Sony CEO signals summer of tablets
Android Honeycomb on the menu
Sony will enter the Android tablet arena before the summer is out, the Japanese giant's CEO, Howard Stringer, has revealed.
It will run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, he said, and ship in the US first, according to a Nikkei report mentioned by Bloomberg but not linked to.
Company executive Kaz Hirai said in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that Sony has a series of tablets in the pipeline, though until now there has been no indication of the operating system they'll use, or when they will surface.
Sony hasn't said anything about specs, though third-parties have speculated that the tablets will use Nvidia Tegra chips.
The Nvidia roadmap has a quad-core part out in the summer, so it's tempting to think that Sony is holding fire for that hardware.
It will also want to take some time to port its XMB UI on top of Android, and get its own app and content stores ready for the machine. ®
COMMENTS
An Title
"It will also want to take some time to port its XMB UI on top of Android, and get its own app and content stores ready for the machine."
If google let them.
"It will also want to take some time to port its XMB UI on top of Android"
Hope they've got permission from Andy Rubin for that!
Jam tomorrow
Ah even more jam tomorrow! Yes indeed - further vapourware from yet another manufacturer in a desperate and vain attempt to stop Apple from continuing to make an absolute killing in the tablet marketplace.
I'm no Apple fanboi (only have an iPod classic) by any stretch but I can plainly see that there is no real competition at the moment (based on looks, price, quality, performance etc) and a press release of further jam tomorrow (which is all this is) changes nothing. I see Acer has announced some tablet prices - I haven't looked yet but I fear another Galaxy Tab/Xoom moment even now.....
Sorry to be so gloomy but there is no light yet at the end of the tunnel!
What a surprise
I'm confident Apple will be quaking in their boots - NOT.
As the competition hots up, its possible that Apple will launch a revamped iPad in time for Thanksgiving in the USA - think of the sales potential?
Me, I'm waiting for the upgraded iMac thanks very much, but would love an iPad 3 for my daughter for Christmas - currently have iTouch 4.
what howard didn't say
Is that being a Sony product though it is running Android for branding purposes of course the Sony will come with lots of draconian DRM that will require you to lease your pad as oppose to buy outright.
