Sony, Japan’s consumer electronics giant, plans to launch a new line of digital ebook readers as soon as next month to challenge Amazon.com's Kindle.
The new ereader products will be introduced before Sony’s launch of their first tablets, scheduled to go on sale later this year.
Sony readers are behind in the race, competing against the Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.
Digital readers are still a viable product as they are still much cheaper than tablet devices.
Sony will be launching two tablets, both of which run Android 3.0, a.k.a. Honeycomb.
One tablet, the S1, has a 9.4-inch screen. The other is the S2 with a dual-screen design. The device’s two 5.5-inch screens can be used separately or together, and they can also be folded onto one another to create a smaller from factor and portable device.
Both tablets are WiFi and 3G/4G compatible and integrate with PlayStation Suite, Sony’s new Android supporting platform that lets users download and play PlayStation games.
The tablets are targeted as additions to the living room, enhancing traditional media devices. Sony says the S1 “uses infrared technology and works as a universal remote control for a variety of AV devices … turning on TVs, changing the channel and adjusting the volume.” The tablets can also take advantage of DLNA functionality to “project” content to other, larger screens and speakers.
The tablets will supposedly reach market in August 2011.
Pricing of the devices will be competitive with what’s already on the market.
