iPad Goes on Sale: What's the Buzz about the Apple iPad?

The local news today beckons the gadget lover to see the latest happening: New York- “Apple iPad Goes on Sale!” Apple’s long awaited and much-anticipated iPad went on sale yesterday (April 3, 2010) A long line of eager customers are waiting for their turn to buy one.

What is the buzz about the Apple iPad?

Developed by Apple Inc., the iPad is what you would call a tablet computer. It is the in-between of your smartphone and the laptop computer. This is similar to the smaller iPhone or iPod touch but the iPad comes with a larger screen. The operating system is a modified version of the iPhone OS.

It also had a 9.7 inch or 25 cm LED backlit multi-touch display, 16 to 64 GB of flash memory, Bluetooth and a 30-pin dock connector so you can use iTunes and connect the necessary wired accessories.

Two models have been announced 802.11n Wi-Fi and 802.11n Wi-Fi and 3G (which can connect to HSDPA cellular networks) and assisted GPS. Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G iPad models will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April.

Another interesting thing is that it is Apple’s first device to use its iBookstore service and companion, a plus for book lovers.  This is comparable to Amazon’s Kindle and Barne’s and Noble’s Nook.

Use the internet using your iPad.

The Safari web browser allows you to view whole web pages in either landscape or portrait view.  The large Multi-Touch screen has vibrant color and sharp text at a readable size.  What’s more, when you rotate the iPad to landscape, the page you are viewing rotates too.  It expands to fit the display. Pretty cool huh?

Navigating the web is done by your finger!  Scroll through a page by flicking up or down the screen.  To shrink or enlarge a page, just double-tap a section; or pinch to zoom in or out.  A handy thumbnail is available to show all your open pages in a grid form and allows you to quickly move from one page to the next.

Keep in touch with emails

A single tap reveals a large onscreen keyboard with keys the same size as the notebook.  The iPad keyboard can switch between landscape and portrait view with a turn!  Then go ahead and write your email.

The Mail app on iPad can be viewed in landscape orientation for a split-screen view showing your opened mail and the messages in your inbox.  But for focusing on a single mail, just switch to portrait view, the email automatically rotates to fill the screen, so you can focus on the message itself.

Upload Your Photos to iPad in a flash

It is easy to sync photos from your Mac or PC using iTunes. You can also import photos directly from your camera or its SD card using the optional iPad camera connection kit. Save photos from email to your iPad photo library.

There is also a built-in photos app on iPad and with a touch of your finger you can see that the photos are stack neatly. Tap a stack and you have a whole album in front of you. Then scroll down through the thumbnails. Tap to view full screen or just view the photos one at a time.

Price: iPad starts at $499.

The official website of Apple iPad: http://www.apple.com/ipad/

View more photos and learn more about the features of this latest cool gadget. Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

As with any product, there is bound to be a reaction of sorts from from different people. Some will like the product. Some will not. Who cares? Obviously, I'm the kind of gal who respects each person's tastes and preferences. If you like it, go buy an Apple Ipad today. If you don't want one, then just get on with your life! Right?

Watch these two videos and decide for yourself if you want to buy your own iPad or not!

• Adventures of an iPad Owner
• Review of the Apple iPad