Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi - Tablet - 16 GB - 9.7" IPS ( 1024 x 768 ) - rear camera + front camera - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth - black

I was one of those people who said "who needs an Ipad? why not just get a laptop... it does more!". Then I got one about a month ago and I can honestly say I jut pure ignorant!

Firstly though... if you buy an iPad expecting it to replace your laptop, you will be disapointed. Lets get a few things out the way here.

1) An iPad isn't and never was designed to replace either a PC or a laptop. Its a tablet device which compliments either a PC, Mac or a laptop.
2) An iPad has one massive disadvantag to a laptop, and that is the ease of transferring data. It has no DVD drive or USB slot!

Now if we look at what the iPad is and does offer... its an amazing piece of technology which can massive potential for use and funcationality.

The main things I use mine for are...

1) Word processing and spreadsheet creation.
2) Painting and drawing.
3) Internet browsing.
4) Music, videos and podcasts.
5) Gaming.
6) Reading.
7) Emails.

You can't judge an iPad or any technology unless you know what functonality and you see how well it does those. All the above are what I required or found I could do, and now use my iPad for such. The iPad fits my needs and requirements.

In essence, the iPad is a bigger, massive version of an iPhone, but so what? It works!

Word processing and spreadsheet creation works a charm. Typing couldnt be easier, and with a wide range of word processing "apps" to buy and use, you have ample choice. There are even "apps" which read and create MS documents too.

Internet Browsing, despite the lack of flash, is spot on. Most websites now are moving away from flash or offer a free "app" to download and use. For example, the BBCIplayer offers a free "app" because the main website users flash and it works a charm.

Email management is easy enough with pre-installed apps.
Music, videos and podcasts all work the same way as on the iPhone.
Reading is a nice experience - and you can use either iBook or the Kindle app or many others to read with.
Gaming offers litterally hundreds or thousands of games to play for free or purchase.

As for the painting and drawing... that was originally just something I was curious about, but after downloading a couple of "apps" and buying a stylus, i've found the iPad to be very good at creating original art work.

From my experience the iPad has a few advantages over a laptop, if you need some:

1) Its far more compact and eaier to lighter to carry around in a bag.
2) A lot easier to hold in your hand or lap and type into.
3) An iPad doesnt become hot when holding it, like some laptops can.
4) The battery life is GREAT! I've had a few laptops in the past and most have died after about 2 hours. My iPad is stll going and with lots of juice left after just half the day being left turned on.

Obviously if you use the iPad excessively, the battery goes down quicker... but it still lasts a lot longer.

Then you have the thousanads of free and purchaseable "apps" which expand the functionality of the iPad far beyond what you might expect. Compare this to a laptop, where you might have to spend about £10+ to get a piece of software on your machine to do something which you can either get for free or pay a lot less for on an iPad.

As I said above.... laptops do offer more processing power, more functionality like DVDs and easier data transfer and more complex software. But if all you need is a small amount of functionality, and you dont need all the bells and whistles of a laptop... consider an iPad.

The only thing I would mark against an iPad (and this is optional) is that you will likely end up spending MORE money on accessories like protective casings and bags and perhaps a keyboard. If so, it can add a further £100+ to what you already spend.

I'm sure the vast majority of those buying an iPad 2 will be very pleased with it. For the most part it lives up to the hype and is a very seductive piece of kit. After downloading iTunes onto the computer and registering, setting up the iPad is a doddle as it's simply a case of connecting it to the computer and the automatic 'synching' process does the rest.

Connecting to the internet via Wi-Fi with my 'N' router was as easy as entering the password and I have to say the response time of the Safari web browser was very impressive, with pages loading very quickly making web browsing a joy. The screen is a gem being bold and bright and large enough to be regarded as a serious web browsing monitor. The only slight criticism, which is often referred to, is how quickly the screen becomes covered in fingerprints. But I hasten to add the need to clean it only becomes apparent after you've turned the thing off and isn't a problem during use.

Of course, Apps are a huge attraction and there's a lot of fun to be had from browsing the App Store and downloading from the huge amount available, many of which are free and even the paid ones don't exactly break the bank. And apps can be downloaded directly onto the iPad, there's no need to sync them from the computer to the device.

If, like me, you enjoy keeping up with the news and catching up with missed TV programmes then apps like BBC iPlayer, Sky news for iPad, and the (currently free) Channel 4oD are obvious choices and are very impressive on the iPad. A YouTube app also comes as standard and there have been comments about losing Wi-Fi connection whilst using it which I did experience a few times. This may need to be fixed in a future update but it reconnected quickly and wasn't a big problem.

Criticism is bound to be subjective but there are a few things I'd refer to. Firstly, it seems that most people don't appear to have a problem with setting up their email account on the iPad, but for me it was a non starter. I have Outlook Express on my desktop PC and have never had problems setting up email accounts before. But my iPad just wouldn't receive emails - sending emails, yes, but it wouldn't receive them. I spent the better part of two days trying to beat this problem, but tech help both at Apple and my ISP along with lots of forum trawling couldn't resolve it. I tried setting it up manually, then synching OE from the computer, but all to no avail. Others seem to have had no problems in this respect so maybe it's just my bad luck.

