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SALT LAKE CITY -- Does the iPad do everything Apple claims it can do? Early reviewers say yes it does, and it does it well.
Consumer Reports Web Senior Editor Paul Eng said, "It does web browsing. It plays high-definition movies. It displays e-books. It allows you to do e-mail."
Eng says navigating the iPad is intuitive and easy, and it has a clear screen that really is different than other tablet computers already on the market.
"(It's) a really bright screen. You don't have to put it up to your face in order to see what you're doing. (Also) the fact that you can stream movies onto it and it's very easy to watch movies or videos that are displayed on it, it tends to really be different," he said.
But, he said he's noticed it could be hard to see the screen in bright sunlight.
"Part of the problem is that mirror-like finish on the display screen tends to reflect a lot of light," he pointed out.
Eng believes the iPad will definitely reignite interest in tablet computers, but Eng said there is still one big question.
"Can consumers see the need for having a flat panel device like this tablet when they already have, or may have, a Kindle, a laptop, an iPod Touch or an iPhone?" he asked.
Other reviewers say the iPad will change the way we think about mobile technology beyond the smartphone. CNET's Donald Bell says there are some impressive upgrades to the apps that are now available for the iPad, but it still has a few hurdles in front of it. He says price and size could be considered a problem.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
