Sony’s first entries into the Honeycomb tablet market, the creatively-named Tablet S and Tablet P, are getting mobile broadband versions in their home market. Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo will start selling 3G versions of both devices on October 28th. On this side of the Pacific, the Tablet S is only available in a WiFi version, and the dual-screen tablet P is still a complete no-show.
The wireless release is ahead of schedule – Sony had previously planned to have 3G versions of the tablets available November. The Google translation is a little shaky, but it looks like new users will have a 1050 yen ($14) discount applied to their data plan for the first six months. That’s a good sign for Japanese tablet fans, but unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything about a North American release for the wireless broadband versions. Honestly, we’d be happy just to get our hands on the funky dual-screen Tablet P again.
Both of Sony’s tablets use Android Honeycomb 3.2, to their credit and Android fans’ delight. The S model features a 1280 x 720 screen, while the split screens on the P are each 1024 x 480. Both feature Tegra 2 processors and Playstation certification, a la the XPERIA Play, plus a rear 5 megapixel 720p camera. The Tablet S has a built-in infrared port for controlling televisions and set-top boxes, and both of them feature DLNA certification and access to Sony’s media stores for music, video and e-books. There is currently no word on when the Tablet P, or 3G versions of either tablet, will be released in the United States.
