Why the iPad Falls Short

The iPad doesn't quite live up to the hype. It's "fun to play with," write Ker Than and Robert Roy Britt for LiveScience, but "it's hard to figure out what role it fills that some other device doesn't do much better." A sampling of shortcomings:

• "Portability, shmortability": You still need to schlep it around like a laptop, and though it's only 1.5 pounds, using it for any length of time still takes a toll on the wrists. Plus, it's slippery.

• Functionality: The limited browser (it doesn't support Flash) hurts, as does the inability to multitask by running more than one app at a time. Speaking of which, iPhone apps look awful on the iPad.
• Fingerprints: All that tap-tap-tapping leaves a mess. On a related note, "it's still awkward to type on glass."
• Niche: It won't (or shouldn't, anyway) replace your laptop or your e-reader. "Frankly, we're not sure what need the iPad fills, other than the desire to be cool by owning a device that is in a class all its own."

Read the full list here.
(More iPad stories.)