I Absolutely LOVE This Tablet!!!

JamesP

Member
Apr 6, 2011
16
0
I saw it at CES this year and wanted to snatch it from the guy doing the demo and make a run for it. Glad I waited because I got it for $189 from Fry's on Black Friday (I wasn't Black Friday shopping per se....I had the day off and was driving by @ 11:30am so I stopped in to waste time). There are obvious limitations to what you can expect for a user experience but if you understand the product, those are vastly outweighed by the positives.

First and foremost the clamshell allows for a mobility heretofore unseen with a tablet and with the AT&T DataShare plan, I have 3G access. No Android 4 is an annoyance but I hardly notice it. The 5MP camera is great for my hobby use and the video capability is standard for what you'd expect from Sony.

I have to say that the most interesting thing is that the P is meant to be stylish and sexy, but it really is a practical device. Well these are my initial thoughts 1 week into owner ship of the tablet.

Stay tuned....
 

Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
1,632
191
I've had one for a few months now, and have been quite satisfied with it. The dual screens have some advantages, one of which is the portability of course, but to me the coolest thing is the dual screen reading experience. I also love the replaceable battery, I wish all my tablets had this ability. Glad you are enjoying it, only wish Sony had been more successful with the design and it had a future. I think there may still be a chance for ICS, but probably not without changing the baseband which would effectively turn it into a wifi only device.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1
 

sign216

Member
Oct 4, 2012
12
0
Tom and James, I agree with you both. The revolutionary clamshell design of the P is terrific, and much better than common flat tablets. Unfortunately we are the only 3 people who recognize this.

For everyone else, the world is flat.
 

sign216

Member
Oct 4, 2012
12
0
I don't care that no one else likes the P.

What hurts is how quickly Sony has abandoned it when it didn't sell in huge numbers. Like an unwanted child, the P doesn't get any presents (development, upgrades).

Sony could have kept it as a niche product. Or kept up with just the service, as a show of customer support.
 

cali

Super Moderator
Staff member
Sep 25, 2011
691
95
Sorry to read that three happy campers aren't being supported down the road. Maybe contacting Sony and expressing your thoughts might help. At least it would let them know that there is some interest out here.
 

Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
1,632
191
Sony pulled the plug on it some time ago, primarily because of a lack of developer support. I really knew this when I bought it, but I was hoping it could somehow be revived.
There just was not enough compelling software to garner interest in the hardware.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1
 

JamesP

Member
Apr 6, 2011
16
0
The gadgetry factor of it blinds people to the utility of it. What I mean by that is that this tablet is more about usefulness than sexy gadget, although it does both well.
I don't need any case as it folds up into its own which then fits in my pocket(s) and I can take it with me and do work and use as needed while still being fairly inconspicuous. I have a couple developer buddies who saw it this last weekend and they really liked it which made me wonder how they didn't know about it, but I guess Sony never pushed the device that hard. Had I not been at CES in January I wouldn't have seen it either, but I was so I did and I was hooked. I really like the solid feel to the case as well.

Not even an iota of the buyer's remorse.
 

JamesP

Member
Apr 6, 2011
16
0
I work for a tablet manufacturer and as soon as I saw it I thought the same: niche product; however I figured the playstore functionality would give it more cache but I think the high price and the sort of "expanded pilot program" feel scared people off. Frankly, had it not dropped to $180, I wouldn't have bought it either. When I saw it drop for Black Friday it was a done deal. When I was walking into Fry's I had flashbacks to 70s TV and two lost people running toward each other in a wheatfield....that was how I saw myself and the Tablet P.

Needless to say, although the specs and OS are somewhat limiting, this is now my *personal* device (sorry Tab 7 Plus) - as opposed to the ones I get from my company for work - and it's too bad it's orphaned, but the star on this product burned too bright to last
 

JamesP

Member
Apr 6, 2011
16
0
Sony pulled the plug on it some time ago, primarily because of a lack of developer support. I really knew this when I bought it, but I was hoping it could somehow be revived.
There just was not enough compelling software to garner interest in the hardware.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1

I figured roughly the same: this device wasn't the spawn of a new form factor craze but rather an experiment that would yield love it/meh reactions...I was surprised that AT&T had given it benediction and carried it. But again, come hell or high water I knew when I saw this I would eventually buy one.

Self-fulfilling prophecy...
 

Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
1,632
191
Another thing, it feels like the Tablet P was designed by Sony's phone developers rather than the team that designed the Tablet S. The removable battery of course, but the storage structure that requires a Second SD card to be installed. It deals with the storage exactly the same way my phone does. Sure it came with a 2gig "sample" card but it was plain you had to immediately invest in heftier storage. Also App2sd is present here as well. It is just a unique tablet design all the way around.

Sent from my Sony Tablet P
 

sign216

Member
Oct 4, 2012
12
0
I have no buyer's remorse either. None. But I didn't buy it at it's original $500 price. That alone is enough to kill it on the market.

Sony should keep the P in it's tablet line. The P's unique design has utility.
 

arod63

Member
Dec 28, 2012
1
0
I have one as well and have to agree that not only is this tablet sexy, it is also very functional and unique.
We are the lucky few that looked beyond all of the negativity that was written about it and embraced its potential.
 

Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
1,632
191
It's funny really, many people that claim they love Android because it isn't tied into a certain form factor or ecosystem were so willing to criticise Sony when they produced a device that differed so much from the expected norm. Frankly, if people had embraced this device they could have ensured Android would never fall into the trap of being just an iPad clone in many peoples eyes. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that to be true, along with my beloved Tablet P I also own a Galaxy Note 10.1 which I personnaly believe to be far superior to ANY tablet on the market. The Sony, even without support in the Android world, is still an amazing device and possibly the greatest unique piece of technology I've ever owned....plus it offers the most book like reading experience possible.....aside from, you know, a book....

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1
 
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