In the time between the launch of the first iPad and today, a sea of Android tablets have attempted to cash in on the tablet craze, but with the noticeable exception of one Japanese consumer electronics giant. Late last year, Sony caught up to the crowd with their Tablet S, which we managed to get hold of for a review.

Eschewing the traditional flat slab for a shape, Sony took a turn and designed a tablet which looks distinctively different from its peers. Does the Tablet S have what it takes to stand out? …

Apple’s iPad will continue to account for the lion’s share of the tablet market this year, with rival Android devices slowly closing in from behind.

According to latest estimates by Gartner, a technology research firm, the iPad is expected to end the year with 73.4 percent of the global tablet market, down from 83 percent in 2010.

Android’s slice of the pie will increase from 14.3 percent in 2010 to 17.3 percent this year, thanks to the success of low-end tablets in Asia and expectations around the launch of Amazon’s Android tablet. …

Just days after a Samsung executive was widely quoted as saying his company’s tablets were “inadequate” to compete with Apple’s new iPad 2, you’d be forgiven for asking why it showed off its much-awaited Galaxy Tab 10.1 today to Asia-Pacific media as “the best Android tablet”.

Note the word “Android”. If I were an Apple fan, I’d seize on that as a sign that Samsung is surrendering the fight with Apple, like how the poor Mr Lee Don-Joo, executive vice president of the Korean firm’s mobile division, was so quickly misquoted over the Net.

The original article from AFP is here. He is saying that parts of the Android device that are “inadequate” have to be improved. Among these, he talked about how the iPad 2 is slimmer (8.8mm versus the Tab 10.1′s 10.9mm) and that it is priced aggressively, putting pressure on companies such as Samsung. He did not say the tablet itself was “inadequate”.

Which is why, when I saw the Galaxy Tab 10.1 today, at a Samsung show-and-tell for regional media, it felt like a much-maligned piece of work. …

This year’s edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona drew to a close with a dizzying array of phones and tablets unveiled, some more exciting than others.

There’s every indication that Android is leaping ahead in the tablet wars, and some companies are still noticeably absent from this rising segment. Here’s quick round-up of some of the most important mobile gadgets to look forward to this year. Better start saving up! …