Manufacturer Sony Type Tablet computer | Product family Xperia Tablet Introductory price US$499-599 | |
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Release date US: September 16, 2011; 5 years ago (2011-09-16) Operating system | ||
Xperia Tablet (former code names Sony S1 and Sony S2), formerly known as Sony Tablet, is the brand name of a series of tablet computers. The first models used to run Google's operating system Android 3.1 Honeycomb, but more recent models operate on the Android 4.1.2 system. The first models were informally announced on 26 April 2011, using the code names, by the Sony Corporation in the Sony IT Mobile Meeting. They featured touchscreens, two cameras (a rear-facing 5 MP, a front-facing 0.3 MP), infrared sensor, Wi-Fi. Also, they support PlayStation Suite, DLNA, and are 3G/4G compatible. The retail price in the U.S at the time of release was US$499–599. In Europe, prices were at €499. To increase the number of apps available and provide marketing support for both tablets, Sony and Adobe Systems will hold a $200,000 competition targeting app developers. The series was formally launched in Berlin and Tokyo on 31 August 2011. The series currently consists of the Sony Xperia Tablet S and the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, announced in 2013.
Contents
History
On April 26, 2011, Sony announced that it would be developing two Android tablets, codenamed S1 and S2. The S1 (which became the Tablet S) was said to be "optimized for rich media entertainment" while the S2 (later Tablet P) would be "ideal for mobile communication and entertainment".
Promotional videos
On 15 June 2011, Sony released the first in a series of five videos titled "Two Will", promoting and featuring the Tablets in an elaborately designed Rube Goldberg Machine. The episodes are entitled:
Tablet S
The Sony Tablet S (former code name Sony S1) has one 9.4-inch (240 mm) touchscreen display in a slate layout, and a unique wrap design inspired by the way some persons fold magazines while reading them. In landscape orientation, the unit along the top is about three times thicker than along the bottom, forming a mild slant. It was released on 11 September 2011, as the first available member of the Sony Tablet series. The suggested retail prices are $499 for the 16 GB model and $599 for the 32 GB model. In early reviews in late 2011, the units compared favorably to similar high-end tablets.
Tablet P
The Sony Tablet P (former code name Sony S2) has two 5.5-inch (140 mm) touchscreen interoperating displays joined in a hinged clamshell layout, resembling the VAIO P series. It was released in November 2011, as the second available member of the Sony Tablet series. The suggested retail price is $599.
While the unique clamshell design allowed the device to fold in half and fit into a pocket, this feature resulted in the screen being split in half by a large, black hinge, which made playing games and reading awkward and is cited as the Tablet P's most serious flaw. The Tablet P was pulled from Sony's American website by the end of 2012 and will not receive the update to Android Jellybean.
Xperia Tablet S
The Xperia Tablet S was announced at Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) 2012. It was released in the USA on September 7, 2012. It comes in three different configurations: 16/32/64GB. It also retains the same 9.4 inch diagonal screen size with a resolution of 1280 x 800. However, it refined the wrap design from a wedge-shape to a more understated design. Initial release contained firmware with Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0. Sony promised to release Android Jelly Bean 4.1 some time mid-April.
Xperia Tablet Z
The Xperia Tablet Z was announced at Mobile World Congress in January 2013. Among major changes include a move from Tegra-based processor to the quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, with a larger screen size of 10.1 inches and upgraded resolution of 1920 x 1200. It will come in the same 16/32/64GB configurations, and up to 64 GB in MicroSD expansion. In addition, it will include a MHL port.
Sony has released the Xperia Tablet Z2, along with the Xperia Z2 phone, at the time the world's thinnest and lightest tablet, thinner than the iPad Air. It has a Triluminos display, and a widescreen 1920 x 1200 HD display, while keeping a 6.4 mm width, and a waterproof IP 58 certification.
Xperia Tablet Z4 was released 2015 with a 2560 x 1600 display, 6.1 mm width, and IP 68 certification.