Sony’s new Xperia Tablet S, a closer look

Sony seems to be covering all its bases this year. It showed off the Vaio Duo 11 Windows 8 based hybrid tablet/laptop with full keyboard construction at IFA yesterday, and now the Tablet S, its Android based tablet with very Surface-like fabric keyboard.

It’s the second generation of the Tablet S, renamed the Xperia Tablet S, and is said to be a vast improvement over the previous iteration. The 9.4-inch screen has a resolution of 1280×800, which seems to have become the industry standard for Android tablets. Something that should become the industry standard as well is an anti-fingerprint coating which the Tablet S has. Sony has also made the Tablet S waterproof, which is great. Internal memory storage will be 16GB, 32GB or 64GB.

Android 4.0 on a Tegra 3 processor sorts out the internals. Sony has continued its previous IR-capable universal remote control feature, but with added controls, like being able to turn multiple devices on at once. The keyboard is an added option, which is a bit cheeky. It will be US$99 extra if you feel the need for it.

Prices for the Xperia Tablet S will start at US$399 and go up to US$599. So, right in iPad territory, then.