Sony's second-generation Android slate has a
slimmer design, faster guts.
For Sony, it's all about the presentation.
Obviously, since the company put all of its mobile products under one roof, it
has attained a balance between style and substance much more than the original
Tablet S and Tablet P - two devices had a lopsided focus on unique,
proof-of-concept designs rather than on user experience. It is pretty fair to
say these first tablet efforts were unlikely to resonate with consumers, which
made the company have nothing else to do apart from trying its best.
The
Xperia tablet starts at $399.
That's why the new Xperia Tablet S has much
to prove: it cannot be accepted when solely based on design. Running Ice Cream
Sandwich and having a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, this 9.4-inch tablet maintains the
same 1,280x800 LCD IPS screen used similarly on the first-generation S, and
even has the same shape of a magazine folded over- though in the thinner shape.
Yes, the full SD slot is still there, but you may not need to rely on it at the
moment when the tablet has 64GB of built-in storage. So, whether could the
focus placed on the operating system, the ecosystem (Video Unlimited, Music
Unlimited, Crackle, Reader, etc.) and the slimmer design compensate for the
mistakes of the first- generation Tablet S or not? Could the $399 starting
price help the Wi-Fi-only tablet stand out among the Android rivals? Join us to
find out if this S has anything other than the things initially meet the eye.
It
has the same shape of a magazine folded over- though in the thinner shape.
Hardware
With all of the Xperia Tablet’s habits, it
initially appears as another rectangular- shape, black- bezel tablet - anyway,
when you are looking straight at it. There is nothing to be visibly
characteristic of "Sony" about it if you just glance at it: its front
face is rather simple; there are no characteristics other than the front-facing
camera and company logo located neatly in the upper-left corner. Only when
viewed from the sides or rear, the unique shape of the new tablet is
immediately clear. Be viewed from a side angle, the device seems to be
floating, only to be hung up by the folded-over wedge. And it has to be said
that the device lies flatter, as opposed to the original Tablet S, which has a
prominent tilt position. Almost all of the ports and hardware keys are hidden
from sight; or in folds (power and volume on the right side, and a 3.5mm
headphone jack and a covered SD slot on the left); or buried behind a removable
piece of plastic (e.g., the charging port at the bottom). It’s the last piece
of information that made us shake our heads and protest against Sony. We are
not big gamblers, but we are willing to make a bet that users will lose that
silver-colored nub in a week of use.
Its
front face is rather simple; there are no characteristics other than the
front-facing camera and company logo located neatly in the upper-left corner.
Around the rear, the Tablet S is the
two-tone, two-layer stuff. On the original model, the magazine-like fold
expanded downward nearly three quarters, but here it is only about a quarter of
the rear. It also has beautiful texture, but you will not take notice the
slightly rough state until I hold it. In the middle is the 8MP rear camera,
without coming with a flash, but with an IR blaster. In addition to that,
Sony's moved its Xperia branding to one side, allowing smooth aluminum
structure to talk about itself. A dual speaker setup is likely to be found at
the bottom, and charging dock covered with a lid as well.
Almost
all of the ports and hardware keys are hidden from sight; or in folds (power
and volume on the right side, and a 3.5mm headphone jack and a covered SD slot
on the left)
Now we make sure that you are wondering how
the tablet feels in the hand and we are pleased to announce that the rear curve
really serves a practical purpose. When held in the horizontal direction, the
majority of the tablet’s weight is delivered to the fold, which rescues the
users from unnecessary wrist tension. This also means that the device tilts
forward a little, but it is not too much that makes the device hard to use.
However, it is better is how it works when you hold it with one hand in
portrait direction. Obviously, you are obliged to adjust the fold in whichever
direction you choose, but it creates a very natural grip, and large bezel
leaves enough room for your thumb to lie comfortably.
A
dual speaker setup is likely to be found at the bottom.
