Just starting to map out some personal experiences of using the iPad in the first week..

- It's certainly more than "a big iPod Touch", although if purely looking at form factor it's an undestandable mistake to make. My initial feeling is that it's closer to a computer than an iPod. - it's freaky quick (hope it stays that way after I clog it full of stuff) - Amazon books on iPad will be where it's at (although, as expected, it's probably to heavy to read 'novel-like' in one hand). - the lovely screen really dresses up content and makes it shiny. - the newspaper and magazine apps are definately very 1.0 - which is understandable (I still can't understand why Apple doesn't let content creators develop and test on it months in advance).

And, maybe most interestingly, I really think I will read much more on this screen than any other I've come across - I'm not sure I want multi-apping capabilities to distract me :)

UPDATE: After a couple of days occasional use, I'm starting to get used to the initial awkwardness of holding and typing on it. I seem to have found comfortable positions for different tasks.

But.. the uber-glossy screen looks sooo dirty in certain lighting that it can be quite annoying. I wonder if people will get used to this or modify their behaviour first.

UPDATE 2: It's bright/vivid screen radiates light in a dimly lit, public place that kinda makes you look like you're sunning yourself. This would be the case for a laptop too but you're more inclined to pull out the iPad in a range of contexts that you would never pull out your laptop in.

WiFi didn't work in the first hotel room I stayed in (..It did work for my laptop). I suspect this was about the hotel's own browser, authentication method, rather than the ipad itself, but disappointing. I'm hopping Paddy will be a good travel companion (eventually).

UPDATE 3: This summarises of the feeling of intimacy of consumption that I've been feeling using Paddy. From Information Architects, Inc:

"The iPad brings hands and eyes back together."

You feel closer to, even a part of, the content experience because of the screen size, removal of keyboard and feeling of unaided (finger not mouse) control.