Sony is reportedly designing two rather alternative tablet form factors: a dual-screen Honeycomb clamshell and a Windows 7 slider.
The funky clamshell – which has been codenamed “S2” – is expected to feature a Tegra 2 SoC, WiFi + 3G radio, front-and rear-facing cameras, along with easy Qriocity access.
According to Engadget, Sony is also “optimizing” a special version of Honeycomb to take advantage of the tablet’s two screens.
“One source reports having seen Gmail running on a demonstration prototype where the list of messages is displayed on one screen with the body of the selected message displayed on the other,” explained Engadget’s Thomas Ricker.
“Maps will display the map graphic on one display with the detailed turn-by-turn instructions or Streetview displayed on the other. Likewise, the S2 will display a video and picture navigation menu on one half of the clamshell with the selected content blown-up to fill the screen of the other.”
Meanwhile, the VAIO-branded 9.4-inch Windows 7 slider is apparently similar to Samsung’s Sliding PC 7 Series and the ASUS Eee Pad Slider.
Although detailed specs are not yet available, the slider is tapped to boast a Pinetrail-class Atom processor, along with an $800 price tag.
So, when will both devices be available?
Well, the slider is scheduled to launch around October, while the $700 S2 remains on target to ship before the holidays.
