It's a great time to be a computer technologist. The last 12 months feel like a new dawn in mobile computing technology. 

I recently picked up an iPad. Surfing the web and checking email has made my daily bus commute way more enjoyable. Rather than doing the morning email and web surfing from home, I can do it on the bus. This is a real time saver.

The iPad, like the smaller iPhone, is a fantastic device for taking on the move. The iPad may just be a bigger iPod Touch but the bigger screen, to me at least, makes the difference between night and day. I admit in the beginning I didn't see how the iPad could replace my Lenovo IdeaPad which was a portable device that I took almost everywhere. I could write code on my IdeaPad and it ran Linux after all! 

It came down to 2 things: 

1. 95% of what I did was surfing the web, writing and capturing ideas. 

2. Have you tried using a keyboard while standing? This makes difference when you're moving and want to check something. (I got used to the virtual keyboard. It's not the optimal solution for typing)

I still like my IdeaPad but all technology gets outdated by something newer and sleeker. I don't like it but I have no qualms about the engine of progress and a newer shinier version of the iPad in the future. 

Aside, I'm surprised by how much the Kindle gets dissed on though, that e-ink display is still the closest thing to paper I've seen on a display. I can use the iPad in hourly bursts but when I want to unwind for a couple of hours with a good story my first choice is still the kindle. Winnie and Alice are flashy but really distract me from reading the book. It's not new, sleek and shiny I guess and that makes sense.

 Sent from my iPad but edited on my desktop.