Sony’s big player in the Android tablet market is unlikely to kill iPad’s dominance, but it does give the Apple favourite a run for its money – even if it isn’t any less expensive.

Realising that the key to much of Apple’s success lies in the seamless content integration it provides through iTunes, Sony recently launched its own content store in Australia.

As such, the Tablet S provides instant access to Sony’s Music Unlimited (where access to six million songs only costs $12.99 – and there’s also a handy tool that imports your existing iTunes library into Music Unlimited); Video Unlimited (very limited, actually, as there are only 1000 titles to choose from, $6 to rent, $25 to buy), and Crackle (free full-feature movies and TV shows and videos).

Running on Android 3.2 Honeycomb technology, the tablet features a large 9.4” LED-lit TruBlack touch-screen display and an easy-to-hold wedge design, which makes for easier typing when you lay it flat.

The video quality is quite outstanding and there is a limited but growing range of Playstation1 and PSP games available.

And, if you’re looking to use the Tablet S as an e-reader, it comes pre-loaded with Sony’s Reader eBook store and is also compatible with the recently launched Google eBooks.

Overall, the Tablet S is user-friendly and will definitely keep the whole family entertained.

Lenovo’s tagline is … For Those Who Do - and you could say that their newest addition to their computing range does just that. This is the tablet For Those Who Do, at work!

The Lenovo ThinkPad tablet’s been designed more for office use - that  means it’s tough and well-built, as employee-tech gets handled a tad rougher than the gadgets we own and personally pay for! Its display is Gorilla Glass, and soft-touch plastic body is sturdy. The ThinkPad has a 10.1-inch, 1280×800 display, equal to the other Android tablets on the market. Weighs in at just 713 grams, a bit lighter than the Motorola Xoom.

The tablet runs version 3.1 of Google’s Android mobile platform — ‘Honeycomb’. Like other Honeycomb tablets, the ThinkPad Tablet offers Flash support, an excellent notification system and access to the Android Market for third-party applications. Lenovo’s pre-loaded software adds corporate and security features - a major selling point. It includes anti-theft software and the ability to disable the tablet if it’s lost or stolen.

ThinkPad has a Keyboard Folio ($99.00), a leather case that reveals a netbook-sized keyboard which is easy to use. It also has a charging stand with USB ports ($70), which powers up four times faster than the adaptor that you get in the box. There’s a full-size SD card slot, a SIM card slot, a proprietary socket for connecting to Lenovo peripherals, a micro-USB port, an HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone socket.

ThinkPad comes with some mechanical buttons, not just a touchscreen. There’s an orientation lock, a quick-launch browser button, a long Back button and a Home key. They can only be depressed when you push down on them, and not from the edges, so you can’t exit apps accidentally. Oh, and for when you want to unwind during downtime, there’s Angry Birds and a number of other preloaded games!

Find more tablets on Lasoo.

Slated as the latest ` fully customisable’ tablet to take on the phenomenon of the Apple iPad2 - what does this new Toshiba tablet offer that’s different?

It’s the first tablet computer from Toshiba and its look and feel is very new. This Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablet has a rubberised grip surface (comes in 6 colours) - designed to make it easy to hang onto in your fast-paced digital world. Secondly, there’s no squinting at the smallish 10″ multitouch display - it’s LED backlit for browsing the web, with a Tegra mobile processor (serious graphics for gaming) for fast viewing of everything, including hi-def video. Thirdly, it’s a very customisable tablet which is a big part of its appeal.

Thrive is compatible with Adobe Flash which renders the full richness of  websites, plus you can use its built-in HDMI port to connect up to your big-screen TV and share media in 1080p full HD resolution. Standard-def photos and movies also get a makeover — even on the go — as  this tablet’s new resolution `magic’ technology upconverts standard-def video to improve its sharpness/color to mimic HD.

As a communications tool, when and wherever you want to be part of a conversation, Thrive’s front-facing 2-megapixel webcam and microphone lets you video chat. A 5-megapixel rear-facing camera captures high-quality photos and videos, and it’s also great for augmented reality apps (they enhance what you’re seeing through your viewfinder by adding sound, graphics and text).

