Ice Cream Sandwich update to flavor Sony S tablet
Sony is promising to bump up its Tablet S device to Android Ice Cream Sandwich but isn't saying when.
Owners of Sony's Tablet S can expect a topping of Ice Cream Sandwich, but the company hasn't yet revealed a specific release date.
Posting on a Sony forum last week, a company rep confirmed that Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, will be available for the Sony tablet and added that the timing and other details will be "announced in due course."
Outfitted with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Sony's 9.4-inch Tablet S hit the market in September. As reviewed by CNET's Donald Bell, the Tablet S is a bit pricey, running $499 for the 16 gigabyte version and $599 for the 32GB model. It's also Wi-Fi only, at least in the United States.
But on the plus side, Sony offers an array of features to expand the use of the tablet, including PlayStation certification for mobile gaming, DLNA video and music streaming, and an integrated universal remote control.
Beyond the Tablet S, Sony is still due to release its Tablet P, an Android-based clamshell device with a hinged pair of 5.5-inch screens, similar in form factor to a Nintendo DS. Sony announced the Tablet P in April, but it has yet to see the light of day.
Sony released the software development kit for the Tablet P in mid-December, hoping to lure in potential developers, but so far has been mum about an actual release date.
The impending ICS update for the Tablet S follows recent news that several of Sony Ericsson's Experia smartphones will receive Android 4.0 starting in late March.