The

Xperia Xperia () is the brand name of smartphones and tablets from Sony. The name Xperia is derived from the word "experience", and was first used in the Xperia X1 tagline of "I Xperia the best". Sony Mobile was previously known globally as Sony E ...

Tablet S is a

touchscreen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

tablet Tablet may refer to: Medicine * Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a "pill" Computing * Tablet computer, a mobile computer that is primarily operated by touching the s ...

Sony Mobile Sony Mobile Communications Inc. ( ja, ソニーモバイルコミュニケーションズ株式会社) was a multinational telecommunications company founded on October 1, 2001, as a joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Ericsson. I ...

. It was announced at

Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin The IFA ( ) or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (International radio exhibition Berlin, a.k.a. 'Berlin Radio Show') is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. Between 1924 and 1939 it was an annual event, but from 1950 it was ...

(IFA) 2012, and debuted in the US on September 7, 2012. The tablet directly succeeded the Sony

Tablet S Xperia Tablet (former code names Sony S1 and Sony S2), formerly known as Sony Tablet, is the brand name of a series of tablet computers. The first models originally ran Google's operating system Android 3.1 Honeycomb, but more recent models opera ...

, with a thinner and lighter design, a faster processor, and an improved camera. It is the first Sony tablet to be marketed with the

branding.

Hardware

The Xperia Tablet S features a magazine inspired design similar to its predecessor's, but the angle is less pronounced than in the original. It includes a full sized SD card slot, along with a proprietary Sony charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also features an infrared blaster, which acts as a universal remote. Sony advertised the tablet as "splash proof" with its multi-port cover installed. Sales of the tablet were suspended in October 2012 when it was discovered that a manufacturing error left gaps between the screen and the case, which compromises its

waterproofing Waterproofing is the process of making an object or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet environme ...

Software

A modified version of Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich ships on the tablet. Some alterations include the ability to add multiple user accounts and control of the tablet's IR blaster. It is now upgradeable to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

Variants

The Xperia Tablet S is sold in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models. These are Wifi-only in the US, but 3G/ 4G models are available in the UK.

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed. In his review,

Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editori ...

writer Joseph Volpe stated that the Xperia Tablet S "misses the mark in everyday performance." However, David Pierce of

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...

gave the tablet a 7.6 out of 10, concluding that it had "no glaring flaws."

References

External links

* {{Android tablets

Xperia S The Sony Xperia S (also known as the Sony Ericsson Xperia NX in Japan) is an Android smartphone from Sony launched at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. It is the first Sony-only branded smartphone after Sony acquired Ericsson's stake in Sony ...