As Google and HP and even RIM are lining up to offer new options to the tablet community it is high time I offered my opinion on the whole tablet scene.

I have had my iPad now for several months. It has become a fixture in my technology life, in many ways it represents to me a new way of doing things.

My original goal with the iPad was to get comfortable enough with it to figure out the best way to integrate it into my father's life. I see the iPad as a boon to seniors, those who should be connected but don't need the power nor the complexity of a full-blown PC.

The feature of the iPad that excited me (or Dad) the most was the eBook functionality, plus I hoped that easy access to email might encourage him to use it more. So the first thing I did with the iPad was load a bunch of books on board in both eBook and audio book format.

I love the interface Apple has integrated into the book section. I am one of those who loves all my album art on my iPod, so seeing the nice graphics of all the book covers is a real pleasure for me. Can't explain why, but I do like it!

Reading books on the iPad is another matter entirely. The eBook interface is a dream.

As you brush your finger over the screen to turn pages you get the impression you are turning a physical page. I love the instant access to dictionary functions and bookmarking.

The clarity and resolution of the screen is excellent; however, I actually find the iPad a bit big and cumbersome. It only weighs a pound and a half, but it seems to gain weight as I read, and I find it difficult to get comfortable.

When we read we take on all sorts of postures, from curling up on the couch to laying flat on our back in bed, to sitting in an easy chair, but the iPad really only works well when we sit holding it in two hands; it is too heavy to hold in one, and I don't find it comfortable resting on my chest in bed.

Having said all that, the iPad has convinced me that I like the idea of an eBook, and I plan to give the new Kindle a try as a result. The screen on it is only six inches, but it weighs a third of the iPad.

Where the iPad has shone, for me at least, is as my leisure companion. It sits beside me as I watch TV, or even when friends are over. I constantly look up tidbits of information on the iPad; it takes far less effort to do a quick search on it than to flip open a notebook, wait for it to wake up and then type in a query.

When friends are over we are constantly referring to our shared calendars to make plans, or checking to see the date of a concert we want to attend. I have IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) as one of my main bookmarks, and whenever we watch TV we are constantly using it to answer the question of who this actor is or what show they were in.

In short, as an eBook reader I think that iPad comes up a bit short, but in all the other ways I use it it has won me over. The iPad has become a permanent fixture in my tech tool kit.

Steve Dotto hosted and produced the TV show Dotto Tech for 15 years. He is a sought-after speaker and writer who focuses on the social impact of technology. Visit his website at www.dottotech.com.