Sure enough, I’ve come to love the iPad. It is without a doubt, a fabulous piece of technology which allows all manner of content viewing. Whether it is checking email, surfing the web (without Flash), watching video, playing music, or employing one of the many apps I’ve purchased, the iPad does it all (mostly). Some of my favorite apps include Craigslist Pro, Flipboard, Flickster, Pulse News, or the Kindle Reading app to name but a few.  It really has earned a place of tech honor in the household but not for long. To move forward, sometimes one must sacrifice pawns — or in this case, the rook.

My primary computer system is quite long in the tooth. I’m still running a Core 2 Duo E8500 and though solid, it is unspectacular when compared against the i7 family of processors and the triple channel RAM of today. Time to upgrade. So, for Christmas, I’ve asked Santa (read: family and friends) to chip in for the upgrade. This will give me a solid foundation with which to rebuild my system save one critical, missing component: the graphics card. One should not build a system without a bleeding-edge, pixel-mangling, graphics card. After doing some research, I’ve settled on the Nvidia GTX 580 — the tip of the spear for graphics cards. But these aren’t cheap so how does one generate the requisite cash to buy it? Simple, sell the iPad.

So, I pulled the trigger on the EVGA GTX 580 and have it in the fold. I’m backing up my iPad contents to my iMac and will clean off the device and put it up for sale. One day, in the not-to-distant future, I’ll buy an 3G iPad again; this time with more memory and a couple more accessories. The iPad is here to stay and if you’re looking for a eBook reader or fabulous multimedia device, this is the gadget to own. Did I mention mine is for sale?

Since I’m an Apple apologist, I decided to research an Apple iPad, specifically the 3G variety (which allows Internet connection away from wi-fi hot-spots). The 16GB version (entry level) goes for $629 on the Apple Store but I found one going for $450 on Craigslist. Long story short, I managed to chat the owner down to $350 for a 16GB, 3G model which is only three months old. Sure, it has a couple of minor scratches on the back panel but screen is pristine and the unit is completely functional — for almost half the price! Initially, I was skeptical of the iPad use-case in my own life. I could not see how it would benefit me but after having now for around three weeks, I’m finding it harder and harder to resell. Why? Because its functionality covers a wide variety of uses and it is just darn handy to have around.

Examples of use includes a great Craigslist app which allows fast, easy and organized scanning of local items for sale. It seamlessly syncs with my Dropbox application, allowing access to any file stored in the cloud. There are sketching apps, business productivity apps, star gazing apps, and movie trailer apps. Heck, though I’m not much of a political junkie, I grabbed the ABC Election Results app so I could watch returns in real time on the iPad. I’m even writing this piece on a blue tooth keyboard associated with Writer, an excellent streamlined writing app for the iPad. The longer I keep this thing around, the more I like it. Truth be told, I may sell this only to get the larger version (this the 16GB model, Apple also sells the 32GB [$729] and 64GB [$829] 3G models). However, at the highest price point, one might as well just go for the latest Apple 11″ Macbook Air because that is full blown computer which weighs barely 2.3 pounds.

So, if you have a chance to “rent” an iPad, or even borrow one from a friend (I’ve loaned this out to a college friend a couple of weekends ago), then take one for a test drive. See if this gadget fits your lifestyle. You might be surprised. It won’t replace your computer but it can certainly become a great extension to your mobile computing world.

Yesterday, Directv called and offered what seemed to be a huge deal. I’ll spare you the details but suffice to say, I managed to procure the NFL Sunday Ticket, their premium channel lineups (everything) for the low, low price of plus $6.00/month to my existing bill. What the …?

I signed up immediately.

Unsure if I’d actually landed a deal, I called two days later to check on the status of the order. A customer service rep named “Adam” confirmed the details and confirmed the price. All was good. Furthermore, when I tried to sign up for the Super Fan package (which provides HD games and the RedZone) Adam said, “You’re gonna like this…” and went on to explain Directv received so many complaints from customers saying the extra $100 for the NFL Sunday Ticket in HD was a rip-off (my words), they did away with it, now the entire package is one price. So, recapping, I get to enjoy not only the entire NFL season in HD, but also can enjoy all the premium channels as well for the next 5-months. Fair warning, if you forget to cancel the package, you’ll automatically continue with the premium package at a premium price so put that date in your phone and stay on it. Now I just need to repair/replace my receiver so I can enjoy the movies and sports action in full surround sound. One step at a time…

So I did. It was more to see just how well Blizzard put this game together. Why? Because I want to see what resources they poured into this proejct, and by proxy, will assume the same for Diablo III. Blizzard is saying Diablo III won’t be released this year. Yeah, no shit. But this game, the fabulous sound, the enigmatic cut scenes, and the rock solid voice-acting, and the silky-smooth interface are reasons to take a look. I only hope they put as much time, effort, and focus on Diablo III.

Man, I’m such a freakin’ game geek…

I purchased my iPhone 4 around 3pm local time. The sales rep “activated” the phone using a Mac in the store, then told me there were some issues with phone activation but it shouldn’t be much of an issue. I left the store with my old iPhone 3G still working and my new iPhone 4 without service.

About 20 minutes after leaving the store, my old iPhone 3G lost service. I figured, “Ah, the network is transitioning from the old to the new phone.” However, three hours later, still no service on either phone. I was in the proverbial cone of silence!

I searched online and found some tweets from other people saying they had no service either. I noted one particular tweet from hwatkins which suggested people without service should call AT&T at 866-895-1099. I called.

I spoke with Lisa, a nice gal who, after 25 minutes of researching, said she could not find any issues and passed me to tech support. Tech support specialist Jennifer went right to the heart of the issue and had me remove the SIM card from the right side of the phone and read that SIM number to her. She asked me to replace the SIM card back in the phone. As soon as I did, the phone activated and I was back in business.  She claimed not to have done anything with the network but simply reinserting the SIM was the fix.

One small note: Jennifer asked me to use the SIM removal tool which, “should have come in the box.” I looked but found no tool She recommended any narrow tipped device and suggested a paper clip. I used the paper clip but it was tedious and not exactly simple. Use the paper clip at your own risk.

The World Series? Uh, that isn’t against the world, it is against other U.S. baseball teams. Superbowl champions are world champions? Um, nope. Again, same issue. But to win the World Cup in soccer means something that all countries respect — too bad most U.S. folk don’t understand or appreciate the nuances of this game.

Truth be told, I’m a football (NFL) fan. However, if you forced me into a corner and made me decide between the Superbowl or any World Cup qualifying round, I would take soccer in a heartbeat. It isn’t even close. Strange, that. Must be my upbringing.

So, its time for the lads of England to return to their former glory and get the job done. They look to make it out of group play, into the quarterfinals. I can only hope their penalty kicks won’t let them down again. Fingers crossed and go get them, lads. For Queen and county!

Not so.

In fact, the H1N1 hysteria has been replaced with tacit acknowledgment of news room missteps. The panic is gone and the end of the world appears to be in the hand of another supreme being or calendar. However, the worst may not be over. According to this Washington Post article, the H1N1 vaccine may do more damage than the actual virus itself. In recent findings, the vaccine may be responsible for a higher rate of other diseases, some much more dangerous than the flu. Studies are ongoing but time will tell if the “crisis” of H1N1 lead to poorly executed and rushed-to-market vaccines that may continue to disable or kill.