Merry Christmas!

I'm so excited that I'm just going to blurt it right out--I got a new iPad! Yoo-hoo!

I've been debating with myself whether to get one or not, for days and weeks! I finally bought it last week at Virra Mall (where you'll find the cheapest electronic gadgets anywhere in the metro), and just before making the actual purchase, I was still unsure about what to do. The price understandably makes anyone think twice about getting an iPad, and the fact that it's more a luxury item than anything else (a netbook is more practical and useful, I can say this for sure) gives one even more pause.

But I know myself. When I get obsessed, I don't have peace of mind. My obsession will make me restless and unhappy for ages, and people will probably see me howling at the moon. The only way out of it is to get my hands on my obsession. Plus I had decided (after a tumultuous period in my life) that I will be kind to myself no matter what, that I'll be happy no matter what. So there, this is me being happy, this is me prioritizing my needs instead of other people's. Hah!

Oh, well. I might just as well admit it. I'm a gadget freak.

This iPad is also my early Christmas gift to myself. I thought I'd wrap it or put it in a drawer somewhere and not touch it till Christmas day... But here I am typing this blog post on it. Well, I have to see and test how it performs using the onscreen keyboard (versus an actual keyboard). The verdict? I can type on it more easily than on the iPhone, for sure, but it still requires getting used to. I type more slowly on the iPad than on a netbook.

That said, I'm absolutely in love with my iPad. It offers a different experience surfing the Net and checking my email. I also love that I can watch my downloaded movies and TV shows on it with ease, although I had to buy an app for this, called CineXPlayer. There's a free viewing app (called VLC), but it skips and freezes.

There aren't as many apps for the iPad as for the iPhone, but more are coming out each day. Any day now, Apple will also release the much awaited os4 software update for the iPad, and I can't wait! :-) It'll make multitasking, among others, possible in the iPad.

In the meantime, I'm having a lot of fun doing the usual things I do on the Net (especially using FB) on the iPad. There's an app (called Flipboard) that allows you to read selected websites including FB in a very attractive magazine format. Browsing becomes just like flipping the pages of a magazine. Overall, internet surfing feels more luxurious, smoother and clearer somehow on the iPad. And oh, I also adore that I can use the iPad as a digital photo display.

There's a lot more to explore on the iPad, but I want to wait till Christmas Day to savor the full experience :-)