Google Chromebook vs. iPad 2

If you’re looking to spend $500 on a new gadget, you may be thinking what suits your needs better: the Google Chromebook or iPad 2. With the $499 Samsung 3G Chromebook, you’ll have free 3G internet access (up to 100 MB per month) for two years. With the $499 iPad 2, you’ll be limited to WiFi. If you want to upgrade to a 3G version, the iPad 2 starts at $629. You’ll then have to shell out $20 per month for the mobile 3G hotspot with a 2-year contract or $30 per month for a month-to-month plan with Verizon. With AT&T, 3G plans start at just $15.

With the Chromebook, there are no contracts and pay-as-you-go data plans are available. After you use your 100 MB of free data, you have several options.  You can opt for a $9.99 day pass, sign up for a $20 monthly plan for 1 GB of data, or buy an additional 3 GB of data for a one-time fee of $35. With the one-time $35 payment, you may have enough data to last you several months.

The Chromebook and iPad serve very different functions. Which is best for you depends on your needs. The iPad 2 is an entertainment device. The Chromebook is a computing device. If you’re playing games, casually browsing the news, and fooling around with apps, the iPad 2 is the way to go. If you need a mobile device to reply to several emails and browse websites, the Chromebook is the winner.

My main use for a new device is to be able to browse the internet and send emails when I’m on the go. As a website developer, I wouldn’t be able to edit websites on the go with the iPad since I would need a fully functional browser. If I need to respond to emails, replies wouldn’t exceed 10 words with the iPad. The Chromebook would suit my needs much better than the iPad 2 would.

So far the Chromebook looks to be a real winner. It’s the 3rd highest selling laptop on Amazon.com behind the Macbook Pro and Toshiba Satellite and they’re outselling Android tablets. So far reviews on the Chromebook are mixed. For people buying the device, they need to understand that it’s just a browser so you’re limited in what you can do with the computer. Editing Microsoft Office files requires use of Microsoft Office Web Apps and downloading your docs to your Sky Drive. However, the positives to stripping down the device to just the web is an 8 second boot time and 8.5 hour battery life.