The much awaited iPad – which according to Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs is a cross between smart-phones and touch-tablets – has hit the markets and has grabbed attention fast.

Including a bigger and better LCD touch-screen measuring 25 cm with a 1024 × 768 pixel resolution, the Apple iPad is certainly a leap ahead of its cousins, the iTouch & the iPhone.

Excluding the price of the supplementary gadgets that come along with it, Apple has launched this prime gadget at an affordable range of $499 to $829, its cheapest variant, thus, being about $100 less than the MacMini.

The tablet – that comes with an easy to clean oleophobic coating – plays 720p HD video. But the video output quality reduces to 480p when projected on an external screen via an adaptor.

The iPad uses multi-touch screen technology similar to the iPhone and the iMac and runs on a 1 GHz Apple SoC processor for faster and smoother functioning. It utilises the iPhone’s 3.2 OS format.

The on-screen QWERTY keyboard facility provided is quite user-friendly and bold, alike the ones in the iPhone and iTouch. An Accelerometer on the side of the screen also denotes the position mode in usage – Portrait (vertical) or Landscape (horizontal).

Besides the multi-touch screen, the other controls include a Sleep Button, a Home Button, a Mute & a Volume Rocker Button, tailor made for convenience of the user.

The iPad comes in 16, 32 & 64 GB storage variants. Also, a buyer can choose between Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G connectivity support. The iPad has an inbuilt 802.11 Wi-Fi antenna for enhanced, uninterrupted signal inflow. The 3G connectivity is supplied by AT&T across all corners of the US.

The Wi-Fi edition weighs a mere 1.5 lbs, while the 3G counterpart is just 0.1 lb lighter. Thus, the iPad essentially becomes a traveller’s pet, not only fulfilling his entertainment needs during a journey, but also enabling him to stay connected to friends and family.

However, the Apple iPad is not to be confused with the Fujitsu iPad, which is a popular Japanese price verification and inventory checking device.

The iPad has raised some eyebrows due to the Apple/Fujitsu brand name conflict, but for now, the Apple iPad is a real buzz amongst consumers and tech-freaks worldwide.

So, if you are either a gadget-geek looking to expand his collection, have been smitten by this fascinating and smart new release or simply have nothing good to shop with that spare $500 bill, then this is your pick!