[GrumpyDave]

I'm in the same boat right now. I've recently started to use OF at home, but at Work I'm in WindowsLand. I don't like having to carry a portable device in and out of the building each day as it means I have to stop at the guard desk to check it in/out and then try to explain that Apple doesn't put serial numbers on the outside of their laptops etc, etc. For me I'm better off having a device I can just leave at work full time.

I was considering buying another iPad just for work. Then I realized that I had an unused 12" Powerbook in my closet so I dug that out instead and took it to work. Performance on the ole' boy is fine and it has a little more functionality that the iPad. The only thing I don't like is being stuck at Leopard forever. The problem I'm having, though, is the internal resistance to pulling it out of the desk and setting it up each day. I'm finding that the firefighting I do first thing in the morning overrules getting OF up and running, and it's often afternoon before I even realize I haven't set up the laptop yet. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to stick with the laptop or go with something else. An iPad for OF might still be in my future but I'm a little concerned as you are about whether I can really "do it all" on the iPad.

One thought I had to reduce that daily set up resistance is to take a Mac Mini to work instead. I have a spare one of those too, but even buying one would be only a little more than a lowest level iPad and less than a laptop. I also have a spare KVM I could use. This would be the least resistance option for me. Plus, if I could somehow get the new Outlook '11 connected to the corporate Exchange I could solve my biggest problem with OF, being unable to move data in/out of OF easily while at work. Of course I checked with the Boss first to make sure I wouldn't be breaking any major rules by bringing in my own Mac desktop. Essentially it's no different from all the employees and especially contractors who bring in their own laptops everyday, many of which are Macs. A Mac Mini would be much less expensive than a laptop if you don't need the portability of carrying it around the office.

As a third option I also just bought an iPod Touch primarily for running OF on the go. It's great for checking todos and ticking off tasks, but it's not big enough for reviews, data entry, or project management IMHO. I've found that having the Touch with me at work has contributed to leaving the laptop in the drawer because I still have quick visibility to my tasks. I just can't easily make many changes on it.