Well… I’m going to seem a little biased, since I’m actually typing on one right now. But, having owned it now for about 48 hours, I can say truthfully that I’ll probably end up using it more for basic utilities (email and web browsing) than either my 13″ MacBook Pro or my iPhone. I had a hard time justifying this purchase, but it is without a doubt the coolest gadget I’ve ever owned. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a bunch of other stuff I need to tap on.

Continuing on… Again from the iPad. There are innumerable members of the tech world that decry this device for its perceived shortcomings, e.g. lack of a camera or a more computer-like interface. But when you use the thing, it does superb job of shifting your focus away from these missing features. Those that can’t stomach a major purchase like this because they’re disgusted by the lack of these features are more than welcome to wait for a new generation, but I don’t feel like letting my inability to display my face to people take away from how cool this thing is.

If they had introduced a device with this hardware, running a much more complex operating system, it surely would have suffered in performance, as well as battery life. The applications open so quickly that the device’s inability to multitask becomes almost irrelevant. And certain native apps (almost) always work in the background, like the iPod.

I got the 32GB version, because I have a 16GB iPhone 3GS and I figured a larger capacity is important for something that’s this nice to watch movies on. No, really, it’s a gorgeous display, with a very accommodating viewing angle. And the battery life is incredible; I’ve yet to wear it down over the course of 10 hours, Apple’s stated max battery life.. If your main form of computer usage is email correspondence, this thing will let you go unplugged all day. That is, of course, if you can adapt your QUERTY keyboard skills to the much more delicate and sight- based input method provided by the on-screen keyboard. I’m personally planning to buy a Bluetooth keyboard for those carpal-tunnel-inducing typing sessions. A case is also not a bad investment, since the carved aluminum body of the device is quite susceptible to scratches.

Five hundred dollars plus is a lot to let go of in the current economy, no question. But I don’t regret this purchase, and as the galaxy of available apps improves, I doubt I ever will. The iPad apps are significantly more expensive than the ones for Apple’s lesser devices, usually double or triple the cost, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough left over in your impule-buy piggy bank to account for the commensurate app addiction that will likely follow the initial purchase.

Questions about the iPad? Leave a comment and I’ll try to do it justice.