The Huffington Post Jason Gilbert
First Posted: 02/28/2012 3:49 pm Updated: 02/28/2012 3:49 pm
Two is better than one, as the old saying goes, and Sony has put that old saying to the test with a tablet with two screens.
The Sony Tablet P is a dual-screen, foldable tablet that can be yours for $399 with a two-year contract on AT&T starting March 4. The Tablet P's two screens each measure about 5.5 inches -- think two Samsung Galaxy Note phablets welded together at the ends -- and the clam-shell tablet runs a special version of the Android Honeycomb operating system that allows for dual-scren-tailored applications: Sony says in a press release that you'll be able to watch video on one screen and use the other as a remote control, or read email on one screen while using the other as a keyboard. If you're a killjoy, you can also just fold it flat and turn it into a single-screen slate.
The Tablet P has been available in the United Kingdom for a few months now (check out Engadget's review here), and it will land in America exclusively on AT&T and its 3G HSPA+ network.
The Sony Tablet P comes with 1GB RAM and up to 32GB storage via micro SD card; each screen is 5.5 inches and has a 1024 x 480 resolution. This two-headed monster weighs about 0.82 pounds and apparently fits in your pocket, per a Sony spokesman, and has a rear-facing 5 megapixel camera and a front-facing 0.3 megapixel camera. It also only gets up to 7 hours of battery life, according to the Sony website. That's far less than the iPad 2 (10 hours) or the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (9 hours), though with two screens running simultaneously, you might expect this thing to be a power hog (Just ask Nintendo).
What the Tablet P lacks in battery life, however, it sure makes up for in its unique two-screen design. It's not the first dual-screen tablet to hit America, however: Acer had a $1200 dual-screen 14-inch Iconia "touchbook" tablet in early 2011, but that never really caught on. Sony hopes for a better fate with its Tablet P, and its employees, at least, are enthusiastic: One Sony spokesman told HuffPost via email that the Tablet P was "legitimately SUPER cool."
Check out a bunch of photos of the dual-screen Tablet P -- which, again, is available March 4 for $399 with a two-year contract on AT&T -- and marvel at this two-screened wonder:
