The iPad is here, after a flurry of news media and speculation. There has been a lot of emotion surrounding the release of this technological marvel. Many people are waiting to see if the iPad will create a new category of electronic devices between the cell phone and laptop. The Apple fanboys are touting the iPad as the future of electronic computing, referencing its 10 hour battery life, advanced touch screen and application distribution system. The naysayers, on the other hand, are less impressed with what it has and are focused on what it doesn’t; web camera and cell phone capabilities for starters.

After a week of solid use of the iPad ,  I have  formed my own opinions. First of all, I’m finding the iPad more of an enjoyable experience then using a standard PC or laptop. It’s small and convenient, the battery life seems to last forever and there are a multitude of applications to enjoy. I often find myself reading a book, checking my mail, browsing the web, watching a video, downloading new applications etc , while not noticing the time or  whether I am  in  the living room, basement  or backyard.

The biggest draw I see for the iPad is its ease of use and flexibility. The device reaches all users from the two year old to the ninety year old grandmother. This is very powerful in the electronic consumer space. The wii gaming console demonstrated this in previous years, with its record sales and wide spread adoption, despite its lack luster graphics and previous generation hardware specs. As for flexibility, the iPad has a vast number of applications. So many applications are available, that no matter what your interests are, there is an application that meets your needs.

In conclusion, I see the iPad as the must have device of the year. The demand is growing and it’s going to be hard to get your hands on one in the near future; I know I’m not giving mine up at any price.

Sent from my iPad

It’s an interesting world we find ourselves in.   The concept of the Tablet has been around for over 20 years, but the supporting infrastructure (security, most notably) was not in place and the mindshare did not exist either.  Indeed, it has taken many years for the straightforward SMS technology to be mostly accepted.

Now, Smartphone technology and application availability is growing at an astounding rate.  Thanks to the Apple store and the Nokia forum, to name a few, developers can post applications and consumers can browse the marketplace easily.

With Google Android and the Series 60 SDK, among others, developers are plugged in to the marketplace quickly and easily.  As we have been working with the various SDKs, we have developed applications for iPhones, Android-based Tablets, Blackberry devices, and others.  Developing software for a variety of mobile devices presents some interesting challenges – there are different screen sizes, different hardware capabilities, and even different operating systems that the same application will need to run on.

We predict that manufacturers, application developers and consumers alike will find 2010 to be an interesting year in the mobile device world.  Rumors promise that Apple will unveil a Tablet in the next week or so.  Does that mean that Tablets are the next “it device” for consumers?

Come back and visit us in successive weeks as we report on the technology developments and our own findings about developing software applications for the new mobile devices.