In this edition of the Tablet Tableau, we take a quick look at what the industry has cooked up to counter the sweeping success of Apple’s original iPad, released March 12, 2010, just over a year ago. (A year later, almost to the day, the  iPad 2 made its debut.)

Many of the competing tablets offered over the past year fell short of achieving the lofty benchmark set by the first iPad. Size, weight, and battery life seemed to be major stumbling blocks for several contenders.  Application selection, speed, and screen quality dogged competitors as well. But a year can make a huge difference in the world of mobile electronics, especially in the new and fiercely competitive tablet arena.

Samsung Galaxy

Samsung came out swinging with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. However, this was not without some initial controversy. Upon seeing Apple’s iPad 2, Samsung VP Lee Don-Joo told the  Yonhap News Agency, “We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate,” and “Apple made it very thin.” Lee then added, “The 10-inch (tablet) was to be priced higher than the 7-inch (tablet) but we will have to think that over.” True to Lee’s word Samsung has launched a revised edition of their tablets. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is lighter, thinner, and priced on par with the iPad 2.

Motorola Xoom

Motorola was been busy cooking up some magic of its own, the Motorola Xoom. Not to be bested by Samsung, Motorola has worked closely with Google, the maker of the Android operating system (OS) found on the Xoom and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. The result? Motorola brought together a powerful mix of hardware and a tablet-optimized OS, Honeycomb.

Hewlett-Packard TouchPad

A dark horse in the tablet brawl is the HP TouchPad. Not due out until this summer and with no pricing available, it’s difficult to compare it properly to currently or soon-to-be-shipped products. That said, the HP TouchPad is worth mentioning now because it will offer HP’s new webOS. In a move that surprised many industry observers, HP purchased Palm last year. Out of that acquisition rides a polished webOS well suited to the tablet lifestyle.

BlackBerry PlayBook

Blackberry is soon to enter this burgeoning market with its tablet offering, the BlackBerry PlayBook. The Playbook is built on the recently acquired QNX Neutrino platform, and could give BlackBerry an edge in the enterprise market.

Apple iPad 2

With its sophomore release, Apple upped its game, The iPad 2 is thinner and lighter than its previous incarnation. In keeping with competitors, Apple added cameras and significantly increased overall speed. But unlike the original iPad, this release is more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Next up we have Microsoft’s new…, well, it looks to be a year out.