Hi, I’m Michael Nunez with the International Business Times, and today, we’re going to be taking a look at the Sony Tablet S -- the very first tablet computer from Sony.
Rather than using a rectangular casing that's basically become an industry standard among tablets, Sony opted to give the Tablet S a unique wedge casing that looks and feels like a rolled up magazine or a notebook. It’s not quite as sleek as the iPad’s design. It’s much lighter than the iPad, but feels a bit cheaper and made of plastic .
In addition to the unconventional design, Sony also placed the front-facing camera at the top of the device when its held in landscape mode rather than portrait mode. It wouldn’t be that awkward, but it’s difficult to prop the tablet up, so you wind up having to hold the tablet with both hands if you ever want to video chat with someone.
If you can get past the awkward design choice from Sony, you'll find that the Tablet S is one of the best Android alternatives to the iPad. We really like the SD Card input on the side of the device, which makes it easy to transfer data from computer to the tablet.
The 9.4-inch screen of the Sony Tablet S looks sharp, although it’s not quite as nice as the Apple iPad. Still, it looks great when watching movies, reading or performing most common tasks. The Tablet S is equipped with a dual-core 1.GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor that’s fast enough to handle basically any command we could throw at it.
One of our favorite features is the universal remote functions that Sony included thanks to the IR Transmitter included in the device. The software that Sony has included with the universal remote functions is extremely easy to setup up, and it makes using the device while sitting on the couch even better than the iPad.
The Tablet S ships with Android 3.2 Honey Comb, but is upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich , which doesn’t actually change the layout of the tablet, but it does increase some of the fluidity when changing screen and provide a few extra features. With 1GB of RAM and Bluetooth, Sony has managed to pack their new tablet with as much technology as possible. It’s a very capable device that last up to 9 hours on battery, and can easily handle basic tablet functions such as social media use, emailing, browsing the web, playing movies, etc.
Despite the many upsides to the Sony Tablet S, it still remains a failure in our eyes. The tablet feels cheap, and its casing design doesn’t actually help the tablet in most cases. We’re definitely not fans of the propriety charging cable , and its wedged design makes it awkward. If you’re specifically seeking an iPad alternative, this is among the best, but we think the price tag isn’t justifiable for this second-rate tablet.
Rating: 3/5
