Spanish company ImasD applies the modular device concept from Google's Project Ara and its smartphone ilk to tablets as it presents the Click-ARM One, a 10-inch tablet featuring four swappable components.

In order to avoid confusion, the "ARM" in the name has nothing to do with the chipmaker-- it actually stands for "Advanced Removable Modules." These are the CK PCB-HUB (connectivity options), CK Module (16GB flash storage), CK Core (Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core processor, 2GB RAM) and the 10.1-inch 1280x800 touchscreen.

Click-ARM One modules connect to the motherboard via Mini PCI Express interface, and ImasD says third parties can easily make their own. The company adds customers can also buy modules and create own cases via 3D printers.

Mobile World Congress 2015 sees Sony launch the Xperia Z4 tablet, supposedly the thinest and lightest (6.1mm slim and 393g heavy) 10-inch tablet around, together with the mid-range Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone.

The Xperia Z4 carries what Sony claims are "best in class" technologies, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core 64-bit CPU, 10-inch 2048×1536 resolution display, DSEE HX audio processing and a battery promising up to 17 hours of video playback on a single charge. It runs on Android and also allows for PlayStation 4 game streaming with the combination of Remote Play and Dualshock 4 wireless controllers.

Accessory-wise Sony offers the BKB50 Bluetooth keyboard complete with dedicated tablet dock, the "slim and light" SCR32 cover and the BSP60 speaker.

The recently-independent Vaio brings back the Z-series branding for a pair of laptop-tablet hybrids-- the Vaio Z and Vaio Z Canvas, the latter based on an earlier prototype revealed by the company.

Vaio says the "Z" name not only brings to mind its earlier high-end PC products, but also stands for "zero," marking a fresh start for the company. Whatever the Z stands for, the Vaio Z is a 13.3-inch laptop powered by either an Intel i7 or i5 CPU, SSD storage and a really long-life battery (15.5 hours of use, Vaio claims) inside an aluminium-carbon shell.

Being a hybrid device it also features a hinge allowing users to "multiflip" the laptop into tablet mode, as well as a viewing mode with the screen facing away from the keyboard. Speaking of keyboards, Vaio says the one inside the Z produces less noise than those in similar devices.

Asus finds success with tablet-notebook hybrids, meaning it will add more such devices in its product mix, company CEO Jerry Shen announces at the Taiwan launch of two hybrids, Transformer Book T100 Chi and T300 Chi.

"Despite a stagnant PC industry, we believe the category of tablet-notebook hybrid devices will continue to grow," Shen says at the launch press conference. Asus hopes hybrids will account for 30% of total 2015 notebook shipments, up from 20% in 2014.

The first Asus 2-in-1 was something of a success-- global Transformer Book T100 total 3 million since its October 2013 according to Shen, making it a key growth driver for the company.

IDC reports global tablet shipments show the first Y-o-Y decline since the product category hit the market back in 2010-- Q4 2014 shipments are down by -3.2% Y-o-Y to 76.1 million units.

On the other hand full-year 2014 shipments total 229.6m units with "modest" 4.4% Y-o-Y growth.

"The tablet market is still very top heavy in the sense that it relies mostly on Apple and Samsung to carry the market forward each year," the analyst says. "Although Apple expanded its iPad lineup by keeping around older models and offering a lower entry price point of $249, it still wasn't enough to spur iPad sales given the excitement around the launch of the new iPhones. Meanwhile, Samsung's struggles continued as low-cost vendors are quickly proving that mid- to high-priced Android tablets simply aren't cut out for today's tablet market."

Panasonic upgrades the Toughbook 31 with a Brodwell CPU, an addition the company says provides a "significant" performance boost over the previous version, as well as battery life reaching up to 18 hours of continuous use.

As the name suggests the Toughbook 31 is, well, tough, with a fully sealed design compliant to MIL-STD-180G and IP65 specifications. Construction is in magnesium alloy, and protection includes shock, drop, vibration, temperature, high altitudes, water and dust.

As for specifications the laptop carries a 2.3GHz (2.9GHz in Turbo Boost mode) Intel Core i5-5300U vPro CPU, Intel HD 5500 graphics, up to 16GB RAM, 500GB HDD, a/b/g/n/ac wifi support and either Windows 8.1 Pro or 7 Professional as OS.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo the rumoured 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" will get a companion accessory fitting the bigger display-- a stylus Apple supposedly plans to sell as an optional extra.

"Given that it’s more precise than a person’s fingers, a stylus can be more convenient to use than the combination of keyboard and mouse in some cases," the analyst says. "Therefore, we believe Apple’s stylus will improve the user experience of 12.9-inch iPad."

Such reports are usually based on supply chain sources, but in this case Kuo refers to a number of recent Apple patents dealing with stylus-based input. These include an iPad stylus complete with extendable "multitouch" nib, onboard light and even built-in gyroscope and accelerometer. However the analyst says Apple will not include motion sensors in its first stylus, instead including them in future models.

Jide, a company founded by a trio of ex-Google engineers, believes Android tablets are "terrible at getting real work done." Enter the Remix, an "ultra tablet" running on a custom version of the OS launched at CES 2015.

At first glance the Remix looks like the Microsoft Surface-- or, rather, it looks very much like the Surface. Like the Windows-powered device it features an 11.6-inch 1920x1080 display, magnetic power connector, detachable keyboard cover and a built-in dual-angle kickstand. The OS (a modified version of Android 4.4 dubbed "Remix OS") also borrows some elements from Windows, including a taskbar, file manager, multiple on-screen windows, improved mouse support and a clean look surely inspired by Microsoft's Metro UI.