It’s always important to pick the right tool for the job. Here’s a quick guide to help pick the right computer for you.
Smartphones
Smartphones give you the functionality of a Chromebook in a smaller handheld form factor. This is the best choice for portability, but not the most powerful when it comes to working on specific tasks. Smartphones are popular right now and they evolving at a rapid rate. In some you can find processing power surpassing that found in tablets and some Chromebooks (just take a look at the latest ASUS Zen Phone 2). Plus did I mention it’s a phone too, because communicating and meeting up with people is all part of the package. It would be weird to live without a smartphone today.
Tablets
Tablets are the perfect middle ground between a Chromebook and smartphone. With more power and a larger screen area (models generally in 7” and 10” sizes) tablets have quickly become a great web browsing machine. They’re also great for allowing you to see those apps or maps you have been straining your eyes on with the smartphone. However, upgrades are usually limited to storage space and Bluetooth keyboards if you’re lucky.
Chromebooks
Chromebooks are the perfect balance between a traditional notebook and smartphone. They start up fast, give you access to your emails and videos with a small form factor that’s convenient in your house. Chromebooks are great laptops for family members who would normally be lost with a full operating system. Plus the cost is cheap, so you won’t even feel so bad if a family member breaks them. They tend to be easier on power, too, so you can browse for more hours.
They buddy up with your Gmail account which means you can share data between phone, email and notebook with ease. Chromebooks rely on the Cloud for storage and, if you are like me, you simply don’t trust anything else watching over your files. Chromebook’s are based on a Google phone operating system (Android), which means you won’t be running any programs made for Windows. However, many similar programs to your favorites exist such as Google’s own version of Office.
Standard Laptop
With a laptop you get the benefit of portability and move data further away from the Cloud. You generally also get better performance and storage than a Chromebook with a larger upgrade path. Many Standard laptops come with SSDs too, giving you fast boot up performance. You might pay a little more but you can trust SSDs will improve your experience and are removable for easy upgrades.
Desktop PC
Desktops have the most options when it comes to upgrades. They are pretty limitless when it comes to modern PCs. But they do lack the portability of laptops. The Desktop PC is the Swiss Army Knife of the computer world. They can be configured for a specific task, or great at just about anything. They are the most cost effective for performance. Not only are they initially cheaper than comparable laptops, but also cheaper and easier to upgrade. PCs are perfect for homes since they can be used for a lot of things, from a gamer system, media player, to high-end business machine. However, they do require a lot of space for the case and accessories, so expect to dedicate some room.
My PC
For me it’s a desktop PC followed by a smartphone for my daily needs. But everyone’s different. Let us know what your favorite combination is for a normal day.
