I bought myself and Ipad about a month ago, partly out of curiosity
about how Apple do things, but they also looked handy. Those smart
phone screens are just a bit small for me.

I have to admit, I've been pleasantly suprised. No more waiting
a week for my Economist to arrive, books instantly downloaded
at a fraction of the price. The list of things they can do and
new apps being written for them, is endless, most only costing
a few Dollars, or free.

I've bought a little case with a strap for mine, so I can sling
it over my shoulder and take it anywhere. Great for boring
meetings :), or waiting at the dentist, etc.

Various tablet computers are now coming on the market and I note
that Amazon are already selling more ebooks then paper books.

So I can envisage that tablets could change how we do a number
of things in our everyday lives.

Any thoughts from others?

well yabby you are a follower of fashion
im glad you liked the latest consumable

i thought too long and hard on the thing..to want to go out and buy one..[transhere of data being the big one]...so suggest you find something like cloud..to store stuff off tablet

i say like cloud because cloud isnt working

the free apps look great
i suggest you use them all
[cant you get bil shock clicking them?]

see i got suckked into this constant update of teqnoligy for far too long..to fall for this latest fad...what may seem cheap [the first time you 'buy' it..shall get monotinouse the 5 th time you need to buy it..

i say this knowing..the formats will change in time
[how much of the stuff on ya old computer have you managed to put onto the new i/pad]

sounds like a womans thing
no weonder men take the name tablet
[just remember a tab is what you get at the end of the night
and let is something we do with an empty room]

but i know iots your new baby
so i will just say...she's is sooo pretty

googoo
gaga

at least the latest model has a camera
the next ones might even allow an input port

what we need
is you bought the rights..
now those rights dont need be bought again

but thats not how it works

i got suff on 8 track/reel to reel..78/45/33
i got things on floppy disk/to hard diskette..
beta/vhs...blueray/digetal

and many other obsure formats
im sort of over the whole game
but im glad your glad

watch out for bill shock

I've had a kindle for a while now and love it. Just for reading but the screen clarity (even in full sun) is amazing. Every now an then I plug it in to charge it, it's not gone flat yet. Book's are at about 1/2 the paper price and available within minutes not weeks.

I've been eyeing off the Android tablet's. The top end of the market is more than I want to pay and the rest of the market looks like they are still a little way off being good enough.

I do think that the tablet's (and variants) will be game changing for some stuff, I suspect that the e-book readers as a stand alone item will be short lived. Fantastic though the Kindle is I can't see enough scope for it to stay ahead of the tablets over the next few years.

I suspect that the day's of paper publishing are numbered. There are just too many advantages to electronic publishing for paper to keep it's hold. Likewise for hard copy music, movies etc.

R0bert

Eventually you'll buy this kinda technology at the checkout in the supermarket for $22.95 and then throw them in the bin when you want to get the next model.

Maybe even the newspaper will come in one of these rather than paper and we'll have bundles of kindle type devices worth the wage of 20 chinese families a day stacked under the coffee table.

A solution searching for a problem.

Does it enrich your life enough to justify the exploitation?

Interesting Yabby. I don't like reading from a computer screen for larger documents and books so have not explored too thoroughly the Kindle or the Ipad. How do you find the Ipad in this regard? I imagine this sort of computer device is more portable for you busy executives on the move. :)

Pelican, I'm actually semi retired these days, mostly doing the
things I want to do, rather then the things I have to do, unlike
those on the tread mill.

As to reading, I find the Ipad easier to read then a normal screen
or then papers or magazines. You can adjust the font as you like and
position it as you like, as it has a handy little roll back cover
which acts as a stand. Roll it back, its on, roll it down, it
switches off pretty well instantly, no waiting.

Hopefully some of the newspapers will soon launch apps for the daily
download. I really don't need all those kg of classifieds and
magazine inserts, so my paper consumption will drop dramatically
when they do it electronically.

Robert, I looked at the Kindle, but now I have a Kindle app for Ipad,
as Amazon has a better selection of books then Apple. My nephew
was here at the weekend and brought a book he'd bought, which interested me.
His cost at the airport was 27$, the same book
from Amazon 7.90$. No waiting or freight costs.

What I find handy is that they are quite a bit smaller then a
notebook, so easier to cart around, yet have a much larger screen
then a smart phone, so good for reading stuff or typing a few notes
etc. So for instance, its easy to prop it up in the corner of the
kitchen, to cook a saved recipee from the recipees app. But I'm
still learning about all this stuff, I just think there are heaps
of applications I haven't even thought of yet.