Mark Bridge writes:

"Harder, better, faster, stronger". Okay, so it's a lyric from Daft Punk (or Kanye West, if you prefer) but it might as well be the vague design brief for second-generation tablets.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has launched the company's iPad 2 tablet device at a press event today.

It has the same 9.7-inch screen size (and resolution) as the original iPad but is 33% thinner and is also lighter. The device includes Apple's new 1GHz dual-core A5 processor and two cameras, with a front-facing camera for 'FaceTime' video calls and a rear-facing camera for 720p HD video recording.

Nokia has announced its intention to establish a new manufacturing site near Hanoi in northern Vietnam.

It's signed a Memorandum of Understanding with representatives of the Vietnamese government and plans an initial investment of approximately 200 million Euro. The new plant is due to open in 2012.

In this week's edition of The Fonecast we’re paying another visit to GSMA Mobile World Congress. There's an interview with Mary Carol Harris, vice president for mobile development at Visa Europe, and a wide-ranging discussion about mobile payment technologies.

Plus, as usual, the team takes its regular look at all the week’s mobile industry headlines - from Vodafone's network problems to the 4G renaming of Snoop Dogg (or 'Dogggg', as he now prefers).

There's a focus on mobile payments in this week's podcast, with a look back at Mobile World Congress and a conversation with Mary Carol Harris of Visa Europe. The team also takes its regular review of the week's headlines, including Vodafone's network problems and a hiccup with Microsoft's Windows Phone update.