Sony announced two tablets this morning, the S1 and the S2, but how do they stack up against what’s already available? They’re not out until the autumn, so is Sony too late to the tablet party? And can these two really compete with the iPad 2? We’ve been weighing up the specs, read on to see our findings.
The Sony Tablet S1 and S2 will use 4G networks, meaning blazingly quick download speeds (though not for us in the UK, where 4G networks are still a way off). It puts them on a par with the Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook, both of which also offer 4G connectivity, and one step ahead of the iPad 2.
The S1 and S2 also run Honeycomb version of Android, the first designed for tablets, so operation should be slicker than tabs running previous versions of Android, and completely glitch-free. The HTC Flyer (which comes with a stylus), Motorola Xoom, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 are what it’ll be up against in the Honeycomb stakes, and that’s some pretty stiff competition indeed.
The S1 has a 9.4-inch screen, which is only slightly smaller than the iPad 2′s but nearly an inch smaller than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1’s, while the S2 has dual 5.5-inch displays, which is more intriguing. Sony says you’ll be able to use both screens in conjunction (for example, playing a game on one with the controls on the lower, or presumably both mimicking two pages of a book). It’s not unique in tablets, but it’s the most promising stab at a dual screener so far, with previous efforts including the Kno Dual Screen, which sank without a trace.
So, how about content? Videos and music come courtesy of Sony’s Qriocity service, bringing you films from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, MGM, NBC, Paramount Pictures, Disney and Warner Bros, as well as over six million songs (for £9.99 a month) using its Music Unlimited service. We’re dubious of subscriptions-based music services, especially since Spotify cut our music allowance in half, and with iTunes already so well-established, it’s hard to see how the by then one-year-old Music Unlimited will compete.
You’ll also be able to play PlayStation One titles on the S1 and S2 through the PlayStation Suite, though as we noted in our review of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, the selection is pretty poor, with far better games (and emulators) available through Android Market. Ebooks are also available from the Sony Reader Store, which has a decent selection, if nowhere near as comprehensive as Amazon’s.
It’s early days yet for the Sony Tablet, with a lot of the specs still under wraps, but we’ll bring you a full preview as soon as we get some hands-on time.