Thrive is the first Honeycomb tablet to include a full-size SD Card slot, making the transfer of large files to and from this tablet (and other devices) very simple, plus of course it expands your storage.  Thrive also knows where it is and which way is up, down to its on-board accelerometer, GPS and compass. Thrive charges with its power dock, or turns into a workstation with a HUB dock (sold separately), which hooks up a monitor or TV, keyboard, mouse and other gear using the HDMI and four USB ports.

Toshiba Thrive is $579 (RRP) and is due in stores early July.

2011 was promised to be the Year of the Tablet - and yes they are still coming….because it seems we can’t get enough!

Too many to choose from, do I really need one? If yes, then which one to buy? We’ve looked at all of them as they launch, and here’s our favourite 3 tabs so far:

1. Asus Eee Slate -  best Windows 7 tablet.

Enough grunt to run Office easily, Eee Slate has a 12″ screen, terrific touch sensitivity (considering it’s Windows 7) and speed you’d expect from the Intel Core processor. Downside is low screen resolution of 1280×800, upside is it auto-rotates, plus a virtual keyboard pops up on screen.  Sound is excellent too, due to some high quality speakers.  Networking is through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and a hi-res camera. Very easy transfer of photos/video files, you get 500GB free storage for a year. 

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab - best Android tablet.

A big rival to the iPad, the Galaxy Tab has a `media hub’ app with huge library of movies/TV episodes (from Universal Studios, MTV networks, NBC and Paramount). It’s only 380g (1/2 weight of iPad), has a 7″ LCD touch screen, 1024×600 pixels which look crisp and bright. Small screen is perfectly OK for e-reading, emails, net surfing and apps. Use the Tab as a large mobile phone, a front facing camera turns it into a video-call. Compatible with Flash video and games so you can easily access videos and gaming online. 

3. Acer Iconia - most eye-catching hardware.

With two 14″ screens, you super-size your web-browsing by extending pages across both Acer Iconia displays (you’ll have to put up with the hinge gap). Acer call it a laptop-tablet computer, with the second screen taking the place of your standard keyboard, doing double-duty as a virtual QWERTY keypad. Armed with Intel Core i5 processor and powered by Windows 7, the Iconia has an HD webcam and integrated 3G.

There are many tablets coming as promised in 2011, but the Asus Eee Slate is one of the few Windows 7 models definitely worth considering.

For some people, this new Windows OS tablet will almost certainly replace their laptop. It’s already been identified by some tech reviewers as a `great business machine’ with more than enough grunt to run Office applications easily; it has been dismissed by others as not a tablet for `die hard gamers’. This tells you which way its specs lie.

The Eee Slate has a 12″ screen, very good touch sensitivity (considering it’s Windows 7) and a truly speedy performance as you would expect from the Intel Core processor. One noted downside is the relatively low screen resolution of 1280×800. However, the upside is it auto-rotates according to how you’re holding the tablet, plus a virtual keyboard pops up on screen when you want it to. 

The Eee Slate EP121 comes with a separate keyboard plus a leather case to prop it horizontally or vertically, depending on which way round you’re viewing. Sound is excellent too, due to some high quality speakers.

There’s a digital stylus or use your fingers for media player controls or gaming. Networking with friends and family is done through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and a hi-res camera. Expandable memory slots and I/O ports mean very easy transfer of photos/video files and, if you need extra storage, you get an additional 500GB free for one year from Asus when you buy the Eee Slate.

Asus Eee Slate RRP is $1,499.00, in stores end of April.

Find more tablet computers on Lasoo.

Another tablet-convertible notebook will soon land in store - this time from Fujitsu. It’s proving to live up to their reputation for well-built, well-designed PCs.

Most tablets are being launched with just a touchscreen, but Fujitsu are aiming for the premium`professional’  tablet user, rather than the home user with their Lifebook TH550. It’s a 10″ convertible tablet with keyboard, resembling a bigger than normal netbook. 

It allows three-way input for writing, typing, and touchscreen function. The major advantage the Lifebook has over most notebooks/netbooks is the bi-directional screen which flips through 360 degrees allowing you to place the screen at any angle you want.

Inside, the Lifebook is really a Windows notebook, so that means it’s running Windows 7 Professional. Combined with 2GB of RAM,the tablet will handle most productivity tasks very well. Intel’s HD Graphics makes it just OK for gaming, but not really an outstanding performer for very enthusiastic gamers. The Lifebook has 3.5G wireless connectivity for high-speed internet access anywhere.

