The iPad

 

The iPad. Apparently a "beast of a machine" (courtesy of Engadget), it has received a nice chunk of controversy since it's release. It's been dubbed such names as "an oversized iPod Touch" and "$500 iPhone". Here's my honest opinion:

I think this thing is going to be huge.

Ok, so sure, it really is just a huge iPod. But also, it's a much more powerful iPod capable of getting AT&T's 3G plan (at a generous price I must admit.) The iPhone can do things like email, and can serve as a decent portable e-reader, but the iPad will do these things much better. Not to mention the fact that it already has access to 150,000 apps, and I can't wait to see what these guys develop for this device. With its new size and power, I'd expect some interesting apps to be out in the near future.

I'm not an Apple freak by any means. My purchase of the iPad will be one of my first Apple buys. I can see an iPhone/iPod Touch owner being a little wary of this machine at first, and that's their call. But for people like me, who has never owned either of them, I personally think this is a must-buy for me. This will fill in my netbook hole in my life.

I've always been interested in the Kindle. With the release of the Kindle DX, it seems as if it is the definitive e-book. I do think you get what you pay for here. The Kindle is great for long sit downs, as the screen's e-ink doesn't strain the eyes, unlike the backlit LCD of the iPad. But the Kindle DX is sitting at a heavy $489. That's only $10 cheaper than the cheapest iPad. Granted, the cheapest iPad doesn't have 3G. The cheapest 3G iPad with 3G support will sit at $629. Tack on the extra $15 a month for a limited 3G plan, plus free usage of a crap ton of Wi-Fi zones, you got yourself a worthy opponent in the e-reader realm. Yes, it's $120 bucks more, but I think the fact that people are missing here is that it does much more than just e-books. Much, much more. 

So yes, I will be buying the iPad, most likely the 3G one. I'll most definitely post a blog (possibly a video) of my iPad unboxing when I get it. Cheers!