After using this newly abundant technical gizmo for about a week, at the price of $499 it's going for I would much rather purchase a laptop for the same price. While the design and subsequent visual appeal of the Apple Ipad is something to write home about, the functionality is not much to go on,...

With its typical glamour and showmanship, global technology giant Apple last week finally revealed a smaller version of its dominant iPad tablet . But will the iPad mini maintain Cupertino's reputation for quality? Read on to find out.

The iPad mini is available on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in the US, and T-Mobile in the UK – but you can use it on any network if you buy it without a contract since it's unlocked form the get-go.

After taking a closer look at both the Apple iPad mini and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 we can safely say that it isn't a fair apples vs oranges comparison. The iPad mini is clearly the more premium device with faster 4G LTE connectivity, better build quality and more useful apps and functions.

Blink and you might have missed it. The iPad Mini Wi-Fi made an especially quiet debut as compared to the latest iPads in Apple's latest event. With the dust now settled, it is easy to see why Steve Jobs was cocky of the 2011 tablets…

Beautifully designed; Very good cameras

Quite pricey; Wide and slippery

In the moment that the iPad mini was announced to feature a starting price point of $330, we were left wondering in confusion as to why? Factoring in its hardware specs and all, it would lead anyone to believe that this latest iPad is rather over-bloated at $330, which is still seen as a...

Super skinny construction; Takes good photos & videos for a tablet; Stellar battery life

Low resolution display

Hard to write a review for an iPad cover. But this is a great colour, does exactly what it needs to do. It arrived very quickly and as it is a gift will be loved I am sure.

Best for portability

Very large screen for its size; Very light for its size; Fast system speed; Good sound quality; Consumer testers loved the design and feel; Consumer testers loved the camera functionality

Resolution not as impressive as other tablets tested; Few connectivity options

We couldn't understand why Apple would want to create an iPad mini sized at 7.9-inches, and thought something nearer 7-inches would be better considering how close the iPad mini is in size to the 10-inch iPad 4 and iPad 3.

It's hard to ignore the iPad juggernaut. Apple launched their version of the tablet computer back in 2010 and since then it's gone from strength to strength in almost every way. Others have joined the market since but have never really managed to replicate Apples success.