iPad
Date of purchase:
October 2010My Review
I've had my iPad for a month now. It has replaced my Sony Reader (passed onto another family member), has replaced my iPhone for a lot of my news reading, and with today's addition of a bluetooth keyboard, it may well replace my netbook for many activities -- I'm typing this review on my iPad using the wireless keyboard.
The iPad with my case and the keyboard are about the size of but lighter in weight than my netbook.
This particular model is WiFi only, not 3G. But living in a very wired city it's not difficult at all to find free WiFi all over town. I'm at the public library as I type this. I would strongly recommend getting a case of some kind that can allow your iPad to stand up on its own (I have a Speck case that works great) and protect the screen when not in use.
The screen does tend to get all smudged up but I've found that it rarely interferes with reading -- the smudges don't really show when looking straight on.
The only real complaint I have is the (as of this writing) lack of multi-tasking and lack of app folders like on the iPhone but I understand that may change with the next iOS update for the iPad. For any serious typing though I would recommend getting the bluetooth keyboard. Typing is easier than on the iPhone but for anything longer than a few words the onscreen keyboard is rather tedious especially if typing a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols (switching between the 3 keyboard layouts slows you down a lot).
As an ebook reader I love the iPad. By using the iBooks, Kindle, and Nook apps I have access to a greater number of books than I might have with just one e-Reader.
I take my iPad with me almost everywhere I go. Despite what that Facebook dude said recently, it definitely IS a mobile device. :-) But it works quite well sitting in the living room or in bed. It's a lot easer to whip out than a laptop, has much better battery life than the iPhone, and with so many apps it can be personalized in all kinds of ways to fit your needs.
I'm a PC person not a Mac user but for all but desktop computing I love my iPad.
