The "iPad"

The Apple iPad is an amazing new invention that takes "The Year of the Tablets" as they call it to a new dimension.

The device is 9.7 inches across the diagonal, and 0.5 inches thick. iPad runs a modified version of the iPhone Operating System (3.2) that is optimized to take advantage of the larger screen. It is powered by Apple's custom built 1GHz A4 processor. Normally, 1GHz isnt enough to power a to run computer efficiently. However, as iPad runs the much lighter than windows, but almost just as functional iPhone OS, it runs twice as fast as the iPhone 3GS's 600MHz processor. iPad will be used primarily as a media consumption device (music, video, books, magazines, games, web browsing). Like the iPhone and iPod touch, iPad runs all of the 180,000 apps in Apple's mobile App Store, 3500 of which are specifically designed for iPad. With the introduction of iPhone OS 4, much new fuctionality will be coming to iPad this fall. These include running applications in the background without depleting the 10 hour battery (users have reported 12 hours), unified email inbox and Game Center. Game Center is a social network for gamers, similar to Microsoft's Xbox Live. The service will allow iPhone gamers to invite and play against friends, view leaderboards etc. Support for Adobe's popular Flash video player however is absent from iPad. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has said that this is due to the strain that the battery would take from allowing flash to run on iPad. He is instead supporting a new web standard called HTML5. Websites written in HTML5 are able to play internet video without the need to download a third party plugin (Flash/ Silverlight). Many websites including Virgin America, Time Magazine and the New York Times have already completely removed Flash components in favor of HTML5.

Price: starts from US$499 up

Features included: Photo, videos, You Tube, iWork, iTunes, iBooks, iPod, spotlight search, maps, calendar, contacts, notes, mail applications, safari, application store, etc.

Thumps Down:

Does not facilitate multitasking (definitely a down point for such a "high tech" equipment). No Cameras!!!!!!! Ummm, yeah...how could that idea have slipped passed the iPAD's creators?!

The iPad has created such a buzz in the media that it is highly likely for there to be newer more improved versions in the space of a year (if so much).. so enjoy this new fun and high-tech gadget, for soon to come will be yet another groundbreaking buzz!