It's remarkable for travel, getting wifi is kind of bitch, but it makes reading or watching videos in bed perfectly comfortable and it fits exactly into my shoulder bag.

I go back and forth with my usage, but I don't regret having it at all. My iPad is currently sitting dormant, where it's been for a couple weeks, but it was a lifesaver on our honeymoon (watching Netflix) and when I went to a conference -- the whole reason I bought it -- using it and being able to carry it in a small bag led almost directly to me getting more responsibilities at work, because I could use it so easily.

I have a desktop at work, a newer smartphone, and an aging laptop which doesn't always cooperate. Having an iPad was critical when my laptop decided to get fussy a couple weeks ago.

I feel much more professional being able to carry it in my shoulder bag instead of carrying my giant backpack. I'm on a large campus, so it makes me feel less like a student.

Don't if you expect to be typing a lot. Main advantages are battery life and light weight.

I should also point out that I own a wireless keyboard for use with the iPad. (I'm a writer, and I interview people/take notes all the time.) I don't use it as much as I thought I would, though.

Part of me suspects I'm being trivial/vain, but not having to carry my student-style backpack any more is a consideration for me too, Madamina. I now teach grad students (as well as studying), and don't want to look like one any more than I have to.

I've been looking at the Asus Transformer, which seems to combine the best aspects of tablets and netbooks. If it works as advertised, I think it might be the ideal thing for me, as I would want to type on it sometimes.

I had thought that Android tablets weren't yet up to scratch, but this one looks really good. Mr alto and I both have Android phones and are happy with them so it makes sense to get an Android tablet as well.

I had the same inner debate before I caved about 6 months ago and bought my IPad2. It is better than sliced bread. I web surf on it, show people my pics, handle my email, take notes, manage documents, play games (including daily NYT crossword), find and book restaurants, read my magazines and books, take guitar lessons, practice Chinese ... It's incredible. I'm not going to bore you with all it does, but it is invaluable. Latest trick is that it is holding all trip info, guide books, a translator and more for our upcoming trip to China.

I still use my laptop, sometimes my desktop, at work, but the IPad and it's little Bluetooth keyboard go with me everywhere including work conferences. I don't miss the absence of a USB port - don't need it -- and Photon browser app is a fine workaround to make the iPad play nice with Adobe Flash.

Wife just got a Samsung Galaxy Tab as bonus from work on Saturday. Seems pretty cool but I haven't had time to play with it much. Setup was amazingly easy, just log into gmail and bam, it's all configured. Seems light enough to use and was very fast, but I only played with it for half an hour or so.

I should add that my phone is a Droid X2, successor to my Droid, so I like Android fine. But the Ipad2 is incredibly slick and likely about to get even better as Apple steps up its OS and cloud service.

I have the Asus Transformer and really love it. It's lightweight enough to hold it with one hand while reading, or to carry it in my purse instead of a backpack. The battery life is more than satisfactory, and I use mine for all the things you want one for.

I also have a smartphone and laptop; the tablet fits right between them in terms of performance. My phone is slow and not ideal for reading or lots of internet browsing. My laptop is great, but heavy and not fun to carry around. So, the tablet is kind of the best of both worlds for me.

I have a (work-supplied) iPad with WiFi and 3G and it is fucking awesome. I do have a wireless keyboard for it, because the on-screen keyboard is a bit tiresome over longer periods. For taking notes in meetings of up to a couple of hours, I don't bother, but for all-day meetings the separate keyboard is a must. The only drawback is that some people get irked by the keys clicking during meetings (even though it's very quiet), which doesn't happen with the on-screen keyboard if you turn the volume down. Actually, there is another drawback - I carry the keyboard (an Apple one) in my backpack and it sometimes gets turned on in the bag, which disables the on-screen keyboard. Annoying more than anything, particularly because it seems to have an enormous range.

One of the best things is being able to access the Web during meetings - the ability to just look something up quickly has been an unexpected bonus for me. I could do that on my iPhone, but it's nowhere near as functional and hard to show others the results.

I also have a (also work-supplied) laptop that I used to lug around with me everywhere but, since I got the iPad, I think I've only undocked it once or twice. The main benefits of the iPad vs laptop are light weight and battery life - it easily lasts a whole day of fairly constant use. Even with the extended battery, I could never get this out of my laptop. Laptops in meetings are also somewhat intrusive because they create a visual barrier between you and others that you have to keep looking over/around, where the iPad is much smaller and more discreet (plus you can lay it flat if you need to reduce that problem even further). For longer meetings, I would also have to carry the power pack and sit near an outlet.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts. It turns out that the big-box electrical store 200 metres from our house has the Transformer, and it's cheaper than Amazon. I'm not used to having so little barrier between me and a potential purchase, so will sleep on it for a while.