From my experience, right now there are three great devices for different user needs.
Although the future is bright for new technology in ereaders, good alternatives to these devices will not arrive anytime soon what with companies starting to reevaluate their strategies. Hp canceled the Slate and bought Palm, Microsoft shelved the Courier, and cash-in products like the Archos 9 and Camangi Webstation are just terrible.
To me, the following are great right now:
ipad (fast boot, decent battery life)
1. Video is fantastic. Youtube, Netflix, and ABC Player all provide more than enough entertainment for this multipurpose device. The screen is bright, colorful, clear, and has great contrast.
2. Internet is amazing. Web is speedy and the 4:3 screen makes browsing a joy. Easy to zoom and great formatting. The lack of Flash might be a downer for some, but honestly the majority of sites work great and Flash is not missed.
3. App store provides lots of extra functions and some cheap entertainment.
4. ereading does what it does well. ibooks, Kindle, Marvel and upcoming Barnes and Noble app all provide a good experience. Everything is speedy, and low light reading is now possible. However, formats are limited. But, if you have Calibre you can just covert to epub and you are good to go.
5. Gaming is a lot of fun. Plants vs. Zombies!
Negatives: Kind of big, closed OS, expensive, lacks ports, not a great word processing experience, no real multitasking.
Asus T91mt
The Asus T91mt is the best of the windows 7 tablets. It is small (smaller than the ipad but thicker), and very versatile. The problem for some is that they expect it to perform well out of the box like an ipad or dedicated ereader. The T91mt works great, but only after serious optimization. The following steps will make it a contender:
1. Skin Windows 7 with a touch friendly interface. This makes it feel more like the ipad or an android device. I highly recommend Blue Dolphin (see eeeuser.com boards for link). This interface makes it a joy to use in tablet mode.
2. Use Firefox with extensions. Firefox + Grab and Drag + Adblocker plus + User Agent Switcher + Blump'it make for a great web experience only rivaled by the ipad which is faster and has the 4:3 screen. However, the T91mt has Flash and multiple browser support. Grab and drag allows touch scrolling with inertia. Adblock plus speeds things up. User agent switcher lets you default to ipad or iphone optimized sites (great for portrait browsing). Blump'it is an alpha extension that transforms Firefox into an icon based Web OS interface. It's pretty cool to play around with (and easy to disable when desired) and has a lot of potential. The only negative is that the 16:9 screen means that portrait browsing is less than ideal. Also, pinch zooming isn't as smooth as on the ipad.
3. Setup Flicks. With the flick of your finger you can go back a page, forward a page, page up, page down, F11 fullscreen, etc. This makes web browsing work seamlessly. You can customize Flicks however you want. This also allows for easy page turning in ereading software that is not touchscreen optimized.
4. Update the GMA 500 video drivers to allow for better HD video acceleration. Streaming video is still hit or miss, but overall video works well enough but doesn't compare with the ipad. Still, Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, etc. all work fine.
5. Download the Microsoft Touch Pack for some fun free apps. You can also use many of the power toys for XP tablet edition (all free).
6. Download and install the Microsoft Origami Experience 2.0. This make scrolling bars and windows more touch friendly. It also has some other cool tricks (free).
7. Download and install Tablet Tools (eee user board). This allows for quick and easy rotation, brightness, sound, and battery control.
8. Install 2gb of Ram (This is practically required).
9. Optimize Windows 7. The best way is to clean install from scratch and then just add what you want. However, I didn't even have to go that far. I just disabled the Touch Gate and eee Dock from startup (I like them sometimes so I didn't feel like uninstalling). Uninstall eee storage. Disable things like aero peek, but keep the default Aero theme (for some reason this makes scrolling smoother). Disable unnecessary services (go to the Blackviper website for info on what to do), make sure startup is limited to what is needed (disable things from apple, google, adobe, etc.).
10. Setup good ereading software. Ereader Pro is my favorite. Kindle works fine, but could use some polish (update is rumored to be coming soon). There are tons to choose from. Also, Adobe Digital editions allows you to check out ebooks from many local libraries. Another cool app is MMCE for Comic books. This app makes comic book reading a wonderful experience with good touchscreen support. ComicRack now works well with the T91mt, and supports multitouch.
11. Buy Plants vs. Zombies. Best tablet game ever.
12. Update Flash to 10.1
Negatives: Thickness and weight, slower processor, needs heavy optimization, battery life worse than ipad/dedicated ereader, expensive $480 + ram upgrade cost.
Nook (Excellent form factor, battery life, cool interface)
I've played around with the Kindle, Sony readers, Entourage Edge (good for students I guess, but otherwise pass) and the Nook. With the recent firmware update the Nook is the best of the dedicated eink ereaders. The screen looks fantastic (can read in full sunlight, no eye fatigue), page turning is relatively snappy, it is thin and light and does what it does well. Also, it is more versatile compared with other ereaders like the Kindle. Formats are more open (epub, ADE from Library, etc.), basic web browser, and app support (Chess is pretty fun!). If you just want a reader, this is the best that I have experienced. Also, it is much cheaper than an ipad or tablet.
Negatives: Black and White screen, limited multimedia support (no video), an external light is required if you want to read at night or in low light situations.
So, if you are just looking for great ereader, buy a Nook (Check it out at Best Buy and see if it wins you over).
If you want a great media/entertainment device or prefer backlit reading, buy an ipad (play with one at the Apple store or some Best Buys).
Or, if you want a computer that is also a reader and a tablet (jack of all trades), buy an Asus eee T91mt (Amazon.com).
Just my two cents based on ownership and experience
BTW, anyone who trashes the Asus, optimize it first (see above) and tell me if you change your mind. I believe someone posted that Windows 7 isn't very touch friendly. After Blue Dolphin, Origami, etc. I think you might see the potential.
Edit: ***I now own a Nook too