The Lifebook TH550 comes in matt or glossy black with a high starting price tag of $1,599.

Find more tablet computers on Lasoo.

Tablet wars are hotting up! BlackBerry’s PlayBook will land here soon, heralded as “the world’s first professional-grade tablet”.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is definitely aimed at the business-end of the tablet market, with features longed-for by corporate info tech departments. Like compatibility with the security-paranoid special servers that government, businesses and corporations use!

4G speeds are coming in 2012, until then the new PlayBook is still the fastest tablet around (faster than the iPad). This is because PlayBook is the first tablet to have a dual-core processor, and uses a brand new (very smooth) operating system, QNX.

Reviewers say these two things make it well-positioned for the multi-tasking needs of the new online consumer: JavaScript, Adobe Air and Flash Mobile, Open GL Standards, plus the new BlackBerry Webworks and HTML 5 web apps platform are all supported, which (in lay terms) means that all the increasingly rich multi-media on the web is rendered to the screen much better than any other tablet (read iPad) can.

The PlayBook is beautifully designed, ultra-thin (130mm) and ultra-portable (400g). With a 7″ high resolution display, you can enjoy browsing any website really fast, you can get into hard-core gaming and consume all the  media on the web including Adobe Flash (which gives richer content) - the iPad doesn’t display Flash. And all this without the tablet slowing down.

It has dual HD cameras for video capture and conferencing, full stero sound and an HDMI-out port for presentations. For those with a BlackBerry smartphone as well, you can use a secure Bluetooth connection which means you can simultaneously display email, calendar, tasks, documents to the tablet.

Expect to pay around $399 for 8GB, up to $599 for 32GB.

See Tablet Buying Guide on Lasoo.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of days, you’ve no doubt heard about the Apple iPad - the manufacturer’s much anticipated tablet.

So far, the iPad’s reception around the world has been mixed, to say the least: from people questioning the name to those asking if it’s really just a giant iPod Touch. In any case there’s no doubting the Apple Army will get behind this latest release when it becomes available.

At the iPad’s heart is a 9.7-inch LCD touchscreen display (1024×768 resolution), complete with on-screen QWERTY keyboard and an accelerometer to adjust the orientation as required - just like the iPhone and iPod Touch. The screen can play back high-definition video (720p). All models come with a 30-pin dock connector plus Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) , while a second generation of iPads will be released shortly after the first with a 3G modem also included (the 3G models will be slightly more expensive).

As for apps, the iPad will be compatible with any apps currently available for the iPhone and iPod Touch - although because the screen is larger, the resolution of these apps, which are designed for smaller screens, won’t be very good. Apple has already developed several apps specifically for the iPad, including a version of iTunes, Safari, Google Maps, YouTube, email and more. Most significant is the updated iWorks software, which comes as three paid apps. Several other developers have already produced optimised iPad applications, including the New York Times.

Last but not least when it comes to apps, the iPad will also be the first Apple device to run iBooks. iBooks is an e-reader that offers content from publishers such as Penguin and Harper Collins. You’ll be able to preview books then pay to download them if you’re interested in reading the whole thing.

The Apple iPad will be released in Australia on April 24. Each version of the iPad will come in three capacities - 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Local pricing is yet to be confirmed, but will start from $US499 overseas for the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad.

Buy cheap Apple products on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch is an inexpensive tablet that can be integrated with your PC to be used with creative work.

Tablets are generally the domain of designers and anyone who uses programs such as PhotoShop and Illustrator professionally, and they’re generally fairly expensive. But the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch is in reach of non-professional creative-types, carrying a recommended retail price of $159.

The device can be used instead of your mouse to operate your computer, though this may take some getting used to for everyday functionality such as browsing the web. You do this by touching the tablet and gesturing what you want to do. This is particularly handy for rotating photos and the like.

When you need to do something that requires more precision - for example, editing photos - you can use the pen to draw on the screen. You can even use it to mark up word documents or make sketches.

Wacom has also equipped the Bamboo Pen & Touch with the Bamboo Dock, which holds all the device’s widgets and applications. One of the cooler ones allows you to draw a sketch then upload it to Twitter.

The device comes bundled with a range of software including Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, which adds to the value of the $159 price tag.

Buy a cheap Wacom tablet on sale

By Caroline Warnes