So... the iPad comes out, and as with it seems to be the case with every Apple product, everybody hates it, and (by the sales numbers) everybody loves it. 
So it doesn't have multitasking, it doesn't have Flash support, it doesn't have USB ports, it doesn't have cameras, and it's Apple. Those are all valid reasons to dislike the device.  
But here i am, in bed with my notebook, trying to read a magazine (pdf, of course), and i realized that a tablet could do the job. Then, i looked into it, and found Sketchbook Pro, Brushes and Art Studio, and saw what can be done with those (i'm a graphic designer and wannabe artist). Then i found books on the store that cannot be bought here in Argentina, and realized i could be paying Marvel for comics and reading more comfortably. And i could be playing Monkey Island or Sam and Max for an hour before going to bed.
  
So i begin looking for an alternative. After all, how can i live without flash support, usb ports, cameras and multitasking? And i found the Galaxy tab. A great piece of tech, that has 3G, 2 cameras, flash support and Android. GREAT. But i don't want 3G. No WiFi only tablet? Shame. And the price? Even higher that the iPad? And a smaller screen? I wanna draw in it. The 9" screen is great for that. 
Now BlackBerry has one of their own. Again small screen, and a lot of features i won't be using. And the price... well...who knows.  
 
I really don't consider these devices "portable". Nobody is gonna be in the middle of the park with one of these. Or walking down the street. That's what your phone is for, if you need it.  

I think i don't mind giving up on flash (i hate flash), the cameras (i don't plan on using those anyway) or the USB ports. I like the bigger screen. I like the support from third parties (Sketchbook pro 8 bucks?).  I think there are things to say against the iPad, but the advantages are essential to me. And i can get one now for 750 dollars. How much will the Samsung or Blackberry be?