A year after Apple Inc. launched the iPad, Sony Corp. said Tuesday it plans to enter the tablet computer segment later this year with two models running Google Inc.’s Android operating system.
Sony's two tablets--code-named S1 and S2--will be released sometime after the fall. The S1 is a slate-style tablet computer with a 9.4-inch touch-screen display that is thick on one end and tapers. The S2 is a shell-shaped device that opens and closes, with two 5.5-inch touch-screen displays.
The two devices may not debut in a simultaneous global launch, Sony said, and may instead launch at different times in different markets.
The company said the two devices will also come with wireless connectivity through Wi-Fi or 3G/4G services. Sony did not specify what mobile carriers it plans to work with, and offered no details on pricing or sales targets.
Sony faces an uphill climb in the tablet computer market, already dominated by Apple's iPad. While demand for tablets is strong, the field is also crowded with nearly every electronics and PC maker unveiling offerings of their own. Sony has said it aims to establish itself as the number-two tablet maker after Apple in 2012.
Tokyo-based Sony said it will run the Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” operating system, which was created specifically for tablet computers. The company showed how the tablet would enable faster Web browsing and would be capable of playing PlayStation-quality videogames. Both devices will run NVIDIA Inc.’s Tegra 2 processors.
“We've tried to expand the possibilities of a tablet,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, deputy president of Sony's Consumer Products and Services Group, in a briefing about the company's mobile technology strategy.
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