I have a 1st gen iPad and am looking at a mini. Would this be an upgrade or just a shrunken screen.
An upgrade. Here is a list of what the mini has compared to ipad 1.
Has a webcam 1.2 MP vs None
Most tablets have a webcam; Video chat with other people
Has a rear camera 5 MP vs None
Most tablets have a rear camera; Can be used like a point-and-shoot camera
More cores Dual core vs Single core
Twice as many cores; run more applications at once
Latest and greatest OS iOS 6 vs iOS 4
Newer iOS; Get all the latest features and apps with a more recent version
Has a gyroscope Yes vs No
Somewhat common; Play games and use applications that take advantage of device rotation
Significantly faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark 1,426 ms vs 3,484 ms
2.4x faster sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark; better web browsing experience
Marginally newer Nov, 2012 vs May, 2010
Released over 2 years later
Much faster Bluetooth 24 Mbit/s (Bluetooth v4.0) vs 3 Mbit/s (Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR)
8x faster Bluetooth
Lighter 308 g vs 730 g
2.4x lighter
Smaller 135 x 200 x 7 mm vs 244 x 191 x 13 mm
3.2x smaller
Sharper screen 163 ppi vs 131 ppi
More than 20% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images
Thinner 7 mm vs 13 mm
Around 50% thinner
Also Siri