Analyzed: Sony Tablet S

Sony is a company that has been known for its innovation. Over the past few years it seems they have lost their mojo and are sailing rudderless. They do have a track record of putting out products that revolutionize the industry. We take a look at the Sony Tablet S to see if that is the case.

We tested the 16GB Wi-Fi version (without 3G) which came with Android's Honeycomb Version 3.2. (The operating system will be upgraded to the latest Android Version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich next month). As with all Sony products (TVs, monitors etc.), the 9.4" display on the Tablet is beautiful. Colors are bright and vivid, the blacks were really black and watching films or playing games are quite the experience. We also liked the ergonomic design, you won't find this design in any of the other tablets out there. It just felt comfortable in our grasp and when you set it down on a table, it almost feels like a raised flat keyboard. In case you are interested, you can also get a cradle and keyboard as separate accessories for the tablet. Controlling all your other devices is simple with the built in features of the tablet. You can get rid of your universal controller and use this instead! You can also stream your pictures, music and videos on other devices.

The Tablet S also comes with two cameras, a 5MP one in the back and a 0.3MP in the front. We haven't really seen too much use of the camera other than to video chat, but it is definitely a nice to have. The 1 GHz dual core processor along with 1 GB RAM allows you to multitask without much lag. The touch screen was also very smooth and we did not notice too much lag while trying to scroll around. And since it comes with the Android operating system, you also get access to Google Play and the numerous apps that can be downloaded. What we really liked in the Tablet S is the PS3 type controls while playing games. In fact we feel the Tablet S is the easiest and best tablet to play games in. If you are used to playing games using a controller, you will love the layout in the tablet. Granted you don't get your L1, L2, R1 and R2 but it does well without them. We just wish the selection of games was better than what comes pre-installed, especially with the graphical capabilities of the Tablet S. Hopefully there will be updates in the future where this will change.

The Tablet S is currently sold in India for Rs. 22,990 (for the non-3G version) and Rs. 29,990 for the 3G version. This puts it in the middle of the pack compared to other tablets that are currently in the market. That's a good deal in our books.