Ipad hatred

I hate typing on my Ipad. After working with it for a couple of months I still find the keyboard awkward and the absence of a delete button confounding. Highlighting with the touch pad and "cutting" takes so much more time and it's so difficult with the small letters. Perhaps I delete more than most writers? Inputting much more than a search on Google is more trouble than it's worth. My plan was to use it for email while traveling. Well, maybe to read email, but my correspondents won't be getting more than a one sentence reply. Yes, I know I can buy an external keypad - Sharper Image has four or five styles, most built into a case, but then I might as well have a laptop. Before I give up on it entirely, I'm going to attend the Apple store Ipad tutoring session to see if there are some tricks or shortcuts that might help.

Streaming radio on the thing is a problem with many stations. I get them working and they suddenly stop and then won't work again. I'm sure there are solutions to these glitches but do I want to search for them and figure it out? My husband bought a lunchbox radio recently for the grove. It has two knobs, one for dialing in the station and one for volume. Brilliant.  

The reader is great. I enjoy the back lit text and the ability to make it larger and smaller. I love being able to write notes on marked pages and to refer directly to the dictionary or to Google. And who doesn't like paying less for books and getting them instantly! But you can get most of these features with with any ereader.

For the money, I'm not sure I wouldn't have been better off with a slim, light laptop.