I listen to video all the time. I follow several podcasts, but the video isn't that interesting. I listen to them for the audio content, but the live streams have video, I let the video run in a background tab on my desktop, while surfing elsewhere or working.

If you use the Atomic web browser rather than Safari, the video/sound still plays when you navigate to other tabs. However, when you background the app the video/sound stops playing. Also, if you start another video, the first stops playing.

If you play your video and background the browser the audio stops, if you double click the Home button and slide to the left (finger going right) you get up the audio controls, press play and the audio continues. However, if you go back to the browser, then background it again, the audio stops.
You open up a second web browser and start playing video, the original video pauses.

It would be fairly trivial to get a second browser to stream stuff from, though a tad annoying.

Maybe I'm being thick here, but why would you want to have 5 or 6 separate videos playing over each other anyway?
I can understand maybe having an audio stream and a separate video, but multiple videos?

It seems Apple's take on multitasking is to only have things overlapping that are (in their view!) sensible?
Some will undoubtedly disagree with that method, but I guess they make the rules.

As I understand it, it's not true multitasking anyway, it's just a set of APIs that allow certain apps to pause their state in the background while another app takes priority.

This is true but there is also a "multi-tasking" API.

This gives the developer a list of 7 (or possibly 8) different things that it can pass off to the OS even when the App is in the background.

Things like GPS positioning, playing music, completing uploads and downloads, finishing rendering a movie and saving it to the camera roll, etc...

They can all be made to truly run "in the background" by passing off the task with an "I'm complete" marker. They will then run at the same times as other apps are running in the foreground.

I don't want five, I want at least two. I don't need more than three but inability to do three indicates that the device has very limited functionality. I only played with it for 10 minutes and found quite important limitation of the device. I wonder what else I would find if I spent more time with it.

The reason why i need two:
When I watch nasa tv, sometimes nothing happens there for minutes. They won't broadcast sounds (commentary or crew dialogs) but the have picture being stream. When something starts happening again they will broadcast sound again. I don't want to be staring at boring bits so when nothing is happening i will do something else, in a browser (maybe watch a short clip of something else) or in a different app. If the stream is interupted when switching the tabs I will miss on the interesting bit as I won't know what's happening.

Why I need at least one: want to have my youtube playlist playing in the background (music) so even not being able to play one video in the background is pretty poor by my standards.

I am not criticing ip*d here, it is what it is and it's not for me, I know that. Initially I had a question about it's functionality, I asked it here and I wasn't given a satisfactory answer (which is really strange considering how many of you seem have the device here). I had to go and find out myself, I shared my findings and I was asked why I need this kind of functionality. So I explained.

Spot on.

The problem is not that the iPad doesn't play x number of videos on different screens etc...

The problem is that you need a laptop/desktop not an iPad.

http://www.sccssurvey.co.uk/product/show/924

This may be the best Theodolite ever (I don't know) but if I'm looking for a spirit level to make a table in woodwork at school it isn't for me. That doesn't mean that the Theodolite has massive limitations, it means that it isn't the tool for me.

Can the Playbook do email yet?

I have disagree with that. I don't think it is unreasonable to ask for some multitasking. And the fact that there are other tablets on the market capable of doing only confirms that I am not asking for "that" much.

Then don't complain about the iPad and go and buy one of the others instead.

If it was true that the iPad was rubbish because it doesn't do multi-tasking (like playing multiple videos etc...) then they wouldn't have sold millions of them.

There are cars that are capable of going 150+ mph but I don't complain that my Yaris doesn't do that and it isn't an unreasonable expectation that it should. However, what my Yaris can do is get me to work everyday on a reasonable amount of petrol and I can fit my bike in the boot or take 4 passengers.

If I want a car to go over 150mph then I'd buy one that did that but then compromise on fuel consumption and boot space etc...

I am not complaining, I am trying to have a civilised debate. I was asked a question and it is only polite to answer. The fact that you have problem with what I say is your problem, at least I am not attacking anybody.

I've never said ip*d is rubbish, I merely pointed out a limitation of the device and compared it to something else, I don't see what's wrong with that. I came here to ask a question and nobody was able to answer it. So I did my own research, shared my findings and the discusion ensued. And it was perfectly civilised until you came round I have to say. I don't understand why you need to be so defensive.

And can it do email yet if I'm not a Blackberry customer?
How's the RSS situation on it?
How's the app store shaping up for it?
Is it what could realistically be called 'functional' for the average non-Blackberry user?

There is Playbook thread in Gadgets forum, I am more than happy to discuss this with you (or anybody). This is not the place, you know what some people are like

You found out that the iPad couldn't play multiple videos and from that said it had "very limited functionality".

Surely at that point you just cross the iPad off your potential shopping list and keep looking?

Like I said (or should have said)... "The problem is not the iPad. The problem is that you need some other device not an iPad".

If there are tablets available that do let you play multiple videos and that is something you need then surely you would just go and buy one of those instead?

Like I said, I don't complain that my car doesn't go 150mph. There are cars that do go 150mph but I didn't buy one. I also don't automatically assume that all cars should be able to go 150mph or say that the fact that my car doesn't is a limitation.

This is what you seem to be doing.

Another factor is that if you get another device will it still be available in a couple of years time? Since the iPad dominates the tablet market the chances are that its manufacturer may not release new versions in future. So in three years you might have to buy an iPad anyway.

Yes.