Galaxy Note handset also
aren’t meant to replace your PC completely, but they comes with a digital pen for those times when you
can replace a laptop when you’re traveling. Check want to take handwritten notes. In addition, that
out these laptop alternatives to see if you could work 5.3-inch screen packs a resolution of 1280 by 800
on the go with one. pixels, coming close to many midsize laptop screens.
The Galaxy Note (video) runs Android 2.3 Ginger-
bread on a 1.4GHz dual-core processor. It’s available
in Europe now, and confirmed to be heading to Ca-
nada in early 2012. Potential buyers in the United
States will have to wait a while longer though, as no
U.S. release date has been confirmed yet.
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2. December 20, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
10 Laptop Substitutes for Working on the Go
Motorola Android Smartphone With Droid Bionic With Lapdock
Universal Dock
With dual-core processors and
a full 1GB of RAM, smartphones are catching up to
netbooks in specs. Ever since Motorola showed off
webtop accessories with its original Atrix 4G at CES
last year, the company has been pushing the concept If
of maintaining a smartphone as the center of your 10.1 inches is too small for you, and 14 inches is too
digital life. The line has expanded to include two big, Motorola has another docking option that might
universal docks, one with a 10.1-inch screen and be just right for you. The original Atrix 4G and Droid
one with a 14-inch screen, that work with webtop- Bionic handsets each have a model-specific 11.6-inch
enabled phones such as the Droid Razr, Droid Bionic, dock. Rather than connecting with a cable, your
and Atrix 2. These docks will give your smartphone phone plugs straight into one of these docks. The
a bigger screen and a comfortable keyboard. phone-specific docks are also much slimmer than
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/10-laptop-substitutes-for-working-on-the-go/
the universal docks, though they have fewer ports.
Though the phones run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), All of these docks have their own batteries, too, so
the webtop software provides a full desktop ver- your little phone battery doesn’t have to power a
sion of Firefox for Internet work. And yes, if a call big screen–in fact, the phone actually charges while
comes in while you’re working, you can still answer it sits in the dock.
it without having to take the phone out of the dock.
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3. December 20, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
10 Laptop Substitutes for Working on the Go
RIM BlackBerry PlayBook ket now that turn the iPad into a miniature laptop.
As long as you can find the apps you need, you might
be able to leave the laptop behind and just carry an
iPad and a keyboard. Since the iOS ecosystem is so
big now, you’ll encounter many apps that can help
youget your work done.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
For those of you still tied to a BlackBerry smart-
phone, the PlayBook tablet is another option to consi-
der. While the 7-inch screen may not be quite as
big as the display on your laptop, the tablet’s tight
integration with what’s already on your BlackBerry
brings your information to a bigger screen. And
since the PlayBook has Bluetooth, you can also pair
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/10-laptop-substitutes-for-working-on-the-go/
a keyboard with the tablet when you need to do The Eee Pad Transformer Prime will be one of the
more typing. first quad-core tablets on the market–that’s more
cores than in the laptop I’m typing this on. With
Apple iPad With Keyboard the keyboard-dock accessory, you can turn all that
Android power into a little laptop, complete with
extended battery life, a few more ports, a nice key-
board, and a touchpad. Once again, your ability
to truly replace a laptop with a setup like this will
depend on whether the apps exist to cover the tasks
you need to accomplish.
The Eee Pad Transformer Prime will run Honey-
comb when it is released in December, but Asus
has promised an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich.
Ever since the iPad first hit the streets, people have
been trying to replace their laptops with one. You
can find many keyboard folio-style cases on the mar-
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4. December 20, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
10 Laptop Substitutes for Working on the Go
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Acer Iconia Tab W500 Windows Tablet
Lenovo is well known for high-quality and comfor- Windows 8 isn’t out yet, but that doesn’t mean manu-
table keyboards, so it’s no surprise that the optional facturers have been ignoring the market for tablets
keyboard folio for the ThinkPad Tablet is top-notch. that run Microsoft’s current OS. Although Windows
It does add quite a bit of bulk; however, it offers a 7 may not be as touch-optimized as Android or iOS,
physically connected keyboard, which you can still sometimes there is no substitute for that Windows
use on an airplane (unlike Bluetooth ones), plus a program you need to run. If you want to escape to
little optical track stick for navigating while you keep tablet land and poke your way around the Inter-
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/10-laptop-substitutes-for-working-on-the-go/
your hands on the keyboard. It comes wrapped in net, the Acer Iconia Tab W500 runs Windows 7 on
nice leather. a 10.1-inch touchscreen slate. It also comes with
a keyboard attachment for those occasions when
The ThinkPad Tablet runs Android Honeycomb and you really need it to be more like a laptop. If you
bundles Docs to Go, Citrix receiver, and other tools to want to get a taste of what Windows 8 will bring to
take care of office tasks. It also comes with a digital the table, the Developer Preview is available for
pen and note-taking software. download, and will run on this tablet.
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5. December 20, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
10 Laptop Substitutes for Working on the Go
Samsung Series 7 Slate Windows Tablet Google Chromebook
If
you want to replace your laptop but you’re not ready They may look like laptops, but Chromebooks such
to part with the power, there are a few tablets on as the Acer AC700 and Samsung Series 5 run Google’s
the market for you. Samsung’s Series 7 Slate packs a Chrome OS. If you find that you spend 99 percent
Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM into an 11.6-inch of your laptop time in a browser, why mess with
touchscreen tablet. This model also comes with a the bloat of an operating system that takes ages
Wacom digitizer and pen, for artists seeking a por- to boot and drains your battery with background
table digital sketchbook. With the accuracy of its tasks? Chromebooks give you a simple portal to the
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/10-laptop-substitutes-for-working-on-the-go/
active digitizer and Windows 7’s enhanced hand- Web, plus great battery life, optional 3G connectivity,
writing recognition, you may not need a keyboard. and quick sleep and resume times. The downside is
But if you still want physical keys, you can always that local storage is limited, and you won’t be able
pair up a keyboard over Bluetooth. to do much without access to the Internet.
Since this slate is very similar to the hardware Related Articles:
that Microsoft gave out at its Build conference, the
Developer Preview of Windows 8 runs very well on Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment
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