Tablets

CES 2012: Sony Tablet P Overview (Video)

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 10, 2012 | 17 comments

With CES now into full swing, we had a chance at a less hectic and more private event with Sony last night at which we had an opportunity to get our hands on all sorts of Sony gear and spend some time without a mob behind us. As you very well know, the consumer electronic industry is currently in a tablet craze as all companies attempt to stay relevant with some form of tablet. Unfortunately, this has also caused 90% of tablets without the name iPad on them to want to be the iPad, thus creating a lackluster, wannabe-like experience.

Enter the Sony Tablet P, which takes the core ideas of a tablet, like running apps, reading books, and playing movies, and places them on a dual 5.5-inch LCD screen design. This new clamshell form not only gives you portability on the go, but can also give you functionality while being stationary like a keyboard on one screen and your information on the other. Below is a video preview of the Sony Tablet P.

Sony Tablet S Drops a $100 in Price. Is it Enough?

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 3, 2012 | 27 comments

Like countless other companies who have entered the tablet wars and have had to reduce their price to gain some form of traction, the Sony Tablet S is taking a $100 off of it’s MSRP to fight for some attention in the already crowded market. The Sony Tablet S was released less than half a year ago to mostly praises for a design that actually inspired, unlike the other Android tablets were just iPad knockoffs. With the Apple iPad juggernaut not showing any signs of slowing down and a lack of advertisement from Sony on their tablet, Sony is hoping that a new lower price point will help attract some new users. The new prices are as follows:

Sony Tablet S 16GB – $399
Sony Tablet S 32GB – $499

Still, it’s hard to see how much of an impact this will have, outside of the general tech crowd who will hear about this announcement. Unless Sony puts some form of HP tablet fire sale, it’s hard to imagine that any price cut will matter if Sony isn’t willing to advertise their device. As we pointed earlier, the Tablet S seemed to be one of the few tablets on the market that actually offered something different when compared to other tablets with mostly high praises. Hopefully 2012 will usher in a new era for Sony where they understand that in order for your products to sell, people actually have to know that they exist.

Sony and Adobe Announce Winners of App Developers Challenge

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 17, 2011 | 12 comments

Sony entered the tablet market nearly two months ago with the Tablet S and is planning on following it up with even a more unique variation, the Tablet P. Both tablets which run on Android Honeycomb will also have access to an array of apps, built on Adobe’s Air platform. This is especially important when we consider the Tablet P which has a very unique dual 5.5-inch multitouch clamshell display which can be both empowering and challenging to developers. Prior to launching the Tablet S, Sony and Adobe put together a challenge and a $200,000 cash prize for developers who could create some of the best apps, utilizing Adobe Air.

After hundreds of entries for the App Developers Challenge, which spanned from countries like Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, UK and of course, the USA, seven winning apps were chosen. Not only will these app developers receive the cash prize, but Sony will also offer their apps “premium” promotion via Sony’s Select App, a website with shortcut icons on the tablets’ home-screen which highlight Sony-recommended Android apps.

After the jump, a list of the winning apps.

PlayStation Store Lands on Sony Tablet S. Game List and Prices Announced

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 19, 2011 | 3 comments

Sony has long recognized that in order for the PlayStation brand to expand, they would need to reach outside of the traditional PlayStation family, which currently includes the PlayStation 3, PSP, and will expand with the PS Vita in February 2012. The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is currently the only PlayStation Certified Android smartphone with PlayStation games available for it, though it still has no access to the PlayStation Store. The Sony Tablet S, however, is not only the first PlayStation Certified tablet, but is also the first to receive the PlayStation Store.

The PlayStation Store launches today on the Sony Tablet S in nine countries, including the US and Canada. 10 PlayStation One titles will kick off this event with Sony planning on adding more as time goes on. There have even been rumors of PlayStation 2 titles eventually making their way onto the store though I wouldn’t hold my breath on that. Each PS One title will cost $5.99, the list of which includes:

Cool Boarders
Destruction Derby
Hot Shots Golf 2
Jet Moto
Jet Moto 2
Jumping Flash!
MediEvil
Motor Toon Grand Prix
Rally Cross
Wild Arms

Installing the PS Store is easy. Sony Tablet S owners will receive a notification letting you know that the PS Store has opened and is available for download. From there, simply follow the on-screen directions to download the PS Store App and start downloading games for the Sony Tablet S.

