Sony Announces Tablets With PlayStation Flavor

News
By Marcus Yam
published

Into the tablet game.

In case you haven't noticed, this is definitely going to be the year that tablets explode onto the market. Just announced as entering the fray is Sony, with not just one but two tablets based off of Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

Sony is developing two tablets codenamed S1, which is optimized for rich media entertainment, and S2, which is ideal for mobile communication and entertainment. Sony said that its tablets will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011.

S1 has a 9.4-inch display and has an asymmetric wedge design, which Sony calls an "off-center of gravity design" that "realizes stability and ease of grip as well as a sense of stability and lightness, offering comfortable use for hours."

The more unique S2 has two 5.5-inch displays that can be folded like a Nintendo DS. The two screens can be used together to display continuous content, or it can be used for multitasking – such as watching a video while browsing the web. The bottom screen can also function as a keyboard while the top screen is used for messaging. 


Sony's also injecting some of its PlayStation services into these tablets. The tablets will support Qriosity media service as well as the PlayStation Suite for users to download and play first generation PlayStation titles. Additionally, users can easily download ebook content from Reader Store and use both tablets as digital reading devices.

Sony has yet to set pricing for these two products, but rumors place the S1 at $599 and the S2 at $699.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
20 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Kryan
    "Sony's also injecting some of its PlayStation services into these tablets" so this means that you will have no service for days and your private information will get stolen...possible even credit card info...
    Reply
  • memadmax
    Wow, bad timing on Sony's part....
    Or maybe not, they are prolly using the increased hype about the PSN dump to launch this thing with... despite it being negative....

    Are the Sony exec's high?
    Reply
  • theshonen8899
    Kryan"Sony's also injecting some of its PlayStation services into these tablets" so this means that you will have no service for days and your private information will get stolen...possible even credit card info...
    That's not really fair, a DDoS attack is hardly something to blame them for. Sure they could have had better security but its not like they expected to be a big target like PayPal or Amazon.


    On the subject of the tablets, those rumored prices better be a joke. The iPad and Motorola Xoom are stupid expensive as they are. Someone needs to explain to me why I wouldn't rather have a Nook Color with Android for $250. I'm sure Sony wants to maintain it's expensive, luxury brand appeal but the devices just don't look compelling enough to justify that price.
    Reply
  • virtualban
    Are they planning on removing usability and features on these devices also sometime in the future, because the EULA says they can?
    Reply
  • pelov
    theshonen8899That's not really fair, a DDoS attack is hardly something to blame them for. Sure they could have had better security but its not like they expected to be a big target like PayPal or Amazon.On the subject of the tablets, those rumored prices better be a joke. The iPad and Motorola Xoom are stupid expensive as they are. Someone needs to explain to me why I wouldn't rather have a Nook Color with Android for $250. I'm sure Sony wants to maintain it's expensive, luxury brand appeal but the devices just don't look compelling enough to justify that price.
    you do understand that the data that was stolen wasn't even encrypted? not to blame? what? not to mention they've been flat out the past few months. How anyone can sympathize with sony or forgive them is absolutely beyond me.

    Security 101: When storing critical data it's important to encrypt.

    The questions I have are...

    Will it take it upon itself to give away my credit card info?
    Will it be overpriced as all sony products are?
    And how soon can i expect the lawsuit for not using my device properly?
    Reply
  • jfby
    theshonen8899That's not really fair, a DDoS attack is hardly something to blame them for. Sure they could have had better security but its not like they expected to be a big target like PayPal or Amazon.On the subject of the tablets, those rumored prices better be a joke. The iPad and Motorola Xoom are stupid expensive as they are. Someone needs to explain to me why I wouldn't rather have a Nook Color with Android for $250. I'm sure Sony wants to maintain it's expensive, luxury brand appeal but the devices just don't look compelling enough to justify that price.
    You are right that you can't blame Sony for DDoS attack.

    AMEX and VISA have both lost personal information of hundreds of millions of people at least once or twice in the past decade, but they don't say one thing, then a week later say 'oh yeah, by the way, you need to check your credit statements'. They say 'we will cover any losses' and then work to regain your trust.

    I hope Sony comes back stronger than ever, but they should never wait so long before divulging the information to the public.
    Reply
  • pelov
    jfbyYou are right that you can't blame Sony for DDoS attack.AMEX and VISA have both lost personal information of hundreds of millions of people at least once or twice in the past decade, but they don't say one thing, then a week later say 'oh yeah, by the way, you need to check your credit statements'. They say 'we will cover any losses' and then work to regain your trust.I hope Sony comes back stronger than ever, but they should never wait so long before divulging the information to the public.
    The DDoS attack was done by anonymous, but the hacking in and stealing of customer info was apparently done by a single individual after anonymous stopped taking down the network. and yes, sony had kept its mouth shut for days and knew what happened but failed to warn their users.
    Reply
  • kilo_17
    I'ts funny to see how every company needs to make a tablet, I wonder if the market will get over-saturated with all these tablets.
    Reply
  • AndrewMD
    If Sony could add a joystick and button to the DS-Like Tablet, this would be an ultimate portable gaming system!!
    Reply
  • jednx01
    I don't know why, but the folding tablet idea doesn't really appeal that much to me. It just looks kind of stupid imo. :I
    Reply