Sony has launched its first Android tablets. The S and P models are the first such devices made by the Japanese electronics giant, with the S featuring a tapered design and a 9.4” screen, while the P is a folding, clamshell model with two smaller screens.
Sony claims both devices not only offer the best available features in the Android tablet market, with fast web browsing and PlayStation games, but it also claims that the devices offer features not available on the market-leader, the iPad.
For the S, the two key features are set to be a built in remote-control that can be used with any infra-red devices, including TVs and hifis that are not made by Sony, and the ability to use the tablet to direct digital media, such as music or films, from anywhere on the user’s network to any TV or hifi that can play it.
The new release marks a step-change for Android tablets, which have previously sought primarily to ape the iPad slim form factor, while relying on Google for the vast majority of the software. Sony has sought to shift the innovation to hardware, where its heritage lies, a company source said.
Weighing 598g the S model will go on sale in mid-September, while the 372g P will be available from November. Both include USB and SD card slots, as well as high speed web-browsing that the company claims is faster than any tablet currently on the market. Both tablets will have front and rear cameras and WiFi connectivity and 3G mobile internet, as well as 4G where it is available. The S will offer either 16 or 32gb of storage, while the smaller P will come with 4gb. Sony claims seven hours battery life for the P and eight for the S.
Unlike on the Tablet S, gone are the large internal memories, and instead, users can load of the SD card size of their choice with the media that they want. On the other hand, like the Tablet S, Bravia-like screen quality is present, thanks again to Sony’s TruBlack and Bravia technologies. The Tablet P will also come with the same Reader, Qriocity and PlayStation-Suite-certified apps. Retaining much of the functionality of the Tablet S, the Tablet P instead is probably aimed at a much more niche market. With a small footprint due to the clamshell design, the Tablet P can fit in just about most places though it’s not as thin as the Tablet S. Because of that same clamshell design, Sony has also optimized a lot of the built in apps. For example, users can view the game they are playing on the top screen while the controls are in the bottom; same goes for video. When it comes to tweeting or sending out an email, the top screen again is where your content is while the bottom screen displays your keyboard. This dual screen functionality is designed to give the multi-taskers out there some real advantages. For instance, you could have a map on one screen with a tweet on the other. The possibilities of this tablet are endless, depending on how Sony markets the device. We still don’t have a release window for the device, though we know that it will land some time this year. Also, AT&T will be the exclusive carrier of this tablet but no price point has been announced yet from either parties.
Specifications of Sony Tablet S:
- Android 3.1
- 0.3MP front-facing and 5MP rear-facing camera.
- 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor
- 9.4 -inch WXGA (1280×800 pixels) TFT colour LCD
- 16GB and 32GB WiFi and 3G models
- a full-sized SD card slot
- Android 3.2
- dual 5MP and VGA cameras
- two 5.5-inch Ultra Wide VGA (1024×480) screens
- a full-sized SD card slot
- 4GB of internal memory
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 0.82 pounds weight
- 1GHz Tegra 2 processor
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