Laptop vs. Tablet: What's Better in the College Classroom?

These days, it's almost inconceivable for a college student not to have some type of computer. Laptops have become popular in the last decade as exceptional note-taking and research tools, as they take up a small amount of space in a dorm room and are capable of handling all of the computing tasks that a college student would need to accomplish.

Tablets have also become popular, especially Apple's iPad, which is attractive to students for its sleek looks and intuitive touch-based controls. Here's a look at the advantages and disadvantages of tablets and laptops for college students and a few choice picks for the new school year.

Big-Name Tablets. It's hard to discuss tablets without discussing the iPad at length--it's the most popular tablet for new students because of Apple's exceptional App Store, a massive marketplace with thousands of apps for everything from music creation to book reading. Apps like Barnes and Noble's Nook, Amazon's Kindle and Apple's own iBooks are a great resource for English students especially. Many of these stores sell e-book textbooks, which can save a college student a lot of money, and they're easier to use for reading than a laptop thanks to the flat tablet display.

The alternative to the iPad is the new host of Android-based tablets, led by Motorola's Xoom and Samsung's Galaxy tablet. Android tablets have many of the same apps as the iPad with a bit more versatility, but they're arguably less intuitive and easy to use.

Many tablets can access 3G networks for on-the-go Internet access, but this isn't that important of a feature on campuses with free public WiFi--a service that most major campuses are implementing. Tablets also lack a traditional keyboard, so they're almost impossible to use for reports and papers.

Laptops and Netbooks. Laptops and netbooks are a better choice for students who don't have a desktop to write papers with or students who hate the idea of running to the computer lab every other day.

The big difference between a laptop and a netbook is power. Netbooks can rarely do much more than get on the Internet. However, there are some models, particularly newer Toshibas, that somewhat expand the capabilities of these mini-computers. Even so, netbooks don't have CD or DVD players, which might rub some students the wrong way.

Laptops can be expensive, but they're the best heavy-duty solution for on-the-go note taking, paper composition and all of the other everyday tasks expected of a college student. While they might not be as cool-looking as an iPad, newer models from companies like HP offer serious computing power, and many come with word processing software like Microsoft Word for handling basic educational paperwork.

Asus recently turned heads with their Eee Transformer, a tablet that converts into a netbook when attached to a dock with a built-in keyboard, and this is a good middle-ground product for students. I've owned an Asus Eee Transformer for several months, and while it has plenty of minor bugs, it lives up to its hype. The docking station provides a full-sized keyboard and extra battery life, and the Android Honeycomb OS has plenty of tablet-enhanced apps for productivity and student life, such as the aforementioned Kindle and Nook apps.

Some students won't want the middle ground, and the iPad offers more stability and that all-important cool factor. Parents might push for a cheap netbook for note-taking, Internet access and basically nothing else. There's no perfect solution for every type of student, but by looking at what the student already owns and the types of classes he or she is taking, it should be easy to make a great decision for a college computer.