[fourply]

I've convinced myself I need a tablet because nothing really fills the "pdf viewer" slot in a good way. I can print pdfs of several state law-specific reference books for free (at cost of ink and paper ~2500 pages) or pay ~$400 for paper copies in 3-ring binders - or I can buy a wifi Xoom on Sunday. No-brainer.

I have a hard time focusing on pdfs on a desktop or laptop when distractions like reddit are so easily accessed - but if I can keep myself focused on the content at hand I can have a portable copy of important references with me at all times for a small price.

[nickythegreek]

Agreed, during my evenings I've been attempting to learn Rais. So I have the Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial PDF on my iPad resting on the arm on my couch, and laptop in my lap. These types of PDFs/eBooks really shine on the iPad over the Kindle. From what I read the code section appearance on the kindle makes it hard to follow. The color diagrams, code and touchable hyperlinks make the tablet pc the book of the future.

The tablet for me is really about reading and reference. I got a bunch of 99 cent html5/JS/php/css reference books in case I need them there. But the real bread and butter for me is FlipBoard and InstaPaper. These apps make the tablet worth it. InstaPaper now has social interaction and a curated longform article section so I don't even have to use my computer to find interesting topics anymore.

Yesterday there was a HN post about Inkling, a textbook distribution app for academic textbooks (McGraw-Hill, Pearson) that allows you to have embedded multimedia objects and section highlighting/note sharing to professors and classmates. Tablets are the reading experience of the future.