3G iPads hit mailboxes

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Photo: Mike Ryan.

iPad 3Gs are arriving in mailiboxes! BB readers are sending in pics of the new model. Here's Mike Ryan's sim slot, sullying one plane; the back is further sullied by a plastic section where the 3G radio is. The hook? The iPad's data plan has no contract, yet offers unlimited data at half the price of a cellphone, 3G modem or MiFi.

Having thought about it, I think I'm going to skip it. I have a year left on a Verizon 3G plan I'm stuck with, so the better bet for me is to get a MiFi from them to replace the netbook it's currently attached to. (What's a MiFi, you ask? It's a battery-powered 3G modem with a router built-in, so your pocket becomes a personal WiFi hotspot) That'll be no good if you want GPS, the 3G iPad's other 'come hither' feature.