We all have an endless thirst for online activities, from browsing the web to
social networking and emailing. Quite how you carry out these daily tasks has
become something of a challenge though, simply because there are now so
many different ways of staying connected. At one point in time you’d have only
had the basic option of a home computer to get online, but nowadays there are a
wealth of different ways of getting onto the web.
Now that we have a seemingly endless array of gadgets to choose from, all of
which allow you to connect to the internet, as well as mobile broadband that
delivers online access to a laptop, netbook or notebook device, we’re basically
spoilt for choice. Of course, there are pros and cons for going down both routes.
The gadget side of things is dominated by the smartphone, which is like an
amalgam of the best bits of a mobile phone with the choice features from a
computer.
Then there’s the laptop, netbook or notebook options to choose from, which by
using mobile broadband services will allow you to happily carry out most, if not
all, of the things you’d normally do on a computer in your home or workplace. A
smartphone makes definite sense if you’re looking for convenience on-the-go as
these handsets offer instant connectivity along with midget-sized web browsing,
emailing and all the rest of it. They even have a wealth of ‘apps’ that allow you to
carry out all manner of activities from gaming through to word processing.
A laptop or netbook connected to the web via mobile broadband will invariably
give you much more flexibility for working, and also surfing the web for fun.
You’ll get a larger screen area for starters, along with a bigger keyboard. The
trade-off will be the weight, as it’ll be heaver and a lot less portable, although
many of the new netbook and notebook devices are actually incredibly light.
Don’t forget to examine battery life for both smartphones and laptops though as
this can often be the make or break issue when you have no access to mains
electricity and need to get online while you’re out and about. Similarly, being able
to gain access to the internet on the move is also essential. Again, both laptops
and smartphones can also have issues with this too, although this is generally
down to the coverage supplied by mobile networks as much as anything.
There are also benefits and drawbacks with both smartphones and mobile
broadband services in terms of data allowances. Whatever package you decide
to go for you’ll generally find that accessing the internet on-the-go will have some
sort of restriction attached to it. This usually surrounds tranferring large amounts
of data, so if you’re planning on downloading a movie using either route then it’s
probably best done on a home-based broadband service and then copied onto
your chosen device afterwards.
Smartphones, alongside laptops with mobile broadband, are getting increasingly
plentiful and there’s a wealth of cheap deals doing the rounds. So, perhaps the
best advice is to get one of each, just as long as your wallet can stretch to it.
About the author: Rob Clymo writes on behalf of www.broadbandgenie.co.uk, the independent comparison website for broadband and mobile broadband.
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