Do you have a Blackberry phone? If so, I would recommend taking a strong look at the Blackberry Playbook. I have a 64GB one and love it. (I can hear some Apple keyboards clicking away now to hurry up and flame the Playbook!) They are very cheap now as they have not sold as well as originally planned.
Positives:
- the screen is BEAUTIFUL. It is the true HD format. You need to watch a good quality video on it to appreciate it. The current iPad's are a "smaller" format. Sound is great too.
- The web experience is fantastic. Pretty much just as good as a PC (except the screen size and no keyboard.) It does support flash and can run all sites. (I can email a pic from my tablet, but haven't tried a post to a forum.) My iPad owning buddy has been telling me about the HTML5 for over year now. Meanwhile, I am surfing the net just fine!
- You can transfer files to the tablet via your home network, or cable. It has HDMI out for a TV/monitor. They are close to having a USB adapter, but I don't think I would ever use it. Just transfer it via wifi.
- It has a bridge to your phone to access email, calendar and if you are not on a wifi newtwork....a FREE internet connection. It is not the fastest connection, but there is no plan needed. It uses your phone for the connection.
- the size of the device is great. Small enough to put in a coat jacket.
- The will have an "android app" player soon that will open up a ton of apps.
- I rarely ever use my phone anymore for internet stuff (and I used to a lot on the road) and have probably cut my laptop use in half.
Negatives:
- the size of the device is easier to carry around, but yes, sometimes a 10" screen would be nice.
- RIM gets tons of bad press and if you believe it, they will be out of business in 2 weeks. Some people will actually tease you for not having an iPad! RIM definitely did not sell as many as they thought they would, that's for sure.
- There is no modem. If you do not have a blackberry, then you can only connect via a wifi connection. This could be a deal breaker for you. I thought this would be a problem for me, but it hasn't been at all. The iPad's wireless modem is great, but there is a service plan and fee that goes along with it. There have been rumors since day one for a Playbook 2 that adds the modem, but that remains to be seen.
- There is no native email client yet. (Coming in OS2.0) So if you have your phone shut off, you can not read/type/send email. This only bothers me on a plane.
- There are limited Apps when compared to Apple/Android. This has not been an issue for me. My Apple friends talk about the 500,000 available Apps, but really only use 3-4 of them. Also, don't forget that the Android App is coming which will allow you to use those Apps.
So, since I have a BB phone, this thing is perfect for me. If I didn't have it, I would not be happy today (until OS2.) I truly believe the hardware is better than the iPad (minus the modem) but the iPad wins on software as they had a good head start. RIM has some nice promised upgrades coming soon.
I hear that the iPad 3 might come in Feb, so you might want to wait and see what Apple does.
KRS