Are you ready to manage iPads?

I purchased an iPad over the weekend, and I absolutely love it. The user interface is simple and the device itself is very quick - even on my slower home network. I think I got close to 13 hours of use (watching videos, downloading multiple apps, playing games, etc.) before I had to plug it in to charge for the first time.

I was very impressed with the overall usability of the device. I rarely use the web browser on my iPhone, but with the iPad it’s incredibly easy to log on to nearly any website and do what you'd do on a normal computer. Is the keyboard weird? Absolutely, but the more you use it the more you get the hang of it. The Blackberry keyboard was a little funky at first too, right? I am not a fan of using iPhone apps on the iPad. Yes you can easily magnify them, but the images just get distorted and it sort of ruins the experience (for me at least).

Speaking of apps, I found some solid business/ productivity apps for the iPad in the App Store. I’ve been using GoodReader to review PDFs and PPT files. Its powerful, it does what it’s supposed to do, and right now it’s on sale for 99 cents so why not! If you travel a lot, the Kayak app is also really quick, intuitive, and truly finds low fare flights. Also, if you use the Google Voice web app you can send and receive SMS messages on the device too. Why you would need to, who knows, but Google Voice users have that option. After a weekend of use I’m not sure I would write a full report or create an important presentation on the iPad, but then again I haven’t tried to. I haven’t downloaded any word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation apps, so I can’t provide any insight there (yet). BBC and the NY Times have great news apps, FeedReader syncs with your Google Reader, and the E*Trade Financial app is also very clean and user friendly.

The 3G version (which isn't out for a few more weeks) makes more sense for business users because it allows for connectivity at all times. Much like the iPhone, the iPad supports nearly all email formats and it’s SUCH a breath of fresh air reading messages and attachments on a full screen!

Lastly I’m not part of our IT department, so I really can’t comment on supporting the device in that sense. I do know that other employees bring in their personal laptops and are able to connect smart phones to one of our networks, so I really don’t see how an iPad would be any different.

Note: I haven't brought my iPad to the office yet. Not because I fear connecting it to our network, or because I wouldn't use it, but because I ride our fabulous public transit system every day and I choose not to attract unnecessary attention to myself. They are still a very new (and sought after) device. Gotta stay street smart!