iPhone 3G vs Netbooks: Who's the mobile Internet daddy?

Netbooks
A standard netbook ranges from 8.9-inches to 10-inches in screen size and while this makes it much more portable than your average laptop, it's certainly not very pocket-friendly. That said, the larger size affords it a larger screen and a mechanical Qwerty keypad.

As we mentioned earlier, the advantage of having a mechanical Qwerty keypad is that it's easier to type large amounts of text on it than it is using the iPhone 3G's on-screen keypad, which some people find fiddly.

A large screen and a mechanical keyboard make netbooks very appealing compared to the iPhone 3G if you're planning on doing serious work on the go, particularly when you realise that you currently can't edit Microsoft documents on the iPhone 3G.

There's also a good deal more storage space on netbooks, which is useful if you want to take your movies, music and work around with you at all times. And while we like the iPhone 3G's screen, watching the BBC's iPlayer on a netbook is much more enjoyable.

But unlike the iPhone 3G, you can't make calls via GSM and you'll most likely have to buy a USB dongle if you want access to 3G data. You also don't get GPS as standard on current netbooks, which means if you get lost, you'll stay lost.

When it comes to battery life, most netbooks last for two to four hours of constant use, which isn't too bad, but since you're less likely to snack on functions using a netbook than you would using an iPhone 3G, we think the iPhone wins this one.

What'll it set me back, guv?
The cheapest mini laptop is currently the RM Asus miniBook, which costs £162. You can get a USB data dongle from the 3 network for around £10 per month (on a 12-month contract) with a 1GB cap or £30 per month (18-month contract) with a 15GB cap. If you want Wi-Fi access to the Cloud too, you'd have to pay around £7 per month. So if you opted for the £30 per month USB data dongle and Cloud access, in total you'd pay around £828, which is £189 more than the iPhone 3G's deal.