Sony has always insisted that the PlayStation Store experience will not be limited to their smartphones and tablets and that other manufacturers are able to get in on the action as well. This entire initiative is based around expanding Sony’s reach with the PlayStation brand in hopes of drawing people back into their main devices like the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita while also setting their devices apart.

Sony Tablet S 3G and Tablet P 3G to be Released on October 28th

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 13, 2011 | 19 comments

Hopefully the above title didn’t excite you too much if you live in the US or Europe as the Sony Tablet S 3G and Tablet P 3G are indeed being released on October 28th. However, the launch is currently only for Japan with NTT DoCoMo as the provider. Currently in Western markets, Sony has yet to even release the Tablet P though we’re excepting it before the year’s end.

As a recap, the Sony Tablet S runs on Google’s Android 3.2 operating system. This tablet comes equipped with a 9.4-inch multitouch LCD screen with a 1280 x 800 resolution, and a Tegra 2 chipset at 1GHz can be found at the heart of this slick machine. The Sony Tablet P, on the other hand is the more ambitiously-designed of the two with a love it or hate it design. With a clamshell design and dual 5.5-inch multitouch LCD screens and a 1024 x 480 resolution, the Tablet P will also have DLNA capabilities like its sister model, giving it the option to stream content to other DLNA devices.

Gameloft Getting Ready To Bring Games To Sony Tablets

by Jan Hutchings | Sep 23, 2011 | 20 comments

Last month, we published an in-depth preview of the upcoming Sony Tablet S and Tablet P. The two are set to go up against the iOS-powered iPad 2 when released. And, since the iPad is the current leader, toppling giants like HP as legitimate tablet PC competition, Sony may have to bring its big guns to win the fight.

Well, it looks like successful-mobile-gaming-company Gameloft is set to help Sony in its mission to bring Android Honeycomb 3.1 and 3.2 tablets to consumer’s hands by bringing a number of its high-profile games to Sony Tablets (S and P as of right now) pretty soon. So far, the company has announced the following games for release on the tablet PCs:

N.O.V.A. 2 HD
Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD
Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD
Real Soccer 2011 HD
Green Farm HD

So, in addition to Android app capabilities as well as the PlayStation Suite (PSOne game catalog), Sony Tablet owners will also be able to play Gameloft titles when the tablets release.

[Via Destructoid]

Sony Tablet S Overview (Video)

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 19, 2011 | 23 comments

To help promote their upcoming Tablet S, Sony during the course of last week ran a series of advertising blitz where they invited Sony and tech fans to meet them at different major cities throughout the United States to #catchthetablet. In these areas, fans could spend a few minutes with the tablet, take some pictures and maybe even win one for themselves. We got a chance to meet the Sony street team in Santa Monica where we were given a quick overview of this Android Honeycomb device. Later that day, we’d meet the Sony team and others at the Century City Sony store, their new flagship retail destination.

Though are site hasn’t been fortunate enough to get a Tablet S for review, I figured that this would be an opportune time to spend some time with the Sony Tablet S and give you guys and gals an overview. In the video, I discover the tablets navigation interface, native apps and multi-tasking functionalities.

Discuss:

Would you consider the Sony Tablet S as your next or first tablet?

Sony Tablet S Release Date Revealed

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 6, 2011 | 40 comments

Android fans who’ve been waiting for Sony to get in the tablet game won’t have much longer to wait. Via the Sony and Amazon website, The Sony Tablet S (SGPT111US/S) will be making its US debut on September 16th with the previously announced price of $499 for 16GB and $599 for the 32GB. The Sony Tablet P is also making an appearance on the Sony website but without a release date or pre-order status, we can only assume that the device is still on for a Fall or Holiday 2011 release date. You can be sure though as the launch date of the Sony Tablet S passes, that a lot more will be revealed about the Sony Tablet P.

