Sorry for not dropping by for some time. Work was murder, the Open University is currently draining a lot of my resources and somehow I didn’t feel I had anything interesting to share. This might of course still be the case.

Over the last weeks I followed the brouhaha over the Ipad. Being in theory an utter Apple fan boy who is aware of his uncritical admiration for the company’s products I still have enough braincells left that being locked into a non-free hardware/software stitch up run by opinionated and rather megalomanic CIO is not necessarily a good thing. This is why at least two of my computers are running Linux and OpenBSD on bog standard hardware. Nevertheless, it’s hard to seperate me from my Ipod(s) and my MacBook. And if I wouldn’t find such enjoyment taking my computers apart, I am sure I would by another Imac (I bought the first generation Imac back in 1999 and still sometimes dream of it). With other words, it’s now been 17 years since I bought my first Mac (a used PB150) and I’m still utterly in love with the company’s products. Although I have to admit that it sometimes feels like a liaison dangereux.

Anyway, to come back to the Ipad. I have been watching the whole thing from the sidelines, and pretty sure I wouldn’t need one: I have my MacBook and my Ipods (no Iphone. You’ll have to pry my wonderful Nokia E72 from my cold, dead hands). When The Guardian started its strange, drooling coverage last week, I still wasn’t convinced. Then I saw one actually in action one a Youtube video, and I was hooked. So this morning, I went to the most unfashionable PCWorld in East Anglia and bought one. And bloody hell, it’s gorgeous. Even the best girlfriend ever was happy to acknowledge that it’s just utterly beautiful.

After the unboxing, synchronizing and general drooling was over, I started making myself a micro sim card. Armed with a pair of scissors, my 3 network dongle and a youtube video I managed to convert my dongle to dual use and indeed: the ipad is exceedingly happy using my self made micro sim card.

So, what it’s like to use? Brillant. The most impressive thing is the speed. And its intuitiveness. And its screen. And its 64 gb ram. And did I mention the speed?

But what do you actually use it for? Good question. At the moment it’s the best mobile email reader I’ve ever had.

And I’m sure that ‘Lost’ on the train will be absolutely spiffing.

More as soon as I stop drooling.