[citation][nom]kinggraves[/nom]Smartphones took a share of netbooks before tablets were even becoming interesting. If you can browse the web and check your mail on your phone, there's no need to use a netbook for those basic functions. Tablets took another share on their own because they work well for basic media and ebooks. Netbooks do however have some advantages like upgradability, a real OS, and a keyboard that simple OS tablets can't compete with. There is a place for all these devices because the customer's needs differ.The market is changing though when it comes to portable devices. We're seeing a lot of "hybrids" between tablets and netbooks. If they can find the right mix to make a product that fits everyone's needs, that hybrid device could put netbooks AND tablets out of business. Netbooks themselves seem to be at the limit of their abilities as well. Fusion was supposed to be the game changer for netbooks, but if you look at the devices using the E-350, it's pretty much either cheap, full size, lowend notebooks or expensive, high end (by netbook standards) netbooks. The original point of netbooks was to be affordable, otherwise they're just the "ultraportables" of old that never sold. You still have to go Atom if you want a cheap netbook (even though you can get an HP DM1Z rather cheap if you play HP just right). So I think the traditional netbook might be going out of fashion, returning to it's ultraportable roots.[/citation]
All of these devices have their own niches, but they also have their own problems.
Smart phones are probably the best if you want a portable device. the trouble with them is you have to have a cell phone plan to use them even if you want to use WiFi. And worse yet, you often have to pay extra to use the phones WiFi function.
Tablets are like smart phones, but don't have phone cabilities. And for me, touch screens just get plain nasty. Also they're so damn expensive for a machine with such limited functions. Although you don't have to pay anyone to use WiFi.
Netbooks are for me the best option, but once again the prices are questionable. For the price of a top end netbook, you can get a low-priced notebook with more ram, a disc drive and a real os and not the dumbed down version of that os. Of course they are more portable than a notebook, but not as portable as a smart phone or tablet.
What we really need is a smart phone sized WiFi netbook. Makeit a bit larger than a smart phone with a keyboard that folds over a touchscreen. The touchscreen replaces the touchpad functions.