x-post. Okay, I'll try that.

No joy.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit

I'm betting that the people at the Genius Bar would be amazed at my ancient iPod and tell me to buy a new one.

In a nice bit of synchronicity, my bonus will come in the day before the new iPads are released. I'm thinking the one with both wireless and phone network access is the way to go, but I'm not sure whether to go for the full 64GB or not. Thoughts? 64 would allow me to transfer pretty much my full iTunes over if I can figure out how to do that so I guess it makes sense.

Also, it can now be either AT&T or Verizon for the 3G, I'm not sure which way to go since I have neither. At home I'll have wifi anyway. Do people who travel a lot have a preference for one or the other, especially in airports?

brenda,

I have a wifi only ipad and that is absolutely suitable for my needs. My ipad is also 16 GB I think. I don't really need to keep a lot of media on it, but I have a laptop with me (or access to a computer and/or wifi access) a lot of the time and I have an iphone. But I don't think I travel as much as you do.

Take a look at the pricing plans across Verizon and ATT. That might make the difference for you if you want 3G. Note: the data plans are pretty limited, but might be sufficient for you.

If you are going to watch media on it, grab the 64. I've got a 64 WiFi that I use for travel and a 16 WiFi that I use in the office for business.

If you travel internationally get the AT&T model. It will work around the world and you can swap the SIM card for a local one when you are in foreign countries to be able to use local data plans much more cheaply. There can be issues with AT&T coverage in some areas but when you have a connection the AT&T data connection is faster. My experience with AT&T has been that it's just as good as Verizon in major airports. I have AT&T on my iPhone and a Verizon MiFi for data connection for my computer and WiFi iPad so I've been able to compare them side by side.

I thought this was kind of cool. A tech demo of the new Unreal Engine with DirectX 11 support, unless Epic is lying this is real-time in-engine rendering. Fair warning: it's a fairly violent clip.

[link]

It's likely I'll never actually get a game based on that engine, but I still find it fascinating what can be rendered in real time with the latest hardware.

Thanks, Drew!

I am thinking about getting a new portable computer. I used to have a work laptop, may get one in the new job if I travel, but for now would like something to knock around with. Am of course considering the iPad, but I if I have to do any serious typing, I hate the touchscreen, so am leaning a little more towards a netbook. Anyone have thoughts or warnings?

Many netbooks have a smaller keyboard, like 90% of full-size. If you do a lot of typing this may be an issue.

Have you considered the MacBook Air? It's awesome? (And starts at $1000.)

I'd say skip the netbook class and go for an high-portability notebook like the MacBook Air or something like this:

[link]