To iPad or not to iPad?

I have to confess that when I first heard of Apple's iPad I was sceptical. They found massive success (and for good reasons) with the iPhone, and they have certainly built up a large and very loyal customer base for their Macs/Macbooks. However my take on the iPad was that it would be a flop for the simple reason that if you're looking for a portable device, you want something that can fit in your pocket (like the iPhone). If you're looking for a performant device on the other hand, size is no longer the driver and so the significantly better functionality of a laptop when compared to an iPhone outweighs its decreased portability.

I have since been proven wrong, with sales of the iPad breaking records and hitting more than 1 million units per month. Nevertheless I still stand by my first opinion - that although the iPad offers more functionality than an iPhone, it is barely more portable than a laptop, which would offer even more functionality and performance than an iPad. So - are you an iPad owner? Is there even a grain of truth in my view of the iPad, or am I completely off target? Please comment below and let me know your thoughts!

Sony Ericsson Xperia X8

Sony Ericsson's Xperia X8 is a small affordable smartphone that gives performance without emptying your wallet. It's available on Amazon, sim free, for $184.99 at the time of writing.

Physically it's a good size - not too big, although it's a little on the thick side at 15mm, but compensates for size by weighing in at just 104 grams. The screen, while smaller than some smartphones at 3 inches (320 x 480 pixels), is adequate for most purposes, with a clear and bright display. The only times when size becomes an issue is if you want to watch videos or when using the keyboard with the phone in a vertical orientation. The keys on the edge of the screen can then be more difficult to access due to their proximity with the outer cover, however this is no longer a problem when held in a landscape orientation (which is the logical orientation when typing anyway).

The three buttons located below the screen and the side buttons (volume controls and camera shutter button) are all responsive and sleek, giving the phone a nice look. Despite a plastic outer case, the phone feels solid. The backplate is interchangeable, so if you want to change the color you can, however the front part of the case will always be the original color (white or black). Finishing off the phone on top is the power/screen lock button, a mini-USB port for charging or connecting the phone to your computer, and a standard Sony Ericsson headphone socket.

Turning the phone on, navigation of menus is reasonably quick, however certain more processor-intensive functions (graphic-intensive games for example) expose the 600MHz CPU and low RAM, but this is rare - generally the phone is still able to keep up. The phone runs on the Android OS, meaning you have access to the Android marketplace for all of your app needs - a huge bonus. The homescreen has 4 shortcuts, one in each corner, which can be customized to any app or function of your choice. You can add widgets to the homescreen by swiping left or right (the Google search bar in the image above for example is one of the many widgets). Swiping up displays the standard menu with all the different apps.

Overall, the Xperia X8 has a few minor flaws due to its size and low budget market position, but these are relatively insignificant and the user experience is still good. Certainly when the price is compared to other smartphones, this one comes out near the top and is definitely recommended for the entry level smartphone user.