[Via Sony]

Sony Tablet S and the Tablet P Get Officially Unveiled. We Have Specs, Details, and a Preview for You

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 31, 2011 | 1 comment

It’s been no secret that Sony has been working on a pair of Android tablets. The electronics giant has been quite serious about the use of Android and has shifted their entire Sony Ericsson division to utilize the open-sourced software from Google. With the computer industry beginning to enter what Apple calls the “post PC’ era, Sony, like many other computer makers, knew that it had to have some presence in the fast-growing market. In the nearly one and a half years that the iPad has been on the market, Apple has come to sell more than 30 million units while competitors like HP have already dropped out and discontinued their entire tablet strategy and Samsung continues to sell units in the low thousands. As Sony’s CEO Sir Howard Stringer put it, “It’s not about who makes them first, but who makes them better.” This simple line goes a long way to explaining why with the glut of tablets that are available on the market, none have yet to find any real form of success.

With the codenamed Sony S1 tablet officially being called the Sony Tablet S and the codenamed S2 tablet being called the Sony Tablet P, Sony is looking to change the fortune of non-iOS-tablet manufacturers and is hoping to make an impact in the tablet market. Between the two devices, the Tablet S is what many would think of when they imagine a tablet. The most obvious thing about the Tablet S is the 9.4-inch, multitouch display that powers it. Utilizing their in-house expertise, Sony tapped into their TV R&D team to provide TruBlack and Bravia technologies, which provides a 1280 x 800 resolution and “contrast ratios that hold up from any angle and very accurate color reproduction that surpasses the Samsung GalaxyTab 10.1,” as Engadget put it. Based on the NVIDIA Terga 2 chipsets, you can expect to find your usual assortment of goodies like:

Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi + 4G (AT&T only)
16GB and 32GB
Headphone jack
MicroUSB
Front VGA webcam
5 megapixel rear camera
SD card reader
IR Port

Sony’s Tablet S2 Gets A Name, More Specs Revealed For the S1 and S2

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 30, 2011 | 27 comments

We’ve recently learned that Sony will be naming their 9.4-inch tablet, code named the S1, to the Sony Tablet S. Following in the same name pattern, the dual 5.5-inch screen tablet (codename S2) will be called the Sony Tablet P. The Sony Tablet P will also be light weight, even when compared to the iPad 2, which comes in at 601 grams, while the Tablet P will weigh in at 370 grams. The Tablet P will also match the iPad 2’s 512MB of RAM, carry an internal 4GB of memory and come with a 2GB SD card which can be swapped for any other SD card size that you prefer. Connectivity will also be getting a big boost on this device, thanks to the built-in 4G and WiFi card. Both machines will also be powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processors, which should come in handy when playing PlayStation Certified games, something that will be unique to Sony’s tablets. After the jump, you can find additional specs about the S1.

Sony’s Tablet S1 Gets Named, To Be Released in September

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 23, 2011 | 12 comments

We’ve known for sometime now that Sony’s S1 and S2 tablets were aiming for a fall window but would have never guessed that they meant early fall. Reports peg the Sony S1 tablet to be released during the first two weeks of September which is right around the corner. Till now, we’ve been accustomed to calling the device by its codename and it seems that the actual name isn’t far off. The official name given will be a lackluster Sony Tablet S, demoting it from Sony’s usual catchy and unique names like Bravia, VAIO, Cybershot, PS Vita, and Walkman. No details yet on the name or time table for the S2 but we have to imagine that it will carry a similar name scheme.

With the release date nearly upon on, we can also confirm some further specs. The Tablet S comes with a 9.4-inch (1280×768), a front facing 3.0megapixel camera and 5.0 megapixel back camera. Sony is also planning on releasing a extensive line of accessories to further support their tablet ecosystems. This includes a wireless keyboard, docking station, and a micro USB to USB cable which will allow you to plug compatible USB devices to the Sony Tablet S like USB flash drives and Sony’s Bloggie cameras. Currently, a $599 launch price point is being thrown around though that could change at any time and Sony has yet to hint at their pricing scheme.

