I got one too, I like a lot for what it is - a fantastic couch potato machine. Email and web at blazing speed on my sofa, don't have to go upstairs to the real computers... My 3 year old also loves watching his cartoons full size (and not hogging my TV).

Biggest problem with the Ipad so far ? My Iphone looks tiny now ;-) no, seriously, it's like it shrank overnight. In fact I like the ipad so much I will ditch the iphone when the contract expires...

>Windows 7 is excellent. Running it on my 27" iMac at work. Fast as hell.

Thru parallels or Fusion? It's not supported in boot camp yet, is it ? I need to stay current on windows 7 too !

I don't yet know exactly how I'd use a tablet. For web browsing, email, reading newspapers and books, light documents, music, watching movies on a plane (10 hour battery life, remember), light games, misc apps, I'm not clear that I need or want the full functionality of a laptop replacement. I already know that some of the HP slate's features look pointless to me - how often would I ever use HDMI out?

That functionality comes at a price - crappy battery life (5 hours is less than my daughter's HP netbook and my work HP laptop), complicated non-finger-friendly O/S (maybe they've improved Windows Tablet, but when I last had one, circa 2008, it pretty much required a stylus to tap all the teeny little menus inherent in an O/S designed for mousing).

The traditional PC mentality is to cram as many features and functions into the machine as possible. The Apple mentality is to streamline the device for most ease of use. I already have plenty of machines packed with features and functions.

I've been playing with a friend's iPad. Not decided whether to get one, especially unsure whether to spring for the 3G wireless.

The only reason I would even consider one is so I can have one of these: iMaxi The original Apple iPad Case/Cover with by hiphandmaids :)

For me, HDMI is important. If I had an iPad I would want to be able to stream Netflix movies to my TV via HDMI ... instead of watching them on the iPad in 4:3 ratio.

Boot Camp!

Very easy to set up and is incredibly stable. Loving it!

The ONLY issues I had were with the Apple keyboard and mouse (both wireless). First, the keyboard blows without the number pad ... oh but it looks pretty. Both would lose connection to the computer. There was no way to adjust the mouse scroll sensitivity in Windows, etc etc.

Currently using plug in mouse and keyboard ... much happier.

And now for the "What were they thinking?" for the HP Slate:

internal battery - What were they thinking? Traveling, 'working' from a beach somewhere to a remote desktop... you really want to be able to hot-swap that little battery.

Cap-sense - What were they thinking? Multi-touch is not as important as the touch precision and resolution of res-sense. I wonder if it can support the transcribing input of the old resistive-sense tablets. (maybe its one of the hybrid sense inputs?)

No kickstand - What were they thinking? Airplane seatback tray and a stack of snack-bags won't keep it at a nice viewing angle. (I expect that HP has some sort of add-on/case for this)

no N wifi - What were they thinking? I suppose that G-routers are not terrible. ...and most wireless com will be 3G or 4G. ...but still.

i hate to give bill gates my money. but then from what i see with the Ipad, its a waste of money, beides, im not one of those that has to have the lastest and greatest. whats it gonna do for me? i certainly dont need to check my email while driving. as itis i only check it once or twice a week now. seems like i am too busy at home. all my computer time (pelican time) is at work. if i am going to spend that kind of money, i might as well spend a little more and get a REAL laptop.

my phone? i just want something that is clear and works, i dont even want voice mail. wish i could get it turned off. if i want to hear form you, i will call you back if i missed oyur call. texting? i hate it, just started doing it recently though. seems like the only way i can talk to my brother these days. BTW, thanks tim. and the ONLY reason i do it now is because it is free.

listening to music? i hate media player. i dont want to make playlists if i just want to listne to something. besides, playing in a band i get enough music, then if i record and have to mix it down, that is more than enough. well, enough of my rant. enjoy your new toys.

fwiw, Sony has that built in to their TV's and Bluray players. It's pretty slick. The only downside is that you need a net-computer to select/add movies to your streaming que. (I use my old Q1U tablet for filling that Netflix que. -tablets are good sofa surfing devices. Don't loose it inbetween the cushions) Once in the que, the movie titles (with image) show up on your TV for easy selection via the remote.

