Sony has been oddly quiet about its tablet plans, but now therea4ぎa4г word that ita4ぎa4г working on an intriguingly designed Android tablet that will be able to play games from its PlayStation Suite, Engadget reports.
The tablet, which is going by the codename a4ぎAS1a4ぎ within Sony, will feature a 9.4-inch screen and Android 3.0 a4ぎAHoneycomb.a4ぎ But perhaps most interestingly, it wona4ぎa4д be a perfectly flat slate-style tablet like the iPad &8212' instead, one side of the S1 will be curved, similar to rolling up a magazine or paperback book. The inclusion of PlayStation Suite &8212' Sonya4ぎa4г cross-platform framework to bring games to Android devices and its upcoming NGP portable game console &8212' means that Sony is positioning the S1 as a gaming tablet.
The news is certainly more exciting than if Sony announced yet another vanilla-looking Android tablet. The company is no stranger to hardware innovation, and such a unique design could help it stand out in an increasingly crowded tablet market.
According to Engadget, Sony is hard at work retooling Android 3.0 with its own interface. The engineering staff working on it apparently spans Sonya4ぎa4г VAIO, Reader, Playstation and Sony Ericsson groups &8212' a sign that this tablet is a very big deal for the company. The project is being led by the VAIO group, but it will likely launch without VAIO branding. a4ぎASony&'s custom-built transitions and UI elements have created a user experience that rivals and at times improves upon the iPad&'s renowned experience,a4ぎ Engadget writes.
The S1 is centered around Sonya4ぎa4г Qriocity service, its on-demand media solution that can deliver games, ebooks, movies and music. In addition to PlayStation Suite support, it will also come loaded with some PlayStation One games.
The S1a4ぎa4г unique curved design will apparently allow for easier one-handed operation than other tablets around 10-inches. The curved edge shifts the devicea4ぎa4г center of gravity so that ita4ぎa4г less stressful on your wrist. It also gives the S1 a convenient angled orientation for when you want to place it on a desk and type. The design allows the S1 to feel lighter than the iPad, even though it technically weighs just about the same.
Engadget also points out that despite the hollow looking mock-up design, the S1a4ぎa4г curved edge will contain much of its hardware, including an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and the battery. That means the screen side of the tablet could be much thinner than its competitors.
Sony is aiming to ship the tablet around September for a planned price of $599. Engadget also hints that Sony has another Android 3.0 tablet being developed, which may feature dual screens.
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Companies: Sony, sony ericsson
Companies: Sony, sony ericsson
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
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