Sony introduces two Android tablets: wedge-like S1 and dual-screen S2
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Sony debuted its long-awaited entry into the tablet market on Tuesday morning in the form of not one, but two tablets running Google’s Android Honeycomb OS.
The tablets haven’t been given official names as of yet, but Sony said it had codenamed the two devices S1 and S2, and that the gadgets would make up the ‘Sony Tablet’ line of products.
The S1 is a wedge of a tablet, with a tapering back and a 9.4-inch touch screen out front.
Sony said in a statement that the S1’s ‘off-center of gravity design realizes stability and ease of grip.’ The S1 features front and rear cameras for shooting video and photos.
The S2 is a clam-shell device made up of two 5.5-inch touch screens with a hinge running through the middle of the device that allows it to close up, screen to screen.
The two displays which can be used together as one large screen to browse websites or apps, or the screens can perform separate functions, such as the bottom half acting as a keyboard for an email displayed up top.
Both of the tablets run on Google’s Android Honeycomb software, will run Android apps and can connect to the Internet using both Wi-Fi and 3G or 4G cellular networks.
The devices will be able to tap into Sony’s cloud-based services: Qriocity offering music and video, the PlayStation Network offering downloadable video games, and e-books from the Sony Reader Store.
The Sony Tablet line will also work with some Sony TVs and home speaker systems, allowing users to push video or music from the tablets to their home entertainment systems via infrared connections.
The tablets, which were first announced but not shown or detailed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, are set to arrive in stores this fall. Prices weren’t announced.
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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Photos, from top: The new S1, left, and S2 tablets from Sony; a side view of the S1. Credit: Sony