Comments on: My Netbook vs Iphone 3gs

By: Jonny

Jonny — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:43:12 +0000

Interesting read. I did a search for this sort of debate simply because I love my 3gs so much.

The virtual keyboard is fantastic by the way, I can type away no bother but I am very used to qwerty keyboard layouts, so maybe an advantage? Anyway, I can type for fun on this thing and I also have an MSI Wind U100 plus, with another 1gb of ram I installed. As much as I love my netbook, I use my iPhone more. The 3gs is too handy for me, it does mostly what I need the netbook to do. Being a amateur photographer, I have a desktop pc for all that sort of mumbo jumbo.

I also use office and documents to go is decent enough and the e-mail editor is spot on. You won’t be getting any fancy macros with this office programme but for word and excel it ain’t bad for me.

I have always said that the iPhone nearly replaces a netbook/laptop, it’s not quite there but it is still very very good and for me replaces most of it – msi win u100 plus a iPhone 3gs is a fantastic combo for web stuff , I’d love the ipad but until there’s more flexibility with one I’ll stick to my 3gs and netbook and leave the serious stuff to my desktop pc

By: mech

mech — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:16:59 +0000

Nice post. Though, unlike you I find that my iPhone is the ‘fun’ tool. I do most of my academic/research stuff on the dell mini 9 osx. VPN is a lot easier for me to use on the netbook as well.

Keyboard, despite being horrible on the mini9, is still superior to the tiny virtual imitation keypad on the iPhone. The only good thing going for the iPhone’s keyboard is the adaptable vocabulary library and error correction (again, this is only a limitation on the software front for the mini9).

Screen is the other limiting factor of the iPhone. After playing Rolando for 20 minutes I found I couldn’t focus properly in the real world! Damn, my eyes were so strained staring at that tiny thing…

All in all, both are amazing tools, for function, utilization and for just some fun

PS Miranda: What an awesome find you got there: an open-source netbook/tablet with a detachable screen!!! Now that is definitely something to get excited about, not a supposed iTablet without a functional keyboard.

By: Lucas

Lucas — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:34:26 +0000

good points…I’d rather have the mobility of the phone, although I think the only thing really to question now is the screen size

By: If smartphones did what you wanted, would you still want a netbook? | Laptop

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:00:30 +0000

[...] everyone sees things the same way though. BlackRimGlasses’ Ethan Kaplan says he barely uses his Dell Inspiron Mini 9 anymore, because he finds the iPhone 3GS to be just as [...]

By: Ethan Kaplan

Ethan Kaplan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:02:20 +0000

@rachel – I’m very specific that this is the iPhone 3GS I’m talking about. I’d never say the same thing of the previous generation iPhone.

By: Rachel Luxemburg

Rachel Luxemburg — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:56:31 +0000

I took a Hackintoshed Dell 9 and an iPod Touch with me on a recent vacation. I found that I used both, but in very different ways. iPod Touch: music & games. Dell Mini: email, web, and working on a couple of documents.

The Dell keyboard is not as good as a full-sized keyboard, but it is far better suited for writing than a virtual keyboard.

By: Ethan Kaplan

Ethan Kaplan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:44:08 +0000

I think some of you are getting confused “function” over “use”

Function to function, a Netbook of course does things an iPhone can’t (multitasking isn’t one of them, the iPhone does that fine, its a software restriction).

Use to use though, the iPhone does everything I ever USED a netbook for, better. I never did video editing, graphics editing, web design, etc on a Netbook. I have a MacPro or a MacBook Pro for that,

By: miranda

miranda — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:26:09 +0000

how about this notebook? http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/home/

By: Palaemon

Palaemon — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:34:27 +0000

I agree that the iPhone doesn’t completely replace a netbook, but for the things listed that the poster uses the netbook for, the iPhone does meet those needs.

I have a iBook G4 that I have barely touched since I got my iPhone 3G. I know I’m not the only one. All the “negatives” listed are possible. They my not be available yet or sanctioned by Apple (background apps, external keyboard, etc.)

I will be forgoing any future netbook purchase and just upgrading my iPhone as I feel necessary.

By: Bob D

Bob D — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:20:43 +0000

iPhone’s keyboard as good as a netbook’s? In a word, no. The netbook also gives you a much better web exoerience overall, with multitasking and Flash support. Some netbooks are also getting in the 7-9 hour battery life range. Lastly, the netbooks cans run “real” OSs and apps (including OS X in many caseS).

The iPhone has real advantages – size and weight. There is a legitimate decision as to when to carry the netbook and when the iPhone will suffice, but, no, it isn’t “better” by any reasonable definition.