Sony gave us the hard facts on the launch of its first tablets at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin on Wednesday, naming the two models and giving details of pricing and availability.
Sir Howard Stringer, Sony chief executive, said the products – arriving far later than any of its rivals – would take the tablet world to a new level and, in a jibe at the iPad, “prove that it’s not who makes it first that counts, but who makes it better”.
Sony unveiled around a dozen new products at the show, including an upgrade of its Xperia Arc smartphone, a wraparound 3D headset – the Personal 3D Viewer - with built-in screens and even some 3D-capable binoculars.
It also abandoned the hard-to-spell Qriocity entertainment platform brand, announcing it would be just Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited for its respective services from now on, with no “powered by Qriocity” after their names. In its place, the platform for delivering Sony’s services will be known more sensibly as the Sony Entertainment Network.
The naming of the two tablets shows a serious lack of imagination though – formerly codenamed as the S1 and S2, they will be known as the S and the P when they go on sale this autumn in Europe and the US.
The S is the 9.4in asymmetrically designed tablet first shown in Japan in April, while the P is the folding one with two 5.5in screens. The S will sell for €479 when it goes on sale in Europe at the end of September, while the P will cost €599 and is available in November. In the US, the S will be $499 and $599 in 16Gb and 32Gb versions in September and the P will be available at a price to be announced later this year.
The Xperia Arc S, available globally in some markets in the fourth quarter (although its predecessor was not picked up by US carriers), has a faster 1.4Ghz processor and a 3D panoramic-sweep picture-taking capability.
I did not get to look through the binoculars, but did try the new 3D headset on (pictured) and enjoyed an immersive demo of the Gran Turismo racing game, although I’m not sure the closed-in experience can be enjoyed for more than a limited period.
Sony also announced a new version of its eReader (pictured) – the Reader WiFi - with touch and Wi-fi capabilities. It says it is the smallest and lightest eReader that has a 6in screen – at 8.8mm thin and weighing 168g.
“This year we at Sony have been flooded, we’ve been flattened, we’ve been hacked and we’ve been singed…but the summer of our discontent is behind us, …and we are here to show you a dozen new products to entice you and excite you.” said Sir Howard in his opening remarks.
With a high-end Android-based Walkman, a 3D all-in-one PC and two new cameras rounding out the announcements, there was certainly more of interest here than in the preceding Panasonic conference, which confined itself to a handful of new camera launches focused on its Lumix brand.
