I'm starting a PhD in a few weeks and will be travelling to Dunedin monthly and lugging around the desktop isn't really an option, so I'm in the market for a portable device.  Not really interested in a proper laptop, as I don't think I'd get much use out of it since I'll have my desktop 98% of the time, so I'm really thinking netbook or tablet.
 
But to be honest, I'm not entirely sure which is the better choice.
 
Tablets have the cool factor, I love Android on my phone, and it'd be better and easier to read books/articles/comics on, and it'd make the regular commute to and from work more entertaining, but there's the extra cost and I can't imagine doing significant typing on it for a few days at a time.
 
Netbooks are cheaper, Windows is obviously very familiar (and I'd plan to dual boot Windows/Ubuntu), and typing must be easier, but obviously a little more difficult to read on than a tablet where it's easier to read things in portrait.
 
For those with tablets, is typing annoying?  Do you use external keyboards at all? 
 
Any advice?
 
Many thanks in advance. :D