HARDWARE: I Almost Bought An iPad2 Today

Being out and about 'cuz I had a visit with the guys in the white coats, and their enforcers, physiotherapists, I came perilously close to buying an iPad2 today. General cheapness, a hatred for being told what to do and too much work and too little time to do it all combined to rescue me from my potential giving in to the dark side of Steve Jobs.

The morning started with word that Kno had put out a textbook app for the iPad. I wanted a Kno when it was going to be a hardware and software combination that made eTextbooks a real thing. The hardware Kno never really made it to the public, beyond a few controlled beta tests. But, boy, that software app was something I was interested in. And now it exists in a form I can (almost) buy. Sure, it's a US thing, but there are ways around everything.

Then, I read a nice round-up on the reading apps on the iPad2. Besides the obvious Kindle app, there are scads that do specific things I would want. Like Bluefire. And the Comixology comic book apps. There WILL be android versions of these, but how soon? And of what quality?

Finally, there is a rumour out there that sales of Honeycomb 3.1 devices are going to be halted in more than a few countries. Probably not in the States because the Xoom and the Acer products already seem to have it. BUT, and this is the but that counts, will the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 have it? It was supposed to be out Wednesday. Then, word came that only one store in New York City would be debuting it Wednesday. Seven to 10 days later for the rest of 'us.' Now, I'm worried that 'us' is U.S. not the collective we. At least here in Canada.

And why am I salivating over a gen one product when the iPad2 is seriously along in its dotage and has the superior app store? Well, as previously mentioned, there is the Jobs factor and his fanatical desire to control what's on my computer. A lousy camera and no Flash support still rankle. And who among us doesn't hate, really HATE iTunes? Well, who don't work for Apple. There's the lack of expandable memory and the user non-replaceable battery. The expensive accessories 'cuz the apple-verse pays through the nose for the logo, unlike the rest of us cheapskates in the real world.

So, using the excuses found atop this posting, I didn't buy anything. I have no idea when I will be able to buy the Samsung 10.1. It is VERY possible, I should be thinking of a tablet purchase as the first of a two-tablet family of purchases. This first one to get my feet wet, and the real v2 or v3 one next year. But if that was the case, why haven't I bought a refurb'd iPad or an Acer Iconia (available today for $450 plus tax) or even the low end iPad2 at $520?

I guess it comes down to being cheap and busy, a fairly nasty combination. IF the Samsung does decide to delay the mid-June launch here in Canada of the 10.1, I will be faced with the decision all over again. I hope to be un-busy by then.

It's the only way to legitimize the time spent on a new toy, afterall.