Hey, what's up PhoneDog crew? No doubt, you followed the Apple event covered by our own Noah Kravitz. I've been doing Today's iPhone duty covering it on our subsite. But you didn't think I'd forget about you, didya? No way. 

Now I just wrote up a post about my first thoughts on the Apple iPad for TiP (which you can access at this link), but let me share a little with you guys here as well. 

My first impression of the announcement today was: "iPad? Seriously? Okay, I would not have placed bets on that." If you've been following me on Twitter, you already know that for me, this calls to mind something decidedly non-techie, and maybe even kind of "femininey." Okay, 'nuff said. 

I'll be honest. I was also slightly underwhelmed by the device. It does look like a big iPod Touch, I know. And the 3G version is being subsidized by/will work on AT&T? So instead of making an announcement that could've liberated the iPhone from Big Blue, Apple instead jumps further into bed with them. And so I warned iPhone-using friends back home in New York and in San Francisco — in two months, don't be surprised if your already dismal cellular/data service gets worse. 

But, I have to admit, I'm trying to get past all this negativity and see things more positively — or at least objectively. Any product with this much buzz was destined to disappoint on some level. Rarely does a device meet overblown, over-done, over-anticipated hype.  

And you know, there are some positives in all this to balance out a few of the negatives: 

As a gaming device, this looks sweet. In fact, TiP's senior editor, Ron Sullivan, actually gasped at one point while watching the NOVA first-person shooter on the iPad. It is stunning. I also think it succeeds in its intention to be a media consumption vehicle, one that enhances the experience of enjoying YouTube clips (in HD!), music, books, movies, TV and newspapers/magazines on a beautiful IPS (in-plane switching) screen, which is generally used in higher-end computer monitors. And they did manage to squeeze in some creation tools, with programs like the revamped iWork suite and Brushes. 

So it may not be a perfect device, but there are some good things to say about it too. And you know what? If these were my first thoughts on this "Kindle Killer," then let me share the thought that came in almost immediately afterward: If this iPad is hooked into the iPhone OS — well then… hmmm, can I jailbreak it? And it is that, my friends, that had me smiling from ear to ear. 

For more coverage on the Apple iPad, hit up TodaysiPhone.com