Sony S2 Honeycomb Dual-Display And VAIO Windows 7 Slider Tablets Tipped

Sony's tablet ambitions extend to more than just the S1 in 2011, according to the latest batch of rumors. Loose lips have been flapping, and tipped a dual-touchscreen Android 3.0 Honeycomb clamshell internally known as the Sony S2, along with a 9.4-inch Windows 7 VAIO slider, for release in around Q4 2011. According to Engadget's sources, the Sony S2 will have a pair of 5.5-inch displays sandwiched into an oval cross-section hinged chassis, running a heavily customized Honeycomb install on Tegra 2.

The NVIDIA chipset will be paired with 3G and WiFi, and Sony's engineers have reportedly been hard at work modifying Android to play nicely with the double displays. For instance, Gmail could split the message list and individual email previews between the two panels, while Google Maps could show the regular view on one screen and either Streetview or turn-by-turn directions on the other pane. It's a similar concept to the dual-screen ereader patent application Sony submitted in mid-2010.

Unfortunately, the sources also sent along some pessimism with the scant details, suggesting that the $699 Sony S2 is a "dog" and being met with some serious push-back within Sony. Of particular concern is the distance between the two displays, though apparently the company is still pushing for a pre-holiday 2011 release in the US, Europe and Japan.

As for the Windows 7 tablet, that's set to slot into Sony's VAIO laptop line-up with a 9.4-inch touchscreen and a mere Intel Pinetrail Atom processor. The company's equivalent of the Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series and ASUS Eee Pad Slider, and sounding a lot like an oversized VAIO UX, it's tipped for an October retail debut with a price headed northward of $799.