For me it is too small. I had one of those Asus 7 inch netbooks 3 years ago and its damn small for me. Now I'm using 12" netbooks. Perfect for carrying around and the screen is just the right size for a laptop/netbook. Mind you, if I want big screen then I'll use my desktop with 22 inch LG.

You really can't compare a 7" tablet with mobile OS to a netbook with a desktop OS.

Yeah, I had an iPad for a couple weeks...and while it was pretty cool I could never find a comfortable way to hold it. The thing is just heavy to hold for very long. While the extra screen size is certainly nice, the reality is a 7" tablet is easier to use while walking around. It obviously all comes down to usage requirements and personal preference.

I borrowed one for an hour last week and came up with the exact same conclusion (but I still would like to have one).

MisterNice

I can't imagine myself wanting to type for any length of time on a touchscreen of any kind. If typing is involved, a traditional clamshell design is the only choice, IMO.

That, to be fair, is the main reason I've never looked at the iPad. I'd be more likely to be interested in the new MacBook, though what I'd really like (manufacturers, are you listening?) is a 10" netbook-sized laptop with a decent spec, so I can have one machine and just plug it into a big monitor/keyboard/mouse when not travelling. That tiny Sony Vaio almost fits the bill but it's that little bit *too* small.

Neil

There is a full-size keyboard that you can attach to the iPad when you need to. It also doubles as a charging station.

If you can find a machine with the specs you want at it without breaking the bank, a convertible tablet machine gives you the best of both worlds hardware-wise (the software on a Windows 7 one won't be up to the iPad's for the touch-use, but they're pretty nice for media consumption and use in close quarters nonetheless.)

There are a moderate number 11.6" and 12" machines with genuinely high specs now, but I can't seem to find any 10" ones even with the new dual-core Atoms.

I have to date paid little attention to the tablet market or the iPad-related mass-media lovefest.

A 7" Android tablet, however, would certainly cause me to pay attention. I'd love something like that for flights.

I'm currently rocking a 10.1" Netbook on flights, and even that's too big and uncomfortable in Y. I'm flying a bunch of short hops on either a regional jet or Southwest, so the days of a nice F seat (or even UA E+ since I'm mainly on WN, AE, and CO Express routes these days) are few and far between...

With the Droid X at 4.3", these two units are close.

for me 7" is too small. i prefer to use 12" up as to satisfy my viewing. even on office applications, large viewing is more preferable.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/01/s...xy-tab-review/

There is a side-by-side here with the iPad, the latest Kindle, and the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tablet. The Kindle and the galaxy are basically the same size. Compared to the iPad it is practically an entirely different class of device. I think this is good for Android right now as they do not have the ecosystem that the iPad and iPad devs had when it comes to making apps for tablets. In other words, an app originally designed for a phone won't look too much worse when it is only blown up another few inches as compare to what iPhone apps look like on the much larger iPad.

Given Apple's secretive ways, it's doubtful developers knew about the iPad coming before it was announced.

They did announce about 3 months before they released so there were some apps. on day 1 but not a lot.

Similarly, people know Android tablets are coming. In fact, they knew back in January, when the iPad was announced.

But it seems a lot of tablets announced at CES this year didn't pan out.

Review of the Galaxy Tablet where they talk about why 7-inch screen is not a good choice.

http://gizmodo.com/5686161/samsung-g...le-train-wreck

But they also say that the $599 off-contract Tab is more expensive than a $499 iPad (which has no Wi-Fi).

In other words, I'll wait till Engadget gets their review up.

All iPads have at least Wifi.

The Verizon-distributed Tab is Wifi-only isn't it?

It's the Sprint Tabs which has 3G but you have to sign a 2-year contract.