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The iPad can surf with most anyone. Screen resolution is okay, even for my aging eyes. The iPad version of Safari is your only browser option, but it is okay. A little quirky here and there, but overall, remarkably good.
As a laptop substitute, that depends on what you need it to do. Printing is cludgy to say the least. It will not talk to other computers on your network; it doesn't even see them.
I have Numbers on mine, but not Pages. Numbers is okay, but not anything near as easy to use as is Numbers on my Macs. I have seen demos of Pages and it seems sorta okay. Not much on heavy formatting, though. Ask yourself what apps would you need to use regularly and see what's avialable. While there are lots and lots of apps, there really aren't that many that are actually very good.
The keyboard is remarkably good on an iPad, particularly for a touchscreen jobbie. A little smaller than a standard keyboard, but very useable once you get used to it.
You say you're tight on cash. An iPad with 3G is a monthly cost that won't go away. I suggest just the WiFi version. It will connect wirelessly at home and any public hotspot.
I got my iPad from Craigslist. In fact, I have two of them, but first generation (no camera), both WiFi only, one a 16 GB and one a 32GB. The first gen WiFi-only versions go for about $300 to $400 on craigslist. That seems a pretty good deal to me.
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