Macbook Air vs Nexus 7

gino_76ph

Hi there! Me and the missus are travelling to France for 5 days this early September and be mainly not just staying in the capital.

Currently i have a Macbook Air 11" and an HTC Sensation Android 4.0 smartphone. I will mainly use my phone for Google Translate, a weather app, odd UK news, usual Twitter & Facebook and also to use it to look for nearby shops, restos, etc.

But i seem to have this itch for something "different". What i meant is something bigger than my smartphone but also something portable than a Macbook Air. I will be mainly watching movies on the plane (or train) or maybe before going to sleep, proper internet surfing and that's it.

I'm thinking of just bringing in my Mac and buy those protective sleeves and skins (to protect it against those odd spills, bumps, falls and even dust) but i thought 11" is just a tad big whilst travelling.

Would a tablet like the Nexus 7 be "ideal"? That would be roughly £199 for the 16GB. If i buy those sleeves & case i would only spend a maximum of £50. Economically i could save if i bring my Mac. But having a tablet is very portable.

What you think guys?

wba31

WHAT? You want Android and Mac? you cant have both, one or the other!

I joke. on a money saving though I'd personally just go with what you have and save yourself an awful lot of money! I don't know much about the HTC Sensation, but surely you can put whatever films and media you would put onto the nexus onto your phone? why even take the macbook at all as the phone will do "proper internet surfing?"

basill

I bought a Nexus 7 in the hope that it would be useful for surfing the internet and for music and film on the go.

It is good for films and music as it was designed with this in mind. The screen is clear and bright with enough graphics power to play HD media. The non expandable 16Gb storage is limiting though.

Unfortunately surfing the net is a pain, just like a big phone. The screen has high resolution so full version webpages are displayed with tiny text and a great deal of zooming and panning is required to read the whole page. Sites that load mobile versions are better but are not always what I want for "Proper surfing".

In addition Flash is not supported in the standard browser so it is necessary to load Firefox and add flash from the Adobe site. Even then Flash based games or puzzles are not easy to play as they are not designed for touch screens.

So, great for media, apps and games designed for Android but just a big phone and nowhere near a replacement for a notebook where the internet is concerned.

I have returned mine and plan to save the extra for either a Macbook air or something like the Asus Zenbook when the new version comes out later this year. Maybe then my old netbook can retire.

B

gino_76ph

My HTC Sensation has a 4.3" screen. watching movies, surfing the net and playing games would not be ideal whilst travelling say compare to a 7" tablet.

I can see the point of being economical comparing the two and on how much i will be spending, etc.

The way i see it the Macbook Air has a bigger 11" screen and practically you can do anything quickly and smoothly. I can connect my portable hard drive to it and watch as many movies i like. I can insert an SD card and easily upload photos online considering there is a nearby Wifi.Surfing the internet would probably be better and nicer. Main problems are it's not that compact and would be a target for thieves.

The Google Nexus 7" however has far better specs than my 2011 MBA, has a smaller screen, is compact (and virtually can carry it anywhere) and is (probably) less tempting for thieves. i've also heard of that mythical 9.5 hours of use which is far better than a MBA's "up to 7 hours".

I could be spending more with a Nexus 7" (with the actual device plus a case) but my heart says go for the tablet.

What you think?