Images of a Sony Android tablet have been leaked on German news website Mobiflip. According to the slides, if they're anything to go by, the Sony tablet looks incredibly familiar, almost as if we've seen such a design previously. The Microsoft Surface range of Windows 8 tablets were unveiled earlier this year and sport the same look with a keyboard built into the cover. This Sony tablet, branded as "Xperia Sony Tablet", will sport a number of improvements over the current Sony Tablet S.
There is one noticeable difference between the cover seen on the Surface tablets and on this possible Sony product. The cover -- while sporting a similar keyboard -- appears to wrap around the device, as opposed to clipping on the side. Also, Sony's cover will fold back to form a kickstand, eliminating the requirement for an extra accessory. Think a Microsoft-Apple hybrid.
The Verge reports that pricing for the cover is estimated at $99.99, while the price of the tablet itself is $449.99 for the 16GB model, $549.99 for the 32GB, and $649.99 for 64GB. No release date is supplied, it'll be interesting to see when Sony launches the tablet and how it's received compared to Microsoft Surface, which is set to begin shipping on October 26th.
While pricing of the Surface tablets (both Windows 8 and RT) remain speculative, Microsoft have commented in a SEC filing that,
"Suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC."
It's a massive step Microsoft is taking to provide consumers with a feature rich tablet experience, beyond what's currently offered by Android, iOS and other competitors. With Metro on-board and fully integrated throughout not only Windows, but Office, Xbox, Outlook.com and Windows Phone, here's hoping to more exposure for our beloved mobile platform.
Looking forward to the real Surface? Which colour cover / keyboard would you get?
via: The Verge
