Working from the iPad today. Not bad. I can find a way to hold it that works well in most positions. Far better than a laptop in every couch position. For the types of tasks I imagine the iPad to do well with – it is great at home so far. Email and web – and the all important links in email to web – these tasks are very easy to manage on the iPad. Nice big screen the screen rotation lock is a great addition. Watching the last 12 hours of an eBay auction also easy to do. Migrating from an iPhone to this iPad is not going to be difficult.

Apple may have in fact sold a competing product to the iPhone. For those of us that find the size ok to have with us all the time why would an iPhone be required? A simple voice only phone will now probably suffice. I guess it all comes down to how do you want to balance your freedom. By freedom I mean, to which piper will you pay for voice and data plans. iPad is another choice. It’s 3G appears not to be locked to a provider offering even more choice. In fact fostering actual competition once the different vendors see the need to acquire these new customers with unlocked devices. Not free but a new unlocked freedom may bring a breath of fresh air to the Canadian wireless market if nothing else.

I’ll be looking for a pay as you go SIM on a USA plan when I next visit the states. To prove this device is 1) not locked and 2) I do indeed have this new freedom. In fact over the next few months I’ll try to have a month to month plan with Rogers, Telus and Bell and thus exercise my new freedom. At the very least I plan to watch how the plans settle in. Once they all become contracts for longer periods and start to look like current cell contracts, then I’ll give up my hope for freedom. Here’s to that never happening and a real competitive landscape forming instead.

I do like the iPad 3G in Canada. I have high hopes for it to make a difference in how people work and play. It will make a difference in mine, the month to month data plan already has.