What’s not to like about a device that lets you surf the internet, check email, read ebooks (including Kindle books from Amazon.com), and play games; and do it all on a gorgeous touch screen that can be viewed well at almost any angle?

I guess as a publisher/distributor of books produced with paper and ink, I shouldn’t be so into the whole electronic book craze, but I am. I’ve been reading ebooks on my iPod Touch for a year and a half now with apps like eReader and the Kindle app. And the same goes for the Bible: I almost never read a paper and ink Bible any more. And the iPad just made it easier and more enjoyable than ever!

One of my favorite books of all time is A. W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. Just the other day I downloaded a Kindle version of this book for $0.99. That’s crazy! And with the Kindle app, I can make notes and highlights. And guess what, if I make a highlight on my iPad, that highlight gets transferred to my iPod copy of the book! It also remembers where I finished reading. So if I am on page 65 when I finish reading on the iPad in the morning, if my wife picks up the iPad in the evening, I can resume reading the book on my iPod and it will take me to page 65 automatically. I don’t even have to remember where I was or put in a bookmark. I don’t know about you, but to me that’s awesome.

The iPad is also the best platform, in my view, for Bible reading and study. How else could you have a boat load of Bible translations and hundreds of reference works, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, etc. all at your fingertips on one touchscreen device? I have two Bible programs, one from Logos and one from Laridian, called PocketBible. They are both great programs in their own right. Both are “universal” apps, which means they run on iPod or iPad (when you launch the program, they detect which platform you are on and adjust accordingly).

One of the best features of the iPad is the amazing BATTERY LIFE. Apple claims the battery will last up to 10 hours. Users everywhere are reporting that this is a conservative estimate and that they actually get more than that. What’s amazing is that this applies no matter what you are doing. In other words, you still get 10 or more hours of battery life even if you watch videos or play games all day (not that I would ever try either one). I haven’t verified the battery life for my own unit because I typically don’t spent more than a couple of hours per session (usually much less).

All I can say is, get your iPad today! :-)