iPad 2 - News, Features, and Slideshows

Vodafone has launched Apple’s iPad 2 for Australian customers, with the device to run on the both the telco’s existing infrastructure and new 850MHz network.

Even if you're comfortable with the iPad 2's on-screen keyboard and can happily tap out a status update or quick email, you might not want to use it for tasks like writing a lengthy report. One option is to ditch the tablet for a full-fledged laptop -- but it might be just as easy to add a wireless Bluetooth keyboard to the iPad.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) will begin a two-month trial of 12 iPad 2 tablets with its executive team on Monday 5 September.

If travel is part of your work agenda, then it’s vital that you explore the available tablets that are on the market today. Comparing specs is one thing, but finding relevance to your own specific needs is worth considering. Apple was the first “tab off the rank” with its ingenious iPad, but since then a bloom of competitors has emerged with new innovations. In February 2011, Motorola brought out the Xoom -- which has since given Apple a run for its money.

The imminent Australian launch of Apple's iPad 2 together with other second generation tablets later in 2011 are expected to stimulate growth in the tablet market by 85 per cent this year, according to IDC.

Apple's iPad 2, unveiled by CEO Steve Jobs in a surprise appearance Wednesday at an invitation-only media event, is thinner, lighter, faster and more full-featured, and incorporates enough changes and updates to maintain Apple's strong sales in the tablet market.