Why I love my iPad...

Current work: Venice book (I did do some admin yesterday so am not a complete slacker…)
Listening to: Def Leppard
Reading: Lindsey Davis, Alexandria (finished and enjoyed hugely)

• It’s incredibly fast - switch it on and go, just like my PDA, except I don't have to mess about with a stylus to type or get impatient because the PDA screen is slow to recognise my handwriting.
• The onscreen keyboard is OK for notes, but the keyboard dock makes it act like a desktop. And it's comfortable.
• I can work anywhere I like and am no longer tied to my desk (e.g. I can keep an eye on something in the kitchen and work at the same time instead of fretting that I need to feed my family but I also need to get on with the book).
• I can plot a book on Infinotes by typing each plot point on a different note, colour code it depending on the story strand, and then zoom out and see at a glance whether it's balanced or whether I need to move scenes about (that's fab for a planner like me).
• I can write the actual book on it (though I still have issues with file management and the lack of wordcount in the Pages app – there’s no excuse for this as Word Mobile can do more).
• I can have a playlist for the book as I'm working, to help set the mood (e.g. for this book there will be a lot of cello music)
• My research photographs are all sorted at the touch of a finger. (And my "gorgeous men" file is there for inspiration - Antonio Banderas, Richard Armitage - and my husband, of course!)
• I can reward myself for working hard with games of Boggle or Peggle
• I can research what I want on the net, including Google Maps with streetview so I can double-check things not local to me, and apps such as the Star Walk so I can see what the stars would be like anywhere in the world at any given time
• I can read books on it (well, when I've bought some - cough, where is the category romance section, then, iBooks? Tut, tut - get your act together because romance is the biggest market in fiction)
• It's light, it's fast, it's functional and it's fun.

In all – it's the best bit of kit I’ve ever bought. I am SO pleased with it. (And if anyone knows any really cool apps – iPod and iPhone apps also work on the iPad – do let me know so I can go and investigate!)