Sony Introduces Its First Tablet Computers

TOKYO — Sony, a laggard in the booming tablet market, introduced its first tablet computers Tuesday in an ambitious attempt to grab second place in the market created and dominated by the iPad.

Sony’s devices will use the Android 3.0 operating system by Google, said Kunimasa Suzuki, deputy president of the consumer products and services group.

These will be the first tablets to enable the use of PlayStation games, said Mr. Suzuki, who produced one of the glossy black devices from his jacket pocket during a media presentation.

The tablets, code-named S1 and S2, will have Wi-Fi and will be compatible with 3G and 4G networks. Sony did not provide the retail prices.

The S1 has a display measuring 9.4 inches and is designed to make it easier to hold for long periods of time, Sony said. The S2 has two 5.5-inch displays in a clamshell design.

Mr. Suzuki raised eyebrows in January when he said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that Sony was aiming for the No. 2 spot in the tablet market within a year even though it had yet to put a product on the market.

“That effectively means they have to beat Samsung, which is a very tough rival,” said Nobuo Kurahashi, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities in Tokyo. “Although this is an interesting product, they have already been left behind in televisions, so it’s not going to be easy.”

The company, which had been criticized by analysts for failing to come up with a tablet offering after the release of the iPad in April 2010, has emphasized the need to differentiate its tablet from rivals’, even if that takes time.

“Although it’s a latecomer in the market, it has potential, as what you need is just one big uniqueness that can sell to customers — be it design or whatever,” said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at Meritz Securities in Seoul.

Global sales of tablet devices are expected to quadruple to about 294 million units between 2011 and 2015, with almost half of that Android-based, the research firm Gartner has forecast.

In a bid to tap that burgeoning demand, competitors including Samsung Electronics, whose Galaxy Tab is Apple’s strongest competitor in the tablet market; Motorola; LG Electronics; and HTC are flooding the market with tablets running Android. Hewlett-Packard unveiled its entrant in the tablet race in February.

Shares in Sony, which reports its quarterly results on May 26, fell 2.1 percent on Tuesday in Tokyo.

 

Sony Introduces Its First Tablet Computers

TOKYO — Sony, a laggard in the booming tablet market, introduced its first tablet computers Tuesday in an ambitious attempt to grab second place in the market created and dominated by the iPad.

Sony’s devices will use the Android 3.0 operating system by Google, said Kunimasa Suzuki, deputy president of the consumer products and services group.

These will be the first tablets to enable the use of PlayStation games, said Mr. Suzuki, who produced one of the glossy black devices from his jacket pocket during a media presentation.

The tablets, code-named S1 and S2, will have Wi-Fi and will be compatible with 3G and 4G networks. Sony did not provide the retail prices.

The S1 has a display measuring 9.4 inches and is designed to make it easier to hold for long periods of time, Sony said. The S2 has two 5.5-inch displays in a clamshell design.

Mr. Suzuki raised eyebrows in January when he said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that Sony was aiming for the No. 2 spot in the tablet market within a year even though it had yet to put a product on the market.

“That effectively means they have to beat Samsung, which is a very tough rival,” said Nobuo Kurahashi, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities in Tokyo. “Although this is an interesting product, they have already been left behind in televisions, so it’s not going to be easy.”

The company, which had been criticized by analysts for failing to come up with a tablet offering after the release of the iPad in April 2010, has emphasized the need to differentiate its tablet from rivals’, even if that takes time.

“Although it’s a latecomer in the market, it has potential, as what you need is just one big uniqueness that can sell to customers — be it design or whatever,” said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at Meritz Securities in Seoul.

Global sales of tablet devices are expected to quadruple to about 294 million units between 2011 and 2015, with almost half of that Android-based, the research firm Gartner has forecast.

In a bid to tap that burgeoning demand, competitors including Samsung Electronics, whose Galaxy Tab is Apple’s strongest competitor in the tablet market; Motorola; LG Electronics; and HTC are flooding the market with tablets running Android. Hewlett-Packard unveiled its entrant in the tablet race in February.

Shares in Sony, which reports its quarterly results on May 26, fell 2.1 percent on Tuesday in Tokyo.

 

Bits: Willow Garage Introduces TurtleBot Robot

It looks as if I can finally stop trying to train my dog to fetch a bagel and coffee from the kitchen each morning. Instead, I’ll be able to use a new robot, the TurtleBot, which is made by the robotics company Willow Garage.

Willow Garage, which is based in Menlo Park, Calif., makes a number of robots that range in price and shape — some are downright?scary looking — but the TurtleBot seems to be one of the first aimed at hobby roboticists. In a company blog post Willow Garage said that since its “mission is to bring personal robotics to the home, we feel that the time is ripe to put a low-cost, personal robot kit” in the hands of hobbyists and developers.

illow Garage The TurtleBot is a novice robot kit that starts at $500.

The TurtleBot uses a number of off-the-shelf components, including an Xbox Kinect controller, which the robot uses to visually navigate?its surroundings. The robot also uses free open-source software that can be adapted to make it perform a number of tasks.

For example, the TurtleBot could be used to take?panoramic?pictures of a person’s home and continually upload the images to the Web, acting like a mini security guard. Alternately it could navigate its way through a home and deliver objects to people between rooms — maybe a bagel and coffee?

The new robot comes in two models, which cost?between?$500 and $1,200. The prices change based on the peripherals customers need for their little digital servant, including a built-in computer or additional battery pack.

Willow Garage is clearly going after the novice programmer with this product. There is no soldering or electrical engineering required when setting up the robot; the Web site says the “TurtleBot assembles quickly with just a single screwdriver included in the kit.”