[njbchbum]

tom - unless your wife carries a large tote, the 10" ipad will not fit into her purse for convenient carrying around...the 7" tablet is better for that. and that is one reason why i went to the tablet rather than the ipad.

i bought the barnes and noble nook tablet because i do not need all of the bells and whistles of the ipad. i will not be taking pictures - so i do not need the rear camers; i woll not be doing video conferencing, so i do not need the front facting camera. i am looking to be entertained and be able to watch a streaming movie now and then, read a book frequently, check my email when i travel and play games when i am riding between nj and maine and nj and fl!

with the nook tablet i can read a book that i downloaded before i leave home or can download at a wi-fi spot on the road. i can check my email at any wi-fi spot along my travel route. i can watch that movie at our overnite spot along the road [or read my book] after my husband has gone to sleep because the lighting of the nook can be adjusted for same - and it will not interfere with a sleeping husband while i am entertained. i can read my book at any pool in the villages because of the adjustable lighting flexibility of the nook as well. and there are lots of games to buy for the nook that do not require a wi-fi connection which will keep me entertained along my travel routes! waiting for internet access until we reach a spot along our travel route does not bother me - i do not intend to be attached to this device so that we are inseparable!

my suggestion is that you head over to barnes and noble and have the nook salesperson give you an in-depth demo of that device, then head out to best buy and ask a salesperson to show you the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (16GB) tablet - a 7" device that has front/back cameras and the ability to connect to the internet without having to rely on a wi-fi spot [it's like using your cell phone sorta]. it is set up in the store to let you explore its capabilities right there - internet and all.

am not sure whether best buy sells the ipad or not, i know walmart dies - but i'm sure another poster will come along and let you know where you could do an ipad test drive there in the villages.

someone can also probable also let you know where you can try out the amazon kindle fire - that, too, is more e-reader than computer - like the nook tablet. it can only access the internet in a wi-fi spot. the one thing that the kindle fire does not offer compared to the nook is the ability to add a micro sd card that allows for the expansion of memory - that would let your wife store mor pictures on a nook than on a kindle - though, i think there is lots of storage space on either device.

there is lots of good info about the ipad, various tablets and e-readers at:
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/
and
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-tablets...ndroid-tablets