The second thing is battery life. In just about every iPad review I've read, 10 hours seems to be the boastful claim and I notice other reviewers here are similarly impressed. Well, perhaps that 10 hours is possible with Wi-Fi turned off. But in my experience using the iPad with Wi-Fi turned on drained the battery in half that time. So, maybe time between charges depends on how much you surf the net. If not, then maybe mine had a substandard battery.

My third criticism is maybe due to the success of the iPad design. It's a beautiful thing and deceptively solid and strong, which is a good thing, right? But it's sleek, slim, highly polished profile makes for quite a 'slippery' unit. Using it on your lap or a table is fine but holding it as, say, an ebook reader (and iBooks, together with the Kindle app, are excellent by the way) can sometimes be a little frustrating as you try to work out the best way to hold it for any length of time.

Then there's the lack of Flash support which means that if you're someone who likes to watch video clips on the internet, or indeed any video content that requires Flash, then you're going to be frustrated by Apple's stubborn refusal to allow it to run on the iPad. There are a few apps and freeware programs out there which attempt to get around this issue but I wouldn't put too much faith in them at present. But if Flash is of no concern to you then obviously this can be discounted.

And finally, there's the price. Although the iPad2 is good value when compared to the original I think those of us in the UK still get legally mugged. To some extent we can thank the VAT hike to 20% which means that no less than a hefty £90 of a 64Gb iPad2 price is VAT. Of course, that's no fault of Apple but it does make the overall cost an important consideration.

If price isn't a concern and you don't mind shelling out so much for something that will probably be superseded by iPad3 in less than a year - and you're not frustrated by the email account problems I had and the niggles I refer to above then I'd say the iPad 2 is a serious contender for anyone looking for a tablet which, by all accounts, sets a standard in terms of design, build, and sheer usability that the 'android' competitors are still struggling to compete with.

To be honest I wasn't really in the market for a tablet. But after I found I was using my smart phone in which to check my mail, check the news and finding myself getting somewhat frustrated at the small screen size I decided; "What the heck" and did a trawl for the best tablet for me. Initially the I-Pad was out of the running simply because of the price. But after looking around at the competition it soon became very clear, that actually the I-Pad was the only worthy contender: Dual Core Chip, fantastic build quality, capacitive touch screen and best of all it is so intuitive in use.

I ordered off of Apple (Got the free engraving) and through their website was able to check its progress: China, Middle East,Germany,England. The I-Pad arrives fully charged, however if like me and this is your first Apple product you need to download I-Tunes in which to register the product. (No other-way to get it working)

Well, to turn it on, you depress the wee button on the top of the Pad, It's up and running within seconds and I mean seconds. To access your mail touch the mail app (Ok,you do have to enter your e-mail details first) and again within seconds you are checking your e-mail. Check the internet, touch the Safari app (Safari is the Apple version of Window Explorer/Firefox/Opera etc) very smooth again within seconds I'm surfing the net.

The battery lasts around 10 hours and takes up to a couple to recharge.

Now I suppose the main selling point for a lot of people will be the applications (Apps) that are available. I simply bought a couple of pre-paid vouchers in town and entered them into my I-tunes account. Its as easy as that and you don't have to enter any bank details anywhere. Every-time I purchase an app within a few days I receive a receipt (e-mail) from apple informing me of my purchase.

I've downloaded a backgammon app. (Ok) the Daily mail app (Don't laugh as the app is really something else.) Which costs £[] for the year and as somebody who reads the Guardian on a daily basis and the Economist on a weekly one I will be purchasing it once the free period runs out in Aug. What I'm saying here is from what I've seen of the difference in Android and Apple apps. Apple wins hands down in the quality stakes.

I've downloaded the bookshelf app and currently have 4 books downloaded. To be honest I just wanted to know what they would be like and as the books were a lot cheaper than the usual paperbacks I purchase I thought I'd try them out. Well reading them is no different to reading a real book and you get the bonus of being able to instantly check out what any word means. Simply by moving your finger across the screen the pages move back or forth. However I can't see myself giving up the pleasure of reading a real book any-time soon. For a start you never ever worry about a book.

I also purchased a plastic screen protector. Now having fitted a Zagg Invisible Shield to my phone I knew fitting one to the I-Pad would be a job and a half. Guess what it was. However I recommend buying one of the wee packs (3 or 6) in which to get used to fitting a screen protector without coming up with something that looks like an aero bar.

All in all, I am most impressed with the I-Pad, my only gripe is how anything connected to Apple is so damn expensive. On the other side of the coin you get what you pay for. At the moment the I-Pad2 is the best tablet on the market with the most peripherals, yes there are lots of competitors in the background. But if you want the best, then there's simply no contest.