[NTLK] Who here thinks the iPad is a worthy replacement for the Newton?

[Forrest Buffenmyer]

>>> The only one i've seen that comes close to it is the Entouradge eDGe (
>>> http://www.entourageedge.com/)
>
>OMG Now I'm excited...what do we know about this? I mean...Android operating system (thank God no Windows OS!)...replaceable lithium battery...any idea what the HWR is like?
>
>Maybe I won't be looking at an iPad after all....



Okay okay calm down there a bit, Skippy....

At first blush--so to speak--it looked great. But I just read through the Comments section at the bottom...and watched the video.

I see some things I would not like. For instance...at the present time I have no need for an eBook reader. One side of this is permanently an eBook reader. But...let's say that I decide I will start reading eBooks (the same way people who never thought to carry a portable music player discovered an iPod). There's no backlight...intentionally, they (Entourage) say, to make it appear more like paper, using only ambient light. So, I couldn't read in dim or low light. Entourage also says I *could* reflect the backlight from the netbook side over to the reader to illuminate it...or there's an application that would allow me to read the eBook on the netbook/tablet side, with its backlight...but it will use the batteries up faster. Great. So I now have a nonusable eBook reader on the left and an eBook with backlighting on the right...that (depending on my usage that day) has a little battery life remaining...I could read for what? Fifteen minutes? An hour?

Forget the HWR...there isn't any...yet. And, it's WiFi only...unless you use a Mobile HotSpot device like Verizon is offering. It doesn't play YouTube...yet. In fact, Entourage is a little sketchy on when that might happen...it's a "future release".

There presently is no retail outlet where you can have a hands-on look at it.

There's a few more things I could bang on it about...but why should I have all the fun?

I'm not ruling it out...but that was a short bandwagon ride. ;)

Thanks,
Forrest