BARCELONA: With Samsung adding yet more tablets to its ever-expanding range, V3 managed to get its hands on the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 running Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Tab 2 retains most of the design and traits that made the original Galaxy Tab popular with enterprise users and consumers.

However, in terms of looks, the Tab 2 isn't the sexiest and slimmest in the Galaxy range and we prefer Galaxy Tab 7.7.

Samsung hasn't gone over-the-top with the specifications on the Tab 2 either, in a deliberate attempt to keep the price of the device as low as possible to try and entice first-time tablet buyers.

The main area where costs have been saved is the 7in display, with Samsung shipping the Tab 2 with a 1024x600 resolution. This is not as good as the Super Amoled screen with 1,280x800 resolution found on the Tab 7.7.

However, under the hood Samsung has not skimped on components. The Tab 2 is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, has 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. There is a micro SD slot that allow users to boost storage by another 32GB, which is always handy.

We found performance to be smooth, although not as quick as the quad-core powered Transformer Prime.

Samsung has also pre-loaded Android Ice Cream Sandwich onto the tablet so it is capable of offering the most up-to-date software experience of any tablet which is important as Apple gears up to unveil the iPad 3.

The 3G device also retains the ability to make calls so you can use the device as a smartphone if you wish, although using a Bluetooth headset is probably best though to avoid getting strange looks.

HSPA+ network connectivity of up to 21Mbit/s, plus 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also supported, but no LTE model is planned.

BERLIN: Samsung continues to roll out Android tablets, despite being subject to a number of patent infringement lawsuits from Apple, and V3 got its hands on the latest edition to the ever-growing Galaxy Tab family.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7in looks to be another fine effort from the Korean manufacturer, boasting some tasty specifications and a beautifully crafted, lightweight design.

Despite having a screen almost one inch larger than the HTC Flyer and BlackBerry PlayBook, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 weighs just 335g, making it around 100g lighter than its competitors. The Tab is great to hold and definitely has a decent claim to being the most portable tablet on the market.

Samsung will also retain the voice calling feature in 3G models, making this a hybrid device like the original Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The company has squeezed in a Super Amoled screen with 1,280x800 resolution. The screen is extremely crisp and its brightness marks a step up from the 1,024x600 pixels on the original Tab.

Samsung has ditched the commonly used context sensitive face buttons, and the Tab has no keys on the bezel.

As always, Samsung has increased the device's horsepower, incorporating a 1.4GHz dual-core processor. We found internet browsing swift, and applications loaded quickly. We expect the Tab 7.7 to be one of the fastest on the market when it comes out.

The tablet is also wafer thin and, with a thickness of 7.89mm, looks like a size zero model next to the Flyer (13.2mm) and makes the PlayBook (10mm) look a bit chubby.

The Tab runs on Android 3.2, so the experience is going to be similar to other tablets, but we did spot some features that we haven't seen before. The System Bar on the Tab 7.7 features a screen capture button to instantly print any page. There is also an extra arrow that brings up six shortcuts to apps along the bottom for quicker access.

The back of the device has also been changed, which we were happy to see. Gone is the white plastic back, which made the original very slippery to hold, to be replaced by a gun-metal grey metal casing.

In a nod to its ongoing battle with Apple, Samsung cheekily placed a sticker on the back stating that the "design is subject to change", almost as if the manufacturer is anticipating another lawsuit.

As it stands, we were very impressed with the 7.7in, even more so that the Sony Tablet S. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 looks like it is going to offer a large display without compromising portability, and it could be the best Android tablet to date.

Some weeks ago, Samsung announced that an update for the Galaxy Tab would start appearing in its Kies update and media sync program. Any Android update usually generates a lot of excitement among certain people, especially us Labs bloggers.

Samsung doesn't make it easy, though. When we connected our Tab to a laptop running the latest version of Kies it detected an update, but it wasn't the 2.3.3 we were hoping for. Instead it was a minor security fix. No matter how much opening and closing of the app, or pressing the 'check for upgrade' button, Kies wouldn't play ball.

But Kies isn't the only way to get an update to 2.3 on your Galaxy Tab. There is a more risky process that forces an update of your choosing onto your device. We had done this before with a Samsung Galaxy S, so felt confident having a go.

We shouldn't have been confident, because it was our ruination. The update didn't go well, and we ended up with a device that was essentially 'bricked' (it wouldn't boot up). It's lucky for us that Samsung makes kit that's well designed and resilient to this sort of thing. Recovering a tablet or phone in this state is possible but, even when we thought it was fixed, the tablet would reboot every time it was put into standby mode, rendering it unusable.

So, more online instructions were needed. Thankfully thegalaxytabforum.com came to our rescue. A thread on the site explains how to install Gingerbread on your Tab and gives detailed information about each step.

We wouldn't recommend that anyone tries this themselves (it's a heart in mouth moment even if everything goes well) but, if you're someone who needs to test security or other features before updates hit the mass market, updating before everyone else can be handy.

It was all worth it, too. The interface tweaks of Gingerbread and the increased battery life have given a new lease of life to our trusty 7in Galaxy Tab.