I bought an ASUS EP121 Tablet earlier this year. It costed me a hefty chunk of money but I haven't regret the decision at all, in fact it might just have been one of the best moves I have done on computers for a long time. The total freedom and versatility I have felt with this device is unmatched by any device I bought before.
ASUS EP121 is ofcourse running Windows 7, meaning I have more "apps", games and opportunities that an iPad can ever dream of. iPad simply can't compete with the amount of software I have available, including firefox and it's plugins, the office package, photoshop etc. And yeah, that includes DOSBox, emulators and a sea of classic games to play at the bus.
But there are even stronger points to be made;
* I am on the wireless network in my home, so I run files
directly via the local network if I wan't to. I have direct access to my MP3 library, to my RPG PDF's, my movies, to schoolwork stored in wordfiles or excelfiles. The iPad or iPhone is locked to one app at a time, each app must have it's own storage and have it's files stored on the device that often have to be transfered through iTunes by plugging it in. A humongous hassle compared to open-network-folder-run-file.
* I have bluetooth so without hassle or jailbreaks I use a regular bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mouse. I can fold up my "desktop" at any place, anywhere, including during a lecture in school. When I do, it's like a laptop. The leather case allow me to stand the screen in upright position. But then I can go directly from typing in my schoolwork in Word, to cook dinner (or visit the bathroom) while watching a favorite show downloaded and stored on the network or on youtube by just dragging the "screen" with me. And I can also flip the screen to portrait mode both while typing in word, or while reading a PDF or newspaper website. I just love portrait mode, it makes so much more sense than widescreen in many applications.
But there is more. When I am on the bus I turn the leathercase upside down, lean the screen on the seat before me and place my keyboard in the leathercase. This allow me to use it as a regular laptop in my lap.
* I use a Secure Digital 64gb as storage so even if I brick the machine all my files are safe and can be moved directly into my main PC if need be.
* I have no top-down regulation on what apps I use or that users of the PC can produce for the device. Someone got an idea and make that app, I got it. Free market is awesome. For instance, I have a youtube cacher for firefox that makes it possible for me to easily download nice lectures or shows from youtube at the university to watch on the busride home.
Only problem with EP121 is the price and the battery. I need an external battery when spending more than 3 hours away from a plug. I use a XP1800 that allow me to run the device in full capacity throughout 3 hours of lectures.
I have to say, that the above advantages are simply too great to give up no matter how good or effective an iPad, Android or other similar devices are.