Sony Xperia Tablet Z is skinnier than iPad, built for bathtime
Sony's lifted the lid on its newest slate -- a quad-core, waterproof Android tablet.
Sony has confirmed the existence of its rumoured Xperia Tablet Z, a waterproof slate with a quad-core processor and an 8.1-megapixel camera.
The Japanese tech giant divulged the details of its new toy on its Japanese site, detailing a 10.1-inch tablet running Android version 4.1 Jelly Bean. That's not the newest version of Android, so it misses out on features like Photo Sphere, but it's not too far behind.
Inside the Tablet Z -- which is a sequel to last year's Xperia Tablet S -- you'll find a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, which should make this gadget powerful enough to lay waste to graphically intensive games and cruise rapidly around Web pages.
Sony's squeezed this not-too-shabby tech into a frame that's a mere 6.9mm thick, making the Tablet Z thinner than the iPad, which is 9.4mm deep. At 495g it weighs less than Apple's 652g tablet too, so if nothing else it should be reasonably portable.
Like the Xperia Z smart phone, the tablet's design is waterproof and dustproof, so it should survive an unplanned trip down the toilet. Sony's also ditched the paperback-esque folded-over shape last spotted on the Tablet S, in favour of a sensible flat-rectangle design. Oh, and it comes in both black and white.
Sony says the Xperia Tablet Z is headed for Japan in the spring, but doesn't mention a UK release date. I asked Sony about the Xperia Z's British prospects and was told, "This product is currently only for the Japanese market. We cannot comment further on availability in other markets at this stage." Sony has put its last two tablets on sale in UK shops, however, so I wouldn't be surprised if this new model makes it over here eventually.
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Image credit: ameblo.jp