Today sees the release of Apple's latest mobile device, the iPad. I've been using one for the last week or so, and while there is plenty of room for improvement, I think that once again, Apple have a real winner on their hands.

Look and Feel

Weighing 608g and measuring 24x189x13.4mm, the iPad feels sturdy and well-constructed. It's a bit on the weighty side, though, and is quite uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time; I found myself having to sit down and rest it on my lap after a while. As with the iPhone, the large, glossy multi-touch screen boasts vibrant colours and is very responsive to commands.

Large iPhone?

Whilst it could be considered a lazy comparison to state that the iPad is simply an iPhone with a bigger screen, this is probably the first thing that comes to mind when first using it; certainly, anyone that has used an iPhone previously will not struggle at all to come to terms with the iPad - many UI elements are shared commonality between the two.  Web browsing is perhaps the area that benefits the most from the larger form factor as there is now less of a need for site-specific applications (Facebook, for example). Most sites I tried fitted comfortably within the iPad's 1024 × 768 screen resolution and while much has been made of the iPads lack of Flash support, I found that most sites had more-or-less exactly the same look-and-feel as browsing them on a notebook or desktop PC.  

It’s all about the apps

Apple are marketing the device heavily as a rival to Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s eBook reader and the iBooks application has a gorgeous user interface and comes with a free copy of Winnie-the-Pooh. New books can be added straight out of the application, where there is a selection of the latest novels as well as loads of free books, courtesy of Project Gutenburg.

Applications that will be familiar to most iPhone users (Safari, Contacts and Calendar etc.) have been given a facelift and now look fantastic at the larger screen resolution. Special mention must go to the Photo browser, which really makes use of the touch screen. While it’s still early days, there are some solid third pary applications also available – Smule’s Magic Piano is particularly innovative and I’ve also been impressed with Tap Tap Radiation and the BBC News app, which nicely pulls together their news stories, videos and radio stations into one place.

Summary

Needless to say, the iPad is an impressive device and already proving to be a fantastic seller (over 1m US units sold in the first month alone).  There are already loads of innovative new apps available, such as Alice in Wonderland and Wired Magazine, with the promise of more in the coming weeks. The iPad is definitely here to stay...

We have now added Telestial PrePaid SIM cards to our PrePaid, No-Contract offering. There are two options available so both international travelers and domestic customers are covered. Rates as low as 9 cents per minute for domestic or international calling are very aggressive on the SIMple Calling SIM or get free incoming calls in over 60 countries with the Passport SIM! Take a look below and some of the highlights.

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No doubt that Apple's iPad is one of the most talked about gadgets of the year if not the absolute most talked about gadget. The ability to run thousands of apps on the beautiful 10 inch screen as well as managing your email or streaming video are just a few of the really cool things you can do with your iPad. When you think about doing any of them you probably picture yourself sitting on the couch at home or maybe even at your desk but by adding a little velcro to the mix, your possibilities are much greater. Yes, we did say velcro. Sounds pretty crazy, right? Check out what we have found and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you!

Google has just released the new version of Android operating system, namely Android 2.2 a.k.a "Froyo" (Frozen yogurt).

Today's menu:
- Performance & speed (a 2-5X performance improvement in CPU-bound code vs. Android 2.1 according to various benchmarks)
- New enterprise capabilities (Exchange, security features)
- Faster, more powerful browser (a 2-3X improvement in JavaScript performance vs. Android 2.1)
- Additions to Android Market