Whith all the new technology that is being developed on a daily basis it is sometime hard to keep up with all the terms and names. This article is to explain to you the major differences between these.

Laptop This is a rather older name that is used to refer to a portable computer that folds open. A laptop can sometimes be used in a general way referring to all the different types of portable computers. Initially when the first mobile computers were launched this name laptop was used because the computers were small enough to work with on your lap. Therefore all the mobile computers a netbook, notebook and a tablet can be referred to as a laptop or a type of laptop.

Notebook. These are the most powerful types of laptops that can range from entry level models to top of the range models that have the same or even more computing power than some of the desktop computers. They have everything that a desktop pc have the only difference is that they are portable. The problems with notebooks are that normally their battery life is very poor and you have to keep them plugged in to use them for longer periods. This id due the stronger and more powerful hardware that uses more electricity and that causes the battery life not to last very long. The need for a more portable device with a longer lasting battery life lead to the creation of netbooks and tablets.

Netbook. This is a laptop that is smaller and more portable than a notebook. It is not as powerful and normally uses an energy efficient CPU like the Intel Atom that causes this laptop’s battery to last for long periods of time. The only downside to these is that they normally don’t come standard with a CD/DVD drive but because of the USB ports an external CD/DVD drive can be used. Most people are amazed by the speed and fast processing power of these little devices and they are great for mobile computing but also more than powerful enough to do all the tasks that you can do on your notebook. The only task that these netbooks will struggle with is heavy computer gaming that demand high hardware requirements to function.

Tablet This is the latest addition to the mobile computing world and has become a very big sensation. These devices range from 5” screen sizes to 10.1” sizes. They can run on Android or Windows operating systems. They are very portable and have excellent battery life and are the ultimate in mobile computing. The top of the rage models have the same computing power than a netbook. They also have USB ports for external drive or any other USB devices. If you are looking for portability and power these is the answer. Some models can also act as a mobile phone and can replace your mobile phone.

Depending on your need it is up to you to decide which one of these is the mobile computer that you will find. Netbook, notebook, laptop or tablet pc they are all made for specific purposes and are there to make your life easier.

Hope this clarified the sometimes confusing world of computing