Tom, our two year old GPS, was either lost or stolen. I'm thinking stolen because a GPS should be able to find it's way home. Except for it doesn't have legs. But Nancy needs one so off we went to Best Buy. While Nancy discussed GPS features with the nice young salesman I wandered of to the computer section, like always, and whoop, there it was. The iPad. Right at the end of the isle, like a Snickers at the check-out line, calling me.

I know, what good is an iPad? Well, I actually got to touch one, and I liked it.

If you're not familiar with the "i" family the iPhone has a poorer cousin named iTouch (iPod Touch) whose kids are named iPod. iPods, like all children, play music and watch movies, and that's about it. iTouch plays music, watches movies, surfs the web, has email and GPS style maps. But has no camera or phone.

The iPad has no camera and no phone which makes it just a bigger iTouch. This isn't bad, but you can't help thinking that the iPad of 2012 will be a bigger iPhone instead.

Dave and Sue introduced me to the iPhone on the shores of Lake Butte des Mortes while eating pizza in a box and geocaching, if you remember. They have personal MacBooks in their home, like we have personal Noteooks in ours, but they also have a MacBook that's just "out". It's in the kitchen, family room, wherever, and you just grab it and do your thing. I really liked that idea and wanted a couple NetBooks for around the house. The iPad could do that, and is about what a NetBook costs.

OK, the iPad is always on with the touch of a button and ready to check the weather, your calendar, surf the web, do email, get directions, play some tunes*, watch a movie**, be your friend, if it got into stuff once in awhile it would be like having a cat***. The entry level iPads are WiFi only, so you don't even have to subscribe for any type of service. In addition to using WiFi the high end units can communicate through cell phone technology, thats what makes the price go up. On top of that you pay AT&T every month. We have WiFi and the iPad would be a house cat. Most everywhere indoors has WiFi and I'm not taking an iPad Golfing. But I could, the club has WiFi on the course already.

Besides, the entry level unit is a one-time $499 and WiFi is everywhere and the others are more expensive to begin with and you pay AT&T another $480 per year for service. Why? Remember when cable tried to make you pay for each TV you had cable for? Or when they wanted you to pay for each PC in your house that accessed the internet? AT&T's trying again and I hope they get slapped upside the head, again. Didn't they go bankrupt when I had their stock? Subscribers should get full service, one price, regardless of number of phones, devices, or features they use. You're just traffic, "as if" the internet infrastructure cares if your calling, texting, emailing, or surfing from an iPhone, or an iPad, or a GoPhone for that matter. Does your GPS charge you like a Cab Driver? A GPS creates alot more traffic than a text message don't you think?

The 2012 iPad, the bigger iPhone, with whatever they dream up to replace Skype and Microsoft Live, should be stunning. Imagine, prop it up like a make-up mirror and bam. Slap a 2012 iPad on the fridge at your next party and I am so there. My smiling face conversing with every guest going for a beer, keeping track, demanding the surrender of car keys, looking down blouses, I do have a Bartender's License you know. I wouldn't, and couldn't possibly look down blouses. First, you can't look down, its a camera. Second, the iPad would have to be inside the fridge, because with the door open you are not getting the bend and snap.

So far the iPad is a sexy Personal Assistant that brings alot to the party. An Information Center even. What about work? The iPad on my coffee table, or nightstand, would have to be more than a cute little playmate.

I'm using my iPhone to attach to Client newtorks and to my office. Even did WiFi from the sixth fairway yesterday. It was a National Holiday, and I was working and you probably weren't, so enough with the attitude already. Tap, swipe, tap, tap, password, tap, tap, tappity-tap-tap, tap, and go with the Eight Iron. With Remote Web Workplaces, Cloud Computing, Virtual Private Networking and Remote Desktop you need less on your end than ever before. My only problem is the size of the iPhone screen. The iPad looked awfully good, it's not going to fit in my pocket, but I could find my way around the house with it.

So we paged the nice young salesman from GPS to come help us out. I wanted the entry level iPad for $499, with WiFi only, without $480 a year to AT&T. It was one impulse-buy that was not to be. Out of Stock, out of luck, iStores get them first.

Maybe I'll visit the iStore at Water Tower, maybe order one on the internet from my iPhone, maybe I spent the $499 on a Stanley Cup ticket, maybe not, and that's Cocktail Talk.