tablet

The reviews are in on Apple's iPad. And starting Saturday, you can actually get your hands on one.

In the days preceding the April 3 launch of the Wi-Fi version of the iPad in the U.S., there hasn't been the same kind of line-waiting frenzy as with past releases of the the iPhone: few are camping out ahead of time.

That's likely because those who wanted to snag an iPad the first day had the option to have it shipped to them--for free. But those who didn't plan ahead, or only recently got the must-buy-it bug, will have to go into an Apple Store or a Best Buy to make their purchase.

CNET's got a team covering the launch: Greg Sandoval in New York City, Erica Ogg and James Martin in San Francisco, and Josh Lowensohn in Palo Alto, Calif. Follow along with our live blog below.

Sandoval, 8:15 a.m. EDT at New York's Fifth Avenue Apple Store: In the final hours before the iPad went on sale, the line out in front of the store saw a little controversy.

Greg Packer, the retired highway worker who says he began waiting in line since Tuesday to ensure he would be first to walk out with the device, learned on Friday that those who had preordered an iPad would be first to enter.

The person who is in position to be allowed into the store first, with less than an hour to go before Apple starts letting people in, is Richard Gutjahr, a blogger from Germany.

Packer says he represents the fans who were willing to wait in line, but that's going to ring hollow to some because Packer, 46, may not be the best representative of Apple's truest fans. He's a well-known "line sitter," who spends much of his time appearing first at public events in hopes he will be interviewed.

… Read more

Editors' note: CNET's rated review of the Apple iPad is now available.

The Apple iPad is an unprecedented device. It doesn't shoot rainbows or make puppies, but this roughly 8x10-inch tablet computer melds your laptop, smartphone, gaming console, and iPod into a single, affordable, unfortunately named thing.

Of course, we come to you with a standard list of complaints. The absence of an integrated video camera puts the kibosh on any hope of using the iPad for video chats, and without Flash video support, many Web pages look like Swiss cheese. But the biggest problem with the device is coming up with bullet-proof reasons to buy one.

Because the iPad is an entirely new class of device, you'll probably need to lie to yourself a little to justify the purchase. But at this point, any CNET readers worth their salt have mastered the art of making excuses to buy new gadgets.

For the uninitiated, Apple has posted a cheat sheet of demo videos that provide a smorgasbord of reasonable answers to the question: "Why do I need an iPad?" To hear Apple tell it, the iPad is a Web browser for your living room, an e-book reader for the den, a movie player for the kids, a photo album, a jukebox, a gamer's best friend, a word processor, an e-mail machine, and a YouTube junkie's dream come true. No excuse good enough for you? Wait a few minutes and a developer will inevitably make an app for it.

Whatever you need to tell yourself to buy an iPad, we can safely say the device is a worthwhile addition to any wired home. We don't give much weight to the pundits who say that the iPad is the future of the personal computer, but we think it's the most entertaining gadget we'll see all year.… Read more

The CNET New York office is typically a tame environment--unless it happens to be the eve of a big Apple product drop and turns into pure unapologetic madness! It's the day before the release of the much-anticipated Apple iPad and Natali picked one up this morning for a CBS News segment, but little does she know The 404 has our own version, and it's bigger, cheaper, and even comes with its own stylus! Unfortunately, we can't do a side-by-side comparison because the real iPad is currently submerged in a puddle of Wilson's saliva, but we'll try to get the thing in the studio for Monday's show, pending a serious wipedown.

Jeff and I are still disappointed by the lack of features on the iPad, but we can't shrug off the awesome-factor of the new Netflix for iPad app that dropped yesterday. Some disregarded it as a cruel April Fools' joke, but it is indeed available now on the App Store. The service is free to all Netflix customers, who will now have mobile access to more than 20,000 movies and television shows currently in the library. You can even continue watching movies from where you left off on your TV or computer at home.

We can already sense your irritation at all this iPad talk, so let's move on. Sending dirty text messages to your boo bear isn't just for professional golfers and tweens anymore. Studies show that more and more adults are using "sexting" to get nasty on the run, so we're running down a list of five tips for safe sexting. The list is cheeky, and while we agree that the No. 1 tip is to be discreet, the article neglects to address the wonderful world of multimedia messages that can add a visual aid to your naughty text.

Guess we know what you're doing this weekend! And after you do that, shoot us a line by leaving a voicemail at 1-866-404-CNET or send a message to the404(at)cnet(dot)com and let us know what's on your mind!

iPad Day, as you've surely heard, is almost upon us. When Apple stores around the country open their doors Saturday morning, those who have preordered the much-hyped tablet, yours truly included, can finally get their hands on one. Those who haven't preordered the device can also get one at Apple stores starting at 9 a.m. local time, as well as at most Best Buys.

It's been reported here and elsewhere that iPad preorders are numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and you, being Crave fans, perhaps count for one of those. Or at least you're … Read more

The Wi-Fi version of Apple's new iPad is just around the corner, and I can practically hear the fanboys champing at the bit from my climate-controlled cubicle. The massive media player-cum-e-book reader is set for retail availability this Saturday, April 3. Not that you could avoid Apple's massive media campaigning efforts if you tried, but just in case you forgot what this thing looks like and what it can do, we're here to remind you. The gallery below contains up-close and personal shots of the device as well as a plethora of information on its functionality.

We might indeed be in the midst of a sea change in portable computing--at least, according to early hands-on reviews of the iPad, Apple's cannon shot at the Netbook universe at large. "They're not better at laptops than anything, they're just cheaper," Steve Jobs himself commented at the unveiling of the iPad in January.

The iPad might bring something new or refined to the equation. And the affordable, tiny, and yes, often bare-bones Atom processor-running device we've come to know and love, or hate, as the Netbook is often clunky and frequently disappointing, true … Read more

Apple's iPad is apparently a big seller even before hitting its retail release date. So if you didn't preorder, reserve a unit, or plan to line up at 5 a.m. outside your local Best Buy (which will carry iPads in 600-plus stores), it's time to start considering your touch-screen options.

As we've previously pointed out, there are many tablet/slate devices available that do things the Apple iPad simply can't. Though Apple's tablet runs a version of the company's iPhone operating system, most of these tablets run different versions of Windows, and (… Read more

We talk a bit about the iPad and Rafe reveals that his iPad is in quantum indeterminacy. He has it reserved but he hasn't paid for it. And he won't know until the last minute whether he's going to buy it. Meanwhile the Google-Apple war heats up on the Flash and the tablet front. And Facebook leaks email all over the place. Ew.

Developer enthusiasm for iPad slackens as Android surges http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174486/Developer_enthusiasm_for_iPad_slackens_as_Android_surges… Read more

It hasn't even launched yet and already Apple's iPad is catching the eye of colleges.

Pennsylvania-based Seton Hill University, which has an enrollment of about 2,100, announced on Tuesday that starting fall semester, all full-time students will receive an iPad tablet device in an effort to boost learning ability and technical know-how.

"The iPad initiative kicks off the university's Griffin Technology Advantage Program," the school wrote on its iPad page. "This new program provides students with the best in technology and collaborative learning tools, ensuring that Seton Hill students will be uniquely suited … Read more