Sony hasn't given up on the tablet market, with an apparently leaked presentation suggesting the firm is set to unveil a hybrid Android device at IFA.
German site Mobiflip uncovered what looks to be the Sony Xperia Tablet, a device which bears a striking resemblance to the Microsoft Surface devices that are due to be launched in October.
For instance, Sony's tablet appears to have a folding cover, which doubles as a stand and a keyboard.
Sony will offer 16, 32 or 64GB of storage, an SD card reader and 3G connectivity.
Specifications suggest the device is set to come with a 9.4in LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. The device will powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core chipset which is found in the latest high-end devices such as the Google Nexus 7.
There will be a range of models on offer with 16, 32 or 64GB of storage and optional 3G connectivity. Devices will also have SD card support to boost memory.
The device is set to be released with Android Ice Cream Sandwich or later, so it remains to be seen how useful it will be as a business tool. With a 6000mAh battery aiming to provide 10 hours of browsing over Wi-Fi, it could be attractive to travelling users.
Although the specification looks good, a touted starting price of $450 could be problematic, especially as Google is trying to push high-end budget Android devices.
It will be interesting to see whether the hybrid's launch will help Sony in the mobile market. It was one of the last household names to release a tablet at the back-end of 2011 in the form of the Tablet P. The device received 4 stars from IT Pro, but struggled to establish itself as a major player against Apple, Asus and Samsung.
With Microsoft gearing up to launch its Windows 8 Surface tablets and Apple also expected to launch another iPad at the end of the year, competition will be intense.
