New iPad!

So I finally have an iPad I can call my own.  Well, mostly my own.  I can use it to manage some of our network equipment with SSH, telnet, WebUI, or anything else that has a web interface (sans flash of  course).  I can also get the O'Reilly textbooks for this hardware MUCH cheaper as an ebook as I can for a paper copy.

I have to say that I'm addicted to the iPad.  Not in a bad way, I don't carry it with me everywhere.  I just feel like every time I pick it up, I'm holding the future, as geeky as that sounds.  If you haven't seen one, or used one, stop what you are doing (well, wait until you are done reading this post), and find the nearest Apple Store or BestBuy and try one out.  This is the product that the world has been waiting for (of course that is what we all said about the iPhone too).  I feel like this it true, simply because it has changed the game for all future products.  This isn't a TabletPC, it isn't a PocketPC, I don't think I would call it an anything PC.  It is just a thin, stylish, intuitive, powerful, gadget.  Yes, it is expensive for a video game system.  Yes, it is expensive for a netbook.  Yes, it is expensive for a personal media player.  Yes, it is expensive for a GPS. Heck, it is even expensive for a laptop.  BUT, if you combine all of those things, the iPad becomes an incredible value.  When was the last time you used your GPS to read recent reviews of the restaurant you are looking for?  When was the last time your netbook battery lasted 8 hours?  When was the last time you were able to slip your laptop in the front pocket of your lab coat (I'm assume someday a doctor will read this)?

Enough fluffing the iPad.  There are some downsides.  The beautiful aluminum back side is susceptible to scratching.  BUY A CASE FOR IT.  The onscreen keyboard will take some getting used to, even for those used to typing on touch screen devices.  Whether in landscape or portrait mode, it seems difficult to type very quickly.  If you are a heavy email user, use Google Maps for your GPS functionality, or love Pandora, you'll have to pony up for the unlimited 3G data plan from ATT.  And with fault laying on the developers of iPhone apps, there just aren't all that many iPad apps available yet.  THEY WILL COME!

I'm sure I'll be posting more on here soon enough.  I'll try to put up some reviews of my favorite apps.