what is the microsoft(or other) equivalent to the ipad?

[tostaky]

because i love my ipas and would like to offers something similar to DP for xmas but... i know he would prefer something more "flexible" iykwim
so not something from apple
and it would have to be able to do streaming too

whats the android? is it a smartphone or a tablet like the ipad?
anything else on the market?

Nothing. Except maybe a tablet computer which are very expensive.

There is a Samsung Galaxy tablet, which runs Android. It's smaller than IPad and isn't as polished, or have as many uses, but it's the only real alternative at the moment.

If your DP is a bit geeky (like me) then he can jailbreak the iPad so he can install anything he likes on it, so won't be so restricted.

Android is a type of operating system rather than just one device.

This page collects a variety of recent reviews of tablet type devices.

Toshiba are launching an iPad style Android table too:
www.toshiba-multimedia.com/uk/gigaframe-journe/folio100/

Even ASDA are now selling cheap(ish) tablets:
direct.asda.com/eTouch-7ins-Portable-Media-Tablet-?-Web%2C-movies%2C-music-?-10gb-storage/000504956,default,pd.html

So you do have choices.

The iPad is a well built and well integrated device that works very well.

The Android tablets vary enormously, and aren't quite as slick or reliable in operation, but they are often cheaper and are "open".