MWC: Sony unveils Xperia Z tablet

Sony Mobile fired the first major shot of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today with the unveiling of the Xperia Tablet Z, the slimmest and lightest 10.1″ tablet yet, and the release into stores of the Xperia Z smartphone

At this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony announced that the Xperia Tablet Z the slimmest and lightest 10.1‚Ä≥ water resistant tablet available will launch globally in Q2 calendar 2013. Additionally, Sony’s flagship smartphone, Xperia Z will roll out in stores worldwide from today. Since it was announced in January, Xperia Z has won 13 awards and received the widest ranging of any Sony smartphone to date with 140 sales channels in 60 markets across the globe. Both products combine premium specifications with the best of Sony technology, entertainment, design and connectivity.

Premium Tablet Design

Xperia Tablet Z is the most premium, high performance 10.1‚”” Android tablet available. Built from quality materials and featuring the same stunning OmniBalance design as its smartphone sibling, Xperia Tablet Z is also incredibly slim and lightweight at 6.9mm and 495g. Available in black or white and in LTE and WiFi versions, it is the first tablet to run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon‚Ñ¢ S4 Pro asynchronous quad core processor and has the highest levels of water resistance (IP55 & IP57) ever delivered in a tablet, making it immune to accidental spills and splashes.

‚””Xperia Tablet Z sets new standards in entertainment by matching premium specifications and Sony technology with cross-device connectivity and a consistent user-experience,‚”” said Kaz Tajima, Corporate Vice President, Head of UX Creative Design and Planning, at Sony Mobile Communications. ‚””Xperia Tablet Z reinforces our intention to be a leading player in the premium Android device market, by building on the principles established by Xperia Z and perfectly optimising them for the tablet form factor.‚””

Integrated Sony Technology

Xperia Tablet Z includes the very best of Sony technology. With a 10.1‚”” HD WUXGA Display, powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, it delivers enhanced colour reproduction for a brilliant TV-like viewing experience. It also draws upon Sony’s camera expertise with an 8MP rear camera featuring ‚””Exmor R for mobile‚”” as well as a 2MP HD front-facing camera for capturing the best images in any condition. Sony’s S-Force Front Surround 3D, guarantees soul-shaking audio performance alongside Sony’s Clear Audio+ mode and the innovative use of two in-built speakers with four ‚’speaker halls’ on the left and right corners delivers amazing sound no matter how it is held. Xperia Tablet Z also includes Battery STAMINA mode, Sony’s unique battery management technology that can significantly improve standby time. The WiFi variant also offers up to 64GB of storage with an optional microSD card.

Seamless One-touch Connectivity

Xperia Tablet Z includes more connectivity options than any other tablet. It also includes Sony’s One-Touch functions that lets users transfer content seamlessly from HD tablet to TV, tablet to speaker or phone to tablet just by touching them together. One-touch functions are a key component of Sony’s device range this year and no other consumer electronics company is bringing as many NFC-enabled products to market. The tablet’s Universal IR Remote allows users to control the TV and other Sony devices as well as products from other manufacturers directly from the tablet placing the device at the heart of the home. TV Sideview is a new application that gives users an entirely new way to interact with the TV.

Sony’s media applications

Sony’s signature media applications ‚””WALKMAN‚””, Movies and Album allow users to enjoy, control and view unlimited content regardless of their device. The Sony Entertainment Network can also be accessed from these applications and includes Music Unlimited with more than 18 million songs and Facebook social integration as well as Video Unlimited with access to over 100,000 movies and TV series.

Xperia Tablet Z Accessories

Xperia Tablet Z will launch with a number of accessories including a charging cradle, an LCD Screen Protector and Leather Carrying Cover that comes in Black, White or Red. These will be available from Sony stores or registered retailers.

Xperia Tablet Z will launch on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and is upgradable to 4.2 after launch for the latest Android user experience.

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