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back to article Sony Xperia Tablet Z: Our new top Android ten-incher

Not so long ago, Sony declared its aim to be the second most popular tablet vendor after Apple. More recently, that morphed into an ambition to sell the most mobile devices after Apple and Samsung. If both those targets are not to be consigned to the rubbish bin of ill-advised statements, Sony’s phones and tablets need to start …

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  1. handle

    Really?

    "That means viewing angles and contrast though good are not up to quite the same levels but when playing video the difference is overcome by Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine 2 image processing."

    How on earth does fiddling with the pixel levels improve the contrast and viewing angles of a display?

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    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
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      Re: Really?

      Don't know, but most reviews say the screen looks pretty good. Proof of the pie etc

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      1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. handle
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        Re: Really?

        I imagine that's because it's a pretty good screen, but because so many people will drop it like a hot potato at the very mention of the dreaded abbreviation "TN", they have to invent some marketing bullshit to try to restore its reputation. I guess you can't blame them for that.

        (Edit: I mentioned TFT by mistake. El Reg, when will you move into the 20th century and allow editing?)

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        1. Sir Runcible Spoon
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          Re: Really?

          You need a steenkin' silver badge amigo!

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yet another tallscreen Android tablet?

    I'm looking for a quality Android tablet, unfortunately the review didn't answer the #1 question - what's the aspect ratio? (pictures can be deceiving). I suspect this is yet another widescreen model (or should that be tallscreen) that's a fail in portrait mode. Hey Sony, Samsung etc have you noticed, the iPad has a 4:3 screen and it's very sucessful.

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    1. StampedChipmunk
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      Re: Yet another tallscreen Android tablet?

      It's 1980x1200 pixels so it's an HD Widescreen. Works fine in portrait mode, just like really big smartphone. The couple of magazines I've opened on it look fine, no distortion or layout issues. Nook and Kindle apps just switch to single page instead of two. I've noticed no issues and films look excellent, especially BD rips and play using every inch of the display. I have to say Pinball Arcade is utterly brilliant in portrait mode...

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      1. dajames
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        Re: Yet another tallscreen Android tablet?

        It's 1980x1200 pixels so it's an HD Widescreen.

        ITYM: 1920x1200. That's a 16:10 aspect ratio, wideish but not as wide as 16:9 which is the ratio of a lot of panels nowadays.

        Also, be careful with that "HD" abbreviation ... a lot of people think "HD" means specifically 1366x768 -- that's a 16:9 widescreen format with lowish definition, the lowest of the HDTV formats. This tablet has a resolution that exceeds that of "Full HD" (1920x1080).

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    2. Blank Reg
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      Re: Yet another tallscreen Android tablet?

      Why would anyone want to put out something with the antiquated 4:3 aspect ratio? You just end up with a fatter and less portable device.

      All new video is 16:9 or even wider and all other screens are using those aspect ratios, TV's, phones and tablets. The only media that is still predominantly in 4:3 is photographs. Non video media work just fine on a widescreen screen format in either landscape or portrait.

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      1. Mage Silver badge
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        Re: Yet another tallscreen Android tablet?

        Not everyone only watches video.

        Besides only TV and Budget Cinema (close at 1.85:1) is 16:9. Get used to black.

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  3. Frumious Bandersnatch

    wireless charging?

    The review didn't mention if it has this, so I assume not. A pity really, since without it I imagine that fiddling around with the port cover would get annoying pretty quickly. Waterproof may be nice for some, but messing around with port covers could turn this into a negative for many others.

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    1. Mage Silver badge
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      Flame

      Re: wireless charging?

      Wireless charging is a gimmick. The charger still has a cable and mains plug and takes up a lot ot table space.

      A charging dock makes more more sense, especially if the Gadget angle is adjustable.

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      1. Frumious Bandersnatch
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        Re: wireless charging?

        I think you miss my point. If I have to fiddle with a plastic cover every time I want to charge the thing, then being waterproof is just an annoyance rather than a benefit to me. Also, how easy is it going to be to break or lose the cover over the lifetime of the device?