OTOH, I have used the HDMI for my computer to display/run on the big HD screen for other reasons. ...just not for Netflix, anymore.

Oh, and a hundred or so for a new BD player is far cheaper than a new tablet.

Does Netflix stream to the iPad in full HD and wide-screen? Considering that the iPad is 720p and conventional ratio? I'm not clear on that.

But, again, here's an example of the different philosophies. You, and presumably HP, want the slate/tablet device to be a do-everything device that, in this case, can fill in for a set-top box or a Roku. So you want HDMI, you'll buy the docking station, you'll pay the bandwidth and power penalty for hardware that can stream and decode full HD at different aspect ratios. I don't want that, at least not with those penalties. So there are choices of devices.

On the battery, when laptops got 2 hours battery life, I carried a spare battery. When they got to five hours, I stopped with carrying the spare, but was always looking to top up from a handy outlet. At 10 hours, I'm even less concerned about battery life. At what battery life will you guys cease wishing for a user-replaceable battery? 15 hours? 20 hours?

For me, 8 hours is the magic number.

On my (old) tablet I still get 5hrs out of one battery. ...which has always been enough for long-ish flights. Maybe it's just the psychology of having the spare time available.. i dunno.

Also, tho' is that batteries dont last forever ...how many charge cycles until the device is done?

I was just about to pull trigger on the ipad. Then a little research. No flash drive or sd card inputs. Internal battery can't be changed. 64gb max. I can't see what this does that a cheap pc laptop can't do. Yeah, I guess it doesn't have an apple logo on it.:( I'll wait.

I don't see the need for a spare battery when the device has a 10 hour battery life in constant use and and lasts weeks on standby. I bought a spare battery for my last Blackberry, which had similar battery life, and never used it.

As for the battery wearing out, I can't remember ever wearing out the battery on any of my cellphones, Blackberries, or even laptops. If it does happen before you want to dump the iPad 1.0 for the next device, well, the battery can be replaced. Apple will do it for a fee, third parties will do it for cheaper, and no doubt a handy person will be able to disassemble the device and DYI it, just like you can with an iPhone.

I've replaced several of mine and my kids ipod batteries that couldn't maintain a charge. I'm sure the ipad battery is everything as advertised. I'm just wondering how its going to hold up over a few thousand cycles and after the warranty expires. When I checked with Apple about servicing an ipod under warranty, they would do it, but it was up to me to pay for the service and handling, around $25. I bought an aftermarket one and replaced it. Something about tearing into a factory sealed unit and prying parts up. Seems it couldn't be that hard to have a small compartment that snaps open.

That's an odd statement - I can't remember any battery I've ever owned in my life that didn't wear out. Batteries start their journey towards death from the first charge. They all have a finite lifespan.

A user-replaceable battery means additional bulk. Not much, but the devices now are so thin that every 1/8" matters.

Portable devices get replaced every few years. The practical lifespan of the device is shorter than the practical lifespan of the battery. For me, anyway.

In 2013 we'll have 4G and be well on to the next WLAN standard. That 2010 iPad will be looking rather dated.

You are right. I guess thats why everyone waits in line for them. By the time the become available, they are moments away from being outdated.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1270649997.jpg

uhmm... 2013? ... you do know that Sprint has been serving-up 4G for a while now. (?)

I don't mean 4G as WiMAX, I mean 4G as LTE GSM cellular. Verizon is the leader in LTE deployment in the US, with some pilots in 2010 and the beginning of commercial deployment in 2011.

Even WiMax will be on to WiMAX2 802.16m by 2013. 1Gb/s is going to look a lot better than 144Mbp/s from WiMAX1 802.11e.

AppleInsider | Apple rejected iPad app for using pinch to expand gesture

Ugh. It is this sort of thing that really bothers me.

they rejected 1 app, they have over 140,000, I know what your saying but.... this app might help some windows people.... http://www.crn.com/mobile/224201173