[Via Engadget]

Leaked Screenshots of Sony S1 and S2 Tablet Reveal Android 3.2, Tons More Features

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 10, 2011 | 17 comments

Many of Sony’s upcoming and hotly anticipated devices like the PlayStation 3D Display, ~~PlayStation Vita~~, NEX-5N, Alpha A77 and S1 & S1 Android tablets all hold a vague “Fall” release window. Though mostly through leaks and insider information we’ve gotten to know most of these devices fairly well, Sony’s Android Honeycomb Tablet plans continue to be shrouded in mystery. Sony for its part has done a good job of releasing teaser episodes every few weeks which reveal some of the upcoming Tablets functionalities like video out. Now for the first time, we have more information to share with about the two Tablets, thanks to a handful of screenshots which reveal new information like the presence of Android Honeycomb 3.2, the tablets keyboard, music player and more in the Sony S1 and S2 Tablets. More pictures for your viewing pleasure, after the jump.

Sony Release a 4th Teaser Episode for Their Upcoming S1 and S2 Tablet

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 3, 2011 | 9 comments

Sony has just released the 4th teaser video for their upcoming S1 and S2 tablets. Like before, the video continues to tease our visual senses with creative twists and contrasting color while sneaking in some of the tablets’ capabilities. This time, the video-out capabilities of both the S1 and S2 was full and center, letting you know that your media is not just limited to the tablets’ screens.

The teaser video can be found after the jump.

Sony & Adobe Create Air Apps for Android Tablets $200k Prize

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 13, 2011 | 32 comments

As Adobe’s Flash technology continues a downward trajectory, largely in part to the lack of support from Apple and poor performance on Android devices, Adobe has needed to create something in order to replace the dying format. With the app craze still in high gear on both iOS and Android phones, Flash is no longer the tool that developers reach for in order to create interactive content, so Adobe Air was born. Now, in order to drum up some attention to the format again, Sony and Adobe are teaming up with a $200,000 cash prize for the winner of the developer who creates the best app that can take advantage of dual 5.5-inch LCD screen, found on Sony’s S2 tablet.

The ‘Adobe AIR App Challenge Sponsored by Sony’ contest offers developers a chance to win $200,000 in total cash prizes and the promotion of the application on “Sony Tablet” devices. Adobe and Sony are challenging developers and content publishers to build breakthrough mobile apps optimized for the S1 and S2 tablets. The contest will give selected developers pre-release access to “Sony Tablet” prototypes and the latest version of Adobe tools. Contest categories include Entertainment, Lifestyle and Community, Games, Business and Productivity, and Innovation. A panel of Adobe, Sony and third party judges will evaluate application submissions based on quality and performance, innovation and creativity, as well as overall user experience. The contest is open to submissions from the U.S., Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.

Those who submit their app by September 16 will have the opportunity to be selected as a MAX Showcase App, win a full MAX conference pass, and more. With a large first place prize in place and the continued innovation offered from developers who work from their home office, this seems to be a great way to both promote Sony’s new tablets, while giving Adobe’s new format some fresh Air (I couldn’t resist the pun).

Hit the jump for the full press release, including contest information.

Sony’s S2 Android Honeycomb Tablet Headed to AT&T

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 13, 2011 | 8 comments

Although there is a debate to be had about AT&T and their network, it goes without much challenge that they sure know how to have exclusive items for long periods of time before other companies like Verizon and Sprint. The company, who famously had the iPhone for 4 years prior to anybody else, also holds to the key to the upcoming PlayStation Vita, Kindle 3G, and now Sony’s S2 Android Honeycomb tablet. As a refresher, the S2 tablet, which is still a code name and will change, much like the NGP is now called the PS Vita, is Sony’s dual 5.5-inch clamshell designed tablet. This HSPA+ 4G tablet (yes, it’s been confirmed) will be offer WiFi as well though we imagine there might be some kind of potential deal with AT&T as an exclusive partner. However, beyond the exclusivity agreement, which fails to mention the S1, pointing to a potential multi-carrier support, we still don’t have an official release date or price.

On a personal note, with my iPhone 4, iPad and my plans to pick up a 3G PS Vita, I do hope there eventually are deals for people who have multiple devices that run on one network, in this case AT&T for me.

Hit the jump for an exciting-as-ever press release from Sony.