Sony Tablet P headed to AT&T on March 4th

We’ve been bemoaning the lack of availability of the Sony Tablet P, a unique clamshell Android tablet, ever since it launched in Japan and failed to materialize here in the US. It looks like the long wait is finally over: the Sony Tablet P will come to AT&T on Sunday, March 4th, four months after it hit the market elsewhere. The tablet will cost $399.99 – not bad, but of course you’ll also need to sign up for a new two-year contract or renew your current one. Unlike most of the new tablets headed to MWC, the Tablet P will only get access to HSPA+ “4G”, not the new LTE network.

Just to refresh your memory, the Tablet P uses a pair of 5.5-inch LCD screens joined by a hinge, which can operate independently or combine to make a segmented “full screen” Honeycomb interface. Each one uses a resolution of 1024×480, combining to make 1024×960, a nearly square aspect ratio. Inside is a dual-core Tegra 2 processor and 1GB of RAM powering the interface, with just 4GB of storage augmented by an open MicroSD card slot. When it launches on Sunday the Tablet P will be running Android 3.2 Honeycomb with Sony’s software additions, including support for officially ported PlayStation games.

The Tablet P is undeniably unique in the Android hardware world, cramming a 10-inch screen into a device that’s (arguably) pocketable. While the unusual form factor isn’t for everyone, we’ve been dying to see it launch in the US ever since we got out hands on it way back in August. There’s no word from Sony on a WiFi version for those who don’t want to be saddled with an AT&T contract, and the carrier hasn’t said how much it will cost without one. There’s also no word on when AT&T’s Tablet P will get Ice Cream Sandwich, though Sony has already promised an upgrade for international models.

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