Random Notes

I tuned in to Apple's big announcement of the iPad (insert tampon joke here). My primary interest was to find out if it really was a "Kindle killer" that would cause me to cancel my Nook eReader order. Whew. Not even close.

Apple has made a spiffy machine, no doubt. I could see myself buying one primarily for web surfing, gaming and movies -- I watch a lot of video on my iPod and PSP -- but I don't think I could use it as my exclusive eReader. A backlit screen like that would cause strain on my eyes that an e-ink display will not.

If I decide to take the plunge later on, the Barnes & Noble eReader iPhone app will work on the iPad, so my entire library could transfer over without a hitch.

It's definitely a machine I wouldn't mind owning, but it's not something I feel I need in a visceral way. I'm content to wait for a second-generation machine that adds a camera/microphone combo for stuff like Skype. If I bought one, I'd go for the 64GB model, and $700 is a bit much when I could be buying a desktop computer to replace my piece-of-shit machine instead.

Naturally, I hope everyone else ahead of me in the Nook shipping queue has decided to cancel their orders and go with the iPad so I can get my machine faster. It's scheduled to ship Monday, so here's hoping.