SENSIS chief executive Bruce Akhurst got his first real insight into what the Apple iPad could do for his directories business when he was at the annual Yellow Pages convention in Las Vegas recently. "It's fantastic," he says from his Melbourne head office. "It really is a step forward. "It's another game changer like the Apple iPhone, which has fundamentally changed the human interface." Akhurst believes the iPad has great potential for Sensis, both for video marketing and as an innovative sales tool. "I saw the version with the Yellow Pages on it. You can put your finger on the corner of the screen and turn the pages, just as if they were real pages. "Imagine going to your customer and saying: 'Would you like us to put a video up about your restaurant so people can watch it on the screen?' "It's a much better experience."Akhurst sees the iPad dramatically changing life for Sensis's sales people, allowing customers to see their advertisements directly on the iPad in their office. They would be able to edit their advertisement on screen, and with the iPad connected to a mobile phone network, they could sign the contract -- all in the one meeting. Akhurst and his team imported several iPads from the US, as soon as they were released, so they could build applications for the device. They built iPhone applications for the Yellow and White Pages last year. With the phones fitted with a GPS system, the apps allow people to search for businesses within a certain distance of their location. The iPad applications will be the next big step forward for the business, which has been riding the wave of new online and mobile phone technologies. -Steve