It may have taken Sony a while, but its tablets are definitely the most interesting-looking Honeycomb devices. Not only is Sony now fully jumping onto the Android bandwagon, but the electronics giant is also not afraid of taking some risks. Offering some interesting form-factors, Sony plans to stand out from the crowd by bringing a wedge-shaped (folded magazine-inspired) tablet, as well as a dual-screen one that folds open.

These Honeycomb devices are to be called the Sony Tablet S (left) and the Sony Tablet P (right – previously known as the S2). We haven’t talked about these two in a while, but their price and availability have just been announced for the European market.

The Tablet S will be available by the end of September with a price of €479 (~$690) for the 16 GB version. Price will actually be different in the US, where it will cost $499 for the 16 GB version and $599 for the 32 GB.

Interestingly, the Sony Tablet P will actually be more expensive with a tag of €599 (~$860). This should be available in Europe starting in November, with varying dates depending on the country. Let’s hope the price changes for the US market, though.

We figure America (and the rest of the world) will be getting this treat sometime soon, as well. As a reminder, and to see if these are still worth it, we’ll recap these bad boys and ask for your opinions. We’ve also posted some hands-on videos from Engadget. Let’s take a look.

Sony Tablet S ^[1]

This tablet was the first of the two to leak. Though the design is a bit more conservative than the Tablet P, this one continues to raise eyebrows. Shaped like a folded-back magazine, this tablet is meant to bring a familiar feeling to a new technology. This form factor may look weird, but it seems to offer a very comfortable grip when held in landscape mode. Testers do claim that the tablet becomes very uncomfortable when held in portrait mode, though. This also seems to be an issue when trying to put the device on your lap, or a flat surface.

The Sony Tablet S also comes with slightly modified software, mostly meant to integrate it with other Sony services and products. Sony has always strived to make the connection between their services and products as seamless as possible. Such is the case for this device; it has Play Station certification, DLNA compatibility and Music and Videos unlimited on board.

Specs

Android 3.1 Honeycomb
1 GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor
5 MP rear-facing camera, along with a front-facing camera
9.4-inch display

Sony Tablet P ^[2]

This tablet is a bit more revolutionary. Similar to the Kyocera Echo, Sony’s Tablet P will feature a dual-screen form factor. This may be a huge risk for Sony, due to the lack of excitement that the Echo brought. We suppose Sony is confident that their product (