The Smart Cover is an optional $40-$70 accessory, and it partly addresses one of the iPad’s key weaknesses: It’s not very easy to type on the device for long periods of time. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

The iPad 2 is a stellar upgrade, even though the tablet’s low-quality cameras leave a lot to be desired.

That seems to be the critical consensus from the first crop of reviews on the iPad 2, which hits stores Friday.

About a dozen technology journalists have had their hands on the new tablet about a week,  from several mainstream publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today, as well as tech-oriented blogs such as TechCrunch, SlashGear and PCMag.com.

But who has time to read all that?

To save you time, we snatched the highlights from each review and posted them on Gadget Lab’s Twitter account. Here, then, is everything you need to know about the early reviews, in 140 characters or fewer for each one.

• WSJ: “As of now, I can comfortably recommend it as the best tablet for average consumers.”
• Macworld: “For Apple’s competitors in the tablet-device market, the iPad 2 is a bucket of water to the face.”
• SlashGear: “Apple has put together a superbly capable, class-shaping tablet.”
• NYTimes: The iPad … dominates in all the most important criteria: thinness, weight, integration, beauty — and apps.”
• The Daily: “It’s fast, light and a heck of a lot of fun to have around.”
• Engadget: “Whether you’re tinkering, writing, or recording, this software’s value will be clear right from the start.”
• PCMag: iPad 2 is the “clear standout in the ever-widening sea of tablets.”
• USA Today: “The 9.7-inch LED backlit screen … hits the sweet spot for FaceTime, browsing and numerous applications”
• TechCrunch: “If you don’t have an iPad and want one, it’s the easiest call in the world. Of course you should.”
• BusinessWeek: “Taken together, the changes are unremarkable.”
• The Root: “So far, no other device comes close in price and performance.”
• LaptopMag: “When you look at the whole package … the iPad 2 is the king of tablets.”

See Also: