A split from the norm: Sony unveils its twin-screen tablet that opens like a book - but will it take a bite out of Apple?
* Sony will also produce a conventional tablet as it aims to break the market
* S1 and S2 will use Google's Android 3.0 operating system
* Tablets will both be wi-fi and 3G/4G compatible
* Prices and release dates not revealed

Being able to carry your entire book collection has become a feature of tablet computers. But Sony has gone one further by making a device that folds open like one too.

Sony announced it is entering the tablet market dominated by Apple's iPad with not one, but two devices.

The tablets - called S1 and S2 - will use an operating system based on Google's Android 3.0.

And in what Sony hopes will provide a key selling point, the latter has two 5.5-inch displays that can be folded like a book. The S1 has a 9.4inch display.

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Both will be Wi-Fi and 3G/4G compatible, Sony's Kunimasa Suzuki said during a press event in Tokyo this morning.

They will both allow the use of Sony PlayStation games and are designed for sending emails, social networking, and enjoying online content such as movies, music and electronic books.

'We offer what is uniquely Sony,' Mr Suzuki said after demonstrating how the S1 was designed with a tapered width for carrying around 'like a magazine'.

Sony did not give any indication of how much the tablets will cost or when they will be released.

The devices will connect to Sony's cloud-computing based library of content such as movies and music, as well as to PlayStation games adapted for running on Android and digital books from Sony's Reader store.

Sales of tablet devices are expected to quadruple to about 294million units between 2011 and 2015, with almost half that Android-based, research firm Gartner has forecast.



Mr Suzuki raised eyebrows in January when he told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that Sony was aiming for the number two spot in the tablet market within a year even though it had yet to put a product on the market.

The company has emphasised the need to differentiate its tablet from rivals, even if that takes time.

'Although it's a late comer in the market, it has potential as what you need is just one big uniqueness that can sell to customers be it design or whatever,' said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at Meritz Securities in Seoul.

'By the same token it can be just one of another Android phones flooding the market amid intensifying competition.'

In a bid to tap that burgeoning demand, competitors including Samsung Electronics - whose Galaxy Tab is Apple's strongest competitor in the tablet market - and Motorola , LG Electronics and HTC are flooding the market with tablets running Android.

The announcement of Sony's key net-linking offerings comes as it tries to fix the outage of its PlayStation Network, which offers games and music online.

It is unclear when that can start running again. Sony has blamed the problem on an 'external intrusion' and has acknowledged it would have to rebuild its system to add security measures and strengthen its infrastructure.

Sony, which makes the Vaio personal computer and PS3 gaming console, has lost some of its past glory - once symbolised in its Walkman portable music player that pioneered personal music on-the-go in the 1980s, catapulting the Japanese company into a household name around the world.

It has been struggling against flashier and more efficient rivals including Apple's iPhone, iPod and iPad machines, as well as South Korea's Samsung, from which Sony purchases liquid-crystal displays, a key component in flat-panel TVs.

Sony has already promised a successor to its PlayStation Portable machine for late this year, code-named NGP for 'next generation portable', promising the quality of a home console in an on-the-go machine boasting a screen double the size of smart phones.

Shares in Sony, which unveils its quarterly results on May 26, fell 2.1 per cent this morning.


Source:Dailymail

A Wi-Fi-only version of the Motorola Xoom is finally hitting stores on March 27 –- but don’t expect to pay any less for the 3G-free tablet.

Motorola announced the Xoom Wi-Fi on Wednesday morning and said the iPad competitor would be sold at Amazon.com, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Staples and Wal-Mart stores.

The Xoom was first released on Feb. 24 in a Wi-Fi and 3G version through Best Buy and Verizon stores, selling for either $799.99 for the device free of contract, or for $599.99 with a two-year data plan.

The Wi-Fi-only model of the Xoom will sell for $599.99.

Both the Wi-Fi and 3G model and the Wi-Fi-only unit feature 32 GB of memory, a 10.1-inch touch screen, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and run on Google's Android Honeycomb operating system. Honeycomb is the first version of Android designed for tablet use.


As of now, Motorola has announced no other memory options or price changes for the Xoom Wi-Fi or the Xoom with Wi-Fi and 3G.

The Xoom is considered by many to be Android's best shot at competing with the Apple iPad, which sold more than 15 million units last year and resulted in a sellout this weekend at many retailers with the release of the iPad 2.

The iPad lineup starts at $499 for a Wi-Fi-only, 16 GB model. A Wi-Fi-only 32 GB iPad sells for 599.99 -- the same price as the Xoom Wi-Fi.

So far, the Xoom is the only tablet running Honeycomb, though many manufacturers such as Samsung, LG and HTC are promising to release tablets in the coming months that will also run the tablet-tailored version of Android.







Source: Latimesblogs

All New Design is Thinner, Lighter & Faster with 2 Cameras and Big Battery
Apple is rolling out its iPad 2 to stores on Friday, March 11 and lines will be forming soon. The iPad 2 is the next generation of the tablet device and seems destined to become a hit.

Apple is not playing games in this economy by introducing at what is called an “early-adopters” high price, but is bowing it at $499 and up,

He iPad 2 is thin as a rake, 33% slimmer than the old iPad – but don’t whip it out at a lunch or dinner table no matter how much you want to show it off. That is an iEtiquette no-no — even cell phones should be left off tables unless you live in Wisconsin.


It will of course include web browsing, reading and sending email, photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and much more. iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for video-conferencing, FaceTime® and Photo Booth®, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad usewantrs for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life* that users have come to expect. iPad 2 is available in black or white, features models that run on AT&T’s and Verizon’s 3G networks, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colors.

“With more than 15 million iPads sold, iPad has defined an entirely new category of mobile devices,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.”

With the new front and rear cameras, iPad 2 users can now make FaceTime calls to millions of iPhone® 4, iPod touch® and Mac® users so they can see family and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Photo Booth lets you apply fun visual effects, including eight photo special effects like Squeeze, Twirl and Kaleidoscope, to photos captured by either camera.

iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, with new features including faster Safari® mobile browsing performance; iTunes® Home Sharing; enhancements to AirPlay®;** the choice to use the iPad side switch to either lock the screen rotation or mute audio; and Personal Hotspot to share an iPhone 4 cellular data connection over Wi-Fi.*** Additional iPad 2 features include a built-in gyro for advanced gaming; HSUPA support for enhanced 3G upload speeds on iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G on AT&T, and HDMI Video Mirroring that lets users mirror their iPad screen on an HDTV using an optional adaptor.

The innovative new iPad 2 Smart Cover provides protection for the iPad screen while maintaining its thin and lightweight profile. Designed with a unique self-aligning magnetic hinge that makes it easy to attach and remove, the new iPad 2 Smart Cover automatically wakes iPad 2 when it’s opened and puts it to sleep when it’s closed, and has a soft microfiber lining to help keep the screen clean. The Smart Cover also folds into a stand for typing or viewing videos and is available in vibrant polyurethane for $39 or rich leather for $69 in a range of colors, including a (PRODUCT) RED one which helps support the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Apple also introduced two new apps: iMovie® and GarageBand® for iPad, both available on the App Store℠ for just $4.99 each. With iMovie, iPad 2 users can shoot and edit videos right on their iPad and post their movies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and their MobileMe℠ gallery; watch them on their iPod®, iPhone or iPad; as well as view them on their HDTV using AirPlay and Apple TV®. GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of touch instruments and 8-track recording studio, allowing you to perform with onscreen keyboards, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures–even if you don’t play a musical instrument.

iPad 2 runs almost all of the over 350,000 apps available on the App Store and there are more than 65,000 native iPad apps available from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store gives iPad users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 14 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 10,000 films including over 3,500 in stunning high definition video. The iBooks® app for iPad includes Apple’s iBookstore℠, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device.

Pricing & Availability
iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available on March 11 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G compatible with the Verizon network will be available in the US only for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iMovie and GarageBand for iPad apps will be available on March 11 for $4.99 each from the App Store on iPad or www.itunes.com/appstore.

iPad 2 will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK on March 25; and in many more countries around the world in the coming months. Further international availability and pricing will be announced at a later date.








Source: Hollywoodtoday

If the latest chatter is true, we may finally get our first glimpse at the next iPad in a little more than a week.

Kara Swisher over at All Things Digital says she has "multiple" sources who claim that Apple will hold a media event in San Francisco on March 2.

Apple has yet to officially confirm an event next week, but according to Swisher, the company "seems poised" to take the wraps off the long-anticipated iPad 2, with the event "likely" to take place at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
The story comes just hours after a flurry of rumors that the next-generation iPad had been delayed, with major news outlets eventually backtracking on the claim Monday.

While Apple hasn't said a peep about the new iPad yet, rumors peg it to be both thinner and lighter than the 1.5-pound, 0.52-inch original, with at least one camera for video chat, a souped-up processor, and more RAM.

There had also been talk that the iPad 2 would arrive with an improved screen similar to the "retina" display on the current iPhone 4, but a recent report in the Wall Street Journal shot down those rumors, noting that the new display may "disappoint customers" hoping for a "significant improvement" in resolution.

The news comes just days before the arrival of the Motorola Xoom, a tablet with a 10.1-inch display that runs on Android 3.0 "Honeycomb," the new tablet-centric version of Google's mobile Android platform.

The next iPad also faces competition from the upcoming, Android-powered LG G-Slate, RIM's BlackBerry Playbook, and the WebOS-powered Touchpad from HP.
Read More: Yahoo