We have an iPad and though I like it, if I'm going to do any amount of typing I'd rather use something with a keyboard. If I want something small and portable for internet, email, etc I prefer my iPhone since I can carry it anywhere in my pocket. The iPad is really DHs electronic newspaper reader so he can read all his papers online. He too prefers a keyboard for typing. It also has no DVD drive but I did buy some software that allows me to copy a DVD onto the iPad. Not sure what netbooks have in terms of a DVD drive - I think they also have no such drives. iPads also have no USB ports.

We have a older compact desktop and an older big laptop. If I were going to get another computer right now I would consider a small laptop - like a net book size. Don't need one right now though so who knows what the latest technology will be by the time I do. Big plus of iPad compared to net books is much longer battery life.

I have a 10" Acer netbook. It's perfect for surfing and email. I don't remember about downloading pictures or discs.

Then I discovered Big Fish games. Some of the games were too large to load. I got a laptop.

I have an acer aspire one netbook with xp and several Android tablets I would not want a tablet as my main unit it is nice and fun but not great for typing or serious work. My netbook is a better fit for that stuff. However some netbooks trying to run windows7 are struggling. They do not have very powerful processors and not much RAM memory. They do not have cd or dvd drives you can use an external usb one

Really depends what you really want to do with it.

joan-
This question really can't be answered until you provide more info on intended use. What are the main things you would intend to use a computer for?:

ebooks reader? Word processing? Internet surfing? Watching movies? Playing games? Email? Viewing photos? Listening to music? etc.

Netbooks and tablets can do these things, but some are easier to do than others. When you fit everything into a small package, you give up some things for the advantage of compactness and portability. For some tasks I use a desktop computer, for others I use a notebook, and for others I use a netbook or a tablet.

If you can be more specific, then we can provide you advice on whether this will be a useful purchase or just a fun toy.

We have a netbook, connected to a 17 inch monitor. Works great for DH reading news and playing Spades.

I would be using it for surfing, email, movies, some photos, and the easy stuff as a take along when I go anywhere.

I have a Dell netbook and a droid phone. The combination works well for me. I don't play games or watch movies or use many other media apps on my computer so my needs are geared to being able to have my docs,save files,have a decent sized standard keyboard and the ability to use a wireless mouse.
My netbook is for storage.

On a daily basis my phone serves my needs. I can check email and social media with it. Lots of helpful apps and a few useful widgets while on the go and it fits in my pocket.

When traveling or attending meetings I take my netbook.

At home I use my desktop PC.

I like having different things for different uses. My Kindle 3g with wifi is my e reader. I know I can use it for docs and such but I have really no reason to.

joann-
I think a tablet or netbook would work fine for you, based on that description. If you do heavy word processing, a lot of people don't find the onscreen keyboard of a tablet to be as good as a regular keyboard, but for lighter needs, like email, it should be fine. (And you can always get a keyboard to connect to most tablets if you really need one...although that kind of defeats the goal of traveling light.) If you get a netbook, be sure to check out the keyboard: some of them have a few of the keys moved around to accommodate the smaller area, and it can be hard to get used to. Lastly, try to buy your device from some place that has a liberal return policy in case you just don't like how it functions; that way you can get something else based on your experience with the first one.

Actually I would suggest also checking out the new chromebook it is very hassle free needs no security programs, comes with wifi and3G onboard if you choose to use the 3G they offer plans.
Just google chromebook the first entry will have a link to features a and sales locations. It is the best of both worlds.

we have several laptops and a netbook i got for travel. DH started using the netbook for his grad courses this past fall because he was at work all day on job sites (engineer) and doing his course work on it and it was much lighter to haul around. he did some heavy Excel spreadsheets and major research papers along w 3D CAD designing, mind you he added a bunch to the memory for that. it worked ok for all of this. he got me a new laptop in Nov for only $300 it's 4 times faster than the netbook so he is switching to using that for his last semester this spring. the tiny screen & keyboard was actually the biggest limiting factor. my laptop also has a full numeric keypad on the left which he really needs. the netbook will probably work for what you need... don't spend more than $200 on it. ~ liz