Sony Tablet S enters in style!

Although Sony has come out with its Android tablet much later than its rivals, the Sony Tablet-S is sure to be a strong competitor in the tablet market. It would be competing with the iPad 2, the ground-breaking product from Apple, and others like Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, the Motorola Xoom and Asus Eee Pad Transformer.

Looks and Build.

The tablet is curvaceous, wedge-shaped and wrapped in textured black plastic finish. The thick rounded edge on one end and tapers to a thin edge on the other end. Having an aesthetic and distinct look, it is easy to grip, type and read (like an e-reader).

Launch buttons are on the top left that can launch the internet browser and social feed reader app to integrate to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. It comes with a Micro USB socket to connect to a PC, for storage and other devices. The Tablet-S comes in two options- a 16GB one and a 32GB one.

Inside and Operations.

It is powered by a Tegra 2 dual-core, 1GHz processor with RAM of 1Gb. On the front is a 9.4in capacitive touchscreen, that comes with a resolution of 1200×800, which is really impressive. It comes with front and rear cameras and is able to capture 1080p videos with playback option. The camera is excellent for a tablet with good autofocus, giving good image contrast. The screen can be viewed in grid or two column layout. One good addition is the Quick Launch too bar at top-left corner holding 4 app short-cuts. It can be seen on all 5 home-screens.

It comes with PlayStation certification enabling access to titles and Sony apps. It includes a universal remote control for other Sony products. It works well and can set up devices quickly.

Software

Running on Android 3.1 or Honeycomb operating system, this tablet offers everything and large browsing capability. A section on widgets, apps and other additions are available on the intuitive enhanced Honeycomb interface that Sony has worked on. Sony includes in the tablet its own video and music apps. Apps can be sorted out by alphabet or the newest criteria. It comes loaded with 2 games- Pinball Heroes & Crash Bandicoot.

The on-screen keyboard with enhanced touch response is great for typing. The on-screen QWERTY keyboard has a numeric keypad on the right which is helpful. You can send from the tablet music and video to a DNLA compatible device. It uses both the Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.

Conclusion.

The tablet performance well in all key areas. It has a brighter screen and slimmer profile with good software line-up. The universal remote is a great idea and works very well. But the tablet does not have a HDMI socket. The battery life of the 4.400mAh battery is good but not up to the iPad2. It is good value for money when summed up with its pricing.

Full Specification

GENERAL	Manufacturer	Sony
	Model No.	Tablet S
	Colour	Black
	Dimension	241.2 x 174.3 x 10.1-20.6
	Weight	598 g
	Operating System	Android 3.0
	Internal Memory	16/32 GB
	Memory card Slot	up to 32GB
	Display Type	Full Touch
	Display Size	9.4 inch

MUSIC AND IMAGING	Camera	5 MP
	Front camera	–
	LED Flash
	Video Camera	720p@30fps
	Audio Player	MP4/H.264/H.263 player
	Video Player	MP3/WAV/eAAC /OGG player
	FM Radio