It's finally here…

It’s finally here. After all the hype and anticipation, after months of collectively holding our breaths, the future of e-reading has arrived, and this blog just wouldn’t be worth its salt if I didn’t cover it. I am, of course, referring to the recent debut of the Kobo e-reader!

What? It’s not like anything else came out this weekend?

But regardless of my interminable love for all things Kibo, all this weekend’s iPad noise hasn’t gone unnoticed. The initial reactions seem positive, though I’d say at least 30% less fan-boy crazy than with previous Apple releases. I — and probably most people — am a bit wary of the iPad, staying home on opening day to lurk on geeky tech-review websites and determine what Apple’s new product is really about.

For myself, iPad aesthetics were a given. I was more concerned with the pad’s functionality. Can you blog from it? (via Mashable: apparently so.) What apps will be available? How will this fit into, or improve, my life?

Less helpful though sometimes comical, I even succumbed to the ubiquitous man-on-the-street interviews.

Your mileage may vary, but after a quick tour of the tech-geek blogosphere, I’m still firmly on the fence. Sure, the iPad looks sexy. The thought of consuming media from the sleek tablet while relaxing in a sphere chair is appealing. But that seems to miss much of the power of web devices: the ability to create in-depth web content, not just consume it. For my current needs — always away from home, all the computing power I can get, quick reliable word/media processing, able to run Adobe products, never a spare moment — this device just doesn’t fit.

But then, I may be atypical. The reviews are far from over.