Sony to Launch Two Android Tablets Later This Year

Sony will prepar its long-awaited entry into the pill PC marketplace later this year with two models founded on the latest version of Google's Mechanical man operational system.

The tablets, which carry the development names S1 and S2, will be launched international from the capitulation, Sony said on Tuesday.

The company didn't announce pricing details or specific launch dates, only it did provide some basic specifications and demonstrate prototypes of the two machines at a Tokyo news conference. (Video recording from the press conference is available on YouTube.)

The S1 is a slate design and has a 9.4-inch screen. At first glance it looks similar to most competitory tablets, but look more closely at its profile and you'll see it's shaped same a wedge. The amphetamine portion of the tablet is thicker than the lower portion and that makes it easier to hold, said Sony.

The S2 is a folding device equipped with dual 5.5-inch screens. It has a rounded design and is small enough to conform to in the inside pocket of a jacket crown. Unveiling the tablet at the Tokio news conference, Kunimasa Suzuki, deputy President of Sony's consumer products mathematical group, reached inside his jacket and pulled it out.

Some tablets will run Android 3.0, the questionable "Honeycomb" version of the OS, and rear join to Wi-Fi hotspots and cellular networks. Sony is building support for its Qriocity online sound and TV services into both tablets, and users testament also be able to browse and buy up physical science books.

Sony has built an infrared transmitter into the S1, so it can be used to control gadgets roughly the household, such as a television or Blu-ray Disc player. Information technology also supports the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) consumer electronics networking standard and can mail audio and video content over a WI-Fi mesh to equal played on other devices. Using this technology, for example, a movie could be purchased on Qriocity and streamed to a DLNA-equipped television (from any maker) through the tablet.

Connected the S2, the dual screens can be used for gaming. The top screen will show up the game and the bottom expose will have on-screen controls that can be manipulated with the touchscreen. The tablet will be PlayStation Documented — a new program from Sony Computer Amusement that extends the PlayStation gaming platform to other devices.

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Martyn Williams covers Japan and generalized technology breaking intelligence for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Chirrup at @martyn_williams. Martyn's netmail address is martyn_williams@idg.com