The iPad

If I hadn't picked up an iPad today, on the day of launch, I would probably be writing a different blog about how the media has over-hyped the device, that's it's not big of a deal and it's just fine to wait.

After spending the last 3 hours or so with the device, I'll be clear. All of the above is true.

But.

This device breaks a lot of walls down. It certainly delivers functionality that I wanted in my iPhone but couldn't have. In no particular order that is:

1. Much better battery life
2. A much larger screen
3. Faster processor

For a device like a phone, you really don't want to have a giant screen because that means a giant device. But watching a lot of videos on a flight such as our recent trip to Maui gets painful. In addition, when you do want to watch 5 hours of movies, you also get to watch your iPhone battery slide ever downward. When you land, your phone is out of juice.

As of right now, I've been near constantly using the iPad and it sits at 73% battery left. That's from out of the box in which it didn't have a full charge. And when I sync it on my PC, it doesn't charge. Apparently you need to plug it into the wall for that.

I have little else to add that this review, or this review doesn't cover. But, I can tell you that some of the apps I use work far better on this form factor. I can also tell you that I cannot take my online classes on the iPad because they are powered by Flash. Lastly, I can say that while there's a lot more to go, I have a feeling this will finally move me to ebooks for real. We're finally there.

Now, off to play! :-)