We have so grown used to the S1 and S2 nomenclature of the upcoming tablets from Sony that we perhaps wouldn’t have been too surprised if the final productions versions too were so referred. However, we knew its just a code name and that the tablets will have a proper name before it is ready for a market launch. Now that the ultimate date is drawing nearer, Sony has come up with the final naming — Tablet S for what we have knows so far as the S1. Not a great deviation from its code name so far though it leaves us wondering what the S2 will be known by.
Any way, apart from the name, what has also emerged is that the Tablet S will be ready for a market stint by week 2 of September. Also, Tablet S will be shipping with Android 3.1 but will be Ice Cream Sandwich compatible once the version goes live. The tablet is supposed to have support for controlling home theaters remotely through integrated IR blaster but here is some more interesting stuff that engadget has hit upon. Like the Tablet S will also be capable of ‘throwing’ media over to other DLNA-compatible hardware irrespective of them being of Sony make or otherwise. This while the IR blaster would help in the Tablet S being the remote control for the TV, Blu-ray players and some other home appliances.
Other features of the Tablet S that has come to the fore include a 5 megapixel camera at the rear and a 3 megapixel unit up front. There would be few other additional accessories that Sony would be adding on its own like a wireless keyboard and an adapter to bring full-size USB are known to be among many more to be offered. The 9.4 inch 1280×768 pixel display sports TrueBlack resin layer which helps in reducing reflections while also offering a rich color output.
There is news that the Tablet S users will be provided access to all of Sony services like Qriocity music, video streaming (which is being re-branded Video Unlimited) as well as the Sony Reader store. The tablet will also have support for PlayStation, which makes it the only device other than S2 and Xperia Play to be so enabled.
Unveiling of the tablet is expected to take place at the IFA technology show to be held in Berlin in September with shipping set to start soon thereafter. Price of the device though has yet to be known and given the fact that the iPad is the main competitor it can be expected that the price would be anything lesser than $499 for the base 16 GB Wi-Fi only version.
Meanwhile, those in India looking forward to the 9.4 inch Sony tablet can be rest assured as regard’s the tablet’s availability next month. This has been confirmed by Sony India Managing Director Masaru Tamagawa who said, “We are launching Sony tablets in India this year. It will happen simultaneously with the global launch.”
Earlier rumors had pegged the price of the Tablet S at around Rs. 29,000 for the base version.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
