Sony’s ultra-portable
Tablet P device is now available in the UK, with
electronics retailer Dixons listing it for sale at a steep price of £499.99.
The
Tablet P has a unique clamshell design, featuring dual 5.5 inch touchscreen
LCD displays which are designed to male it easier for users to read
ebooks.
It is powered by a dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and also comes with 1GB RAM, 4GB of storage with support for
MicroSD cards and two
cameras – a rear-facing 5MP camera and a VGA front camera for
web calls .
Unfortunately, the device runs on the
Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) and not the latest version of Google’s
mobile OS – Ice Cream Sandwich.
Another negative aspect is the price. At £499 the
tablet PC is a hundred pounds less than the entry level Wi-Fi only
iPad.
However, it seems
Sony has trumped
Apple when it comes to gaming as the Tablet P is PlayStation-certified, meaning that it supports
Playstation Suite software and is pre-loaded with classic PS games Crash Bandicoot and Pinball Heroes. The lower screen is used as a controller while the action is displayed on the screen above.
The Tablet P is Sony’s second tablet to be released this year since the company announced ambitious plans to become the second biggest tablet manufacturer by the end of the year, despite its relatively late entry into the ever-growing market.