“The smaller form of the Mini changes the way you approach the tablet. It’s the right size for reading a novel, and held sideways it’s simple to bang out an email. Battery life is excellent,” Edward C. Baig reports for USA Today. ” I’ve never hesitated to travel with the bigger iPad. It’s terrific for reading, watching movies and playing games on an airplane — but given a choice, before a road trip I would now more likely grab the little guy.”

“A tour of the Mini reveals the usual home button on the bottom front, power button and headphone jack on the top, and volume controls on the side. Front and rear cameras are on either side, just like on the bigger iPad. You’re greeted by the customary home screen layout with icons for Safari, Mail, Videos and Music parked at the bottom of the display. You can even exploit the Siri voice assistant. And the Mini runs iOS 6, the latest iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system software,” Baig reports. “But it is the multitude of apps — 275,000 optimized for the tablet are available in the Apple App store— coupled with Apple’s formidable iTunes ecosystem for music, movies and TV shows that represents a major reason why the iPad, big or small, is still the tablet to beat.”

Baig reports, “Compared with the 7-inch screens on some of Kindle, Nook and Nexus devices, though, the iPad Mini is 35% roomier… the Mini is a splendid choice for folks who held off buying an iPad because it was too large or too expensive.”

Read more in the full review here.

Related article:
NYT’s Pogue reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘All the iPad goodness in a more manageable size; it’s awesome’ – October 31, 2012
Mossberg reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘An impressive feat; the perfect solution’ – October 31, 2012