Apple iPad

The device certainly has the touchy-feely quality often associated with Apple products. It’s a little heavier than I’d expected it to, but it feels comfortable in the hands and is just the right size to hold or balance on your lap like an ordinary notepad.

Just the right size

Unfortunately, the initial set-up process was marred by two glitches that have been widely reported since the iPad’s US launch. The first – an incorrect error message reporting that the iPad isn’t charging when connected to a USB hub – is relatively minor.

The second problem is potentially a lot more serious. Many people have reported poor Wi-Fi reception on their iPads, and when I first unwrapped it on a Monday evening the iPad repeatedly dropped the connection to my home network in my bedroom – the furthest point from my wireless router – even though my laptop and iPod Touch had no difficulty connecting to the router from the same room.

Oddly, though, the Wi-Fi reception did improved noticeably over the next 48 hours, and by Wednesday morning I was sprawled on the bed happily browsing the web on the iPad. However, it does still have an annoying habit of sometimes dropping the connection after waking up from ‘sleep’ mode.