I’ve been using my iPad this evening, sitting on the couch and surfing the web, playing Sim City, watching YouTube videos and managing email for almost 90 minutes and I didn’t even know that much time had passed.

The Kindle and iBooks apps are great, too. I’ve used both to read more books in the last few weeks than I have read in the last few months. Plus, it appears that Amazon has slashed some Kindle eBooks to just mere dollars. I’ve been snatching up all kinds of books for $2 or $3. Even a cheapskate like me can pay that. It beats going to the library, only because it’s so easy. I wish digital libraries existed so we could all share great books.

It’s a really neat device and well worth the money. And the now poorly-named iPhone OS 4 is really going to make this a dream to use.

In a sign that Amazon wants to upgrade its Kindle e-reader to compete head-on with the Apple iPad, Amazon has acquired Touchco, a New York-based start-up specializing in touch-screen technology, a person briefed on the deal said Wednesday.

Amazon will merge Touchco’s technology and staff into its Kindle hardware division, Lab126, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., this person said.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

I wasn’t thrilled watching the keynote until I saw the price of $499. That’s very un-Apple and I’m glad they’ve finally started to understand how most Americans shop. I’m really tired of seeing crappy software and hardware from PC makers and being asked, “Which netbook do you recommend?” by friends because my answer is always, unequivocally, “None of them.”

However, the iPad isn’t for anyone like you or me. It’s meant for your non-techy sister or your partially inept uncle. The thing doesn’t fill a void in a tech person’s life. Already having an iMac, MacBook Air and an iPhone, this thing fits in my life like a bastard child.

I keep waffling on whether I’d buy it. Earlier I was no, then yes, now I’m back at “no”. I think Apple is looking to build something for mom and dad and something for cheap people to buy into to get them more interested in the iPhone and other Apple products. It’s a halo-device if nothing else.

The killer here is that it can’t multitask, aside from, I guess, the iPod software. But, if I’m doing a Keynote or working in Pages, which are without a doubt neat, I’m going to need to do some research online. And if that thing is as fast as everyone is saying it is, then I don’t get why they don’t enable multitasking.

I have a feeling that Apple is up to something. If they’ve got that fast new processor in the iPad, it’s only a few months away from getting crammed into an iPod and iPhone, then you’d better lookout. Part of me wonders if, maybe, JUST MAYBE, they want to save some sizzle for a pending iPhone 4.0 and if they spill too much on the iPad, it’ll give the competition (i.e., Google, Sony, RIM, etc.) time to prepare.

My prediction and advice: hold off on buying this thing until June/July when they announce the new iPhone as they always do. There, they’ll have new software, new hardware, and I bet new software for the iPad. The guy from Brushes mentioned the iPad uses iPhone OS 3.2. Clearly, there’s room to upgrade this summer to iPhone OS 4.0.