MANILA, Philippines – A few days since Apple released in the US its the iPad device over the weekend, some enterprising Pinoys have already gotten their hands on the much-hyped device

A handful of techie Pinoys are now proud iPad owners and have been raving about their purchase. Chikka.com’s Dennis Mendiola is one of the early adapters. He candidly shared his thoughts about his iPad on social networking site, Twitter.

“Eureka! The iPad was created for folks who enjoy technology but maybe afraid of it or simply dont want the hassle (sometimes),” Mendiola tweeted.

Mendiola’s new gadget made it on Mornings@ ANC on Thursday and local Apple enthusiasts, like TV host Gabe Mercado and Philmug.ph moderator Roland Benzon, gave their thoughts on the latest must-have gadget.

Weight

Their initial impressions were on the size and how it seemed bigger in their hands than the 9.7 inches it boasts of.

“Ang laki! (It’s big.) That was the first thing I said to myself when I got my hands on it. That’s a good thing because, if you know and love the iPhone and iPod touch, having a bigger one is so much better,” Mercado noted.

Benzon, on the other hand, immediately checked the iPad’s weight and compared to his light and thin MacBook Air and Amazon Kindle. He beamed at how much lighter the iPad’s 1.5-pound weight was.

“I brought the thing to my kitchen and really checked the weight. The weight of a handheld gadget is really important to me. You don’t want something like this being too heavy for you to lug around,” Benzon shared.

Touchscreen

The next noticeable thing for both was the screen.

“The sharpness and the brightness of the screen really grabs you. It’s like holding an HD (high definition) screen a few inches from your face. It can play 720p and so far it proves just that,” shared Benzon.

Mercado said iPad is ideal for writing blogs and posting status updates in social media networks. “The touchscreen is just so responsive, like the ones on the iPhone and iPod touch. That just assures the iPad’s text input does not disappoint.”

“I was very pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to input text specially when it was in landscape mode. I can really see myself typing long form things on this instead of using my laptop,” he shared.

E-book function

What about the much-touted function of the iPad as an e-book reader?

Benzon compared it to his Amazon Kindle. “The Kindle is easier on the eyes and, of course, it has better viewing quality outdoors under sunlight.

There is one aspect, however, where Benzon said Kindle pales in comparison against the iPad: “It can’t show all the vivid colors that the iPad can do.”

Both Mercado and Benzon noted that the low 60,000 title available in the Apple iBookstore may be a drawback compared to the Kindle’s 400,000 titles. But if a user wants the best of both worlds, he can simply download the Kindle application for the iPad and sync all his Kindle e-book there.

Goodbye netbook?

One of the biggest challenges Apple CEO Steve Jobs posed for the iPad during its January launch is its potential to make a dent in the netbook market.

Both Mercado and Benzon agree that as long as the user is mostly after media consumption, light browsing, and email then the iPad can easily replace a netbook.

As for the iPad giving a serious challenge in casual gaming industry, Mercado believes playing games in High Definition with the fun of turning, twising and pinching away at the iPad will just add more fun.

iPad games will range from $4.99 to $9.99 compared to the $20 to $30 games of the handheld consoles.

Sources say the iPad will be out in the Philippines around late May and the price points will be very competitive as those in the US.

All in all, both Apple enthusiasts agree the iPad will be a hit just like the iPod touch and the iPhone.

The iPad is ideal for consumers who are light to average computer users. If you are a heavy user, stick to a full-powered laptop.

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