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        1. Perspyro
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          Re: wireless charging?

          I think you miss his point, the charging cradle will charge the tablet without the need for opening any ports.

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  4. asdf

    lol Sony Velveeta.

    Hey look Sony has released the true Vita killer (did it really ever live?).

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    1. MJI Silver badge
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      Re: lol Sony Velveeta.

      Still using mine, great little hand held.

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  5. heenow

    Idiotic

    Yeah 10" is sooo much more than 9.7". Where's my wallet?

    Oh wait, I forgot it's Android. Well, fragmented OS, malware, lack of apps be damned. At least it's not Apple!

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Smart Sony

    Sony are starting to crank out some attractive Android kit. Imagine if nokia worth doing the same thing. They would easily be second in the android space following samsung and likely to be building market share.

    I'mseriously looking at getting a sony phone. I'd never have thought that 12 months ago. Maturing android plus quality manufacture equals kit I might buy to replace an aging S2.

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  7. CJatCTi
    Happy

    So using it in the bath, in the pouring rain ... probably wouldn’t figure in my usage regime.

    Well watching the iPlayer in the bath & I go backpacking so it being waterproof made it my choice.

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    1. dajames
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      Coat

      Re: So using it in the bath, in the pouring rain ... probably wouldn’t figure in my usage regime.

      I go backpacking so it being waterproof made it my choice.

      A waterproof tablet with a daylight readable screen and equipped with GPS-A and GLONASS would make a wonderful electronic map.

      Mine's the one with the handheld GPS in the pocket ... but that only has a 3.5" screen and it doesn't double as a (waterproof) camera.

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  8. Maxson

    The only problem I can see with it is that it's still as expensive as an iPad. There's no brand strength in android for 10 inch tablets and the 7 inch tablet market is covered by the Nexus 7 and a few other more established brands - not to mention that a big portion of the 7 inch market that's taken up by the "look at the size of my fucking phone" crowd of new 5.5"+ phones like the Galaxy Note series.

    So if you don't have the brand strength, you kind of need to incentivise the purchase with a lower price (this is exactly why the 7 inch android market is doing so well, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire and a few others are priced far below their competition).

    The way to be the best seller isn't to produce the absolute nicest product, it's to produce a product that does everything the customer wants at the lowest price while still keeping performance bearable.

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    1. MJI Silver badge
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      As expensive as IPad so what.

      And?

      Sony are still supposedly a premium manufacturer, their main problems are when they compete down market with cheap music centres and the bottom range LCD TVs.

      I remember the ES and QS ranges, the Trinitron tubes, premiums were paid for these, then they went cheaper and the quality control slipped.

      Similar with my PCs Blu Ray burner, I wanted a decent brand, took me a while to find a Pioneer burner..

      So to a lot of us the premium Japanese brands such as Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, ect we will pay extra for a good product.

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Still waiting

    software update for my Tablet S I bought less than year ago.

    It would be nice to have *Sony Tablet S* which works without jams, hiccups etc.

    Or should I buy a new one just to notice less than year after that I was again left alone (crying for my lost money).

    NO.MORE.SONY(period)

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    1. MJI Silver badge
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      Re: Still waiting

      I know a Tablet S owner.

      Still works perfectly

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sony not rehabilitated yet for me

    I once regarded Sony as a premium quality brand for consumer electronics. Various recent first-hand experiences with their products have altered that perception for me. These, coupled with other points already mentioned (root-kit, etc.) had placed Sony on my do-not-buy list. Sure, different arms of a large organization can go rogue. Still, the brand represents a certain corporate governance. For now, I will let others take the plunge, the risk as consumers, and the social responsibility of promoting Sony.

    Maybe someday...

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  11. gr00001000

    Buy this tiny storage Tablet

    You need this tablet, with its tiny RAM. You need it to do the things your smart phone or laptop won't.

    Then in 2 years you will need one with larger RAM. Plus a new smart phone and new laptop.

    Then you will complain that the cost of living is too high and the world will be starting to run out of cheap Indium, which will be present in 14 electronic screens of all sizes in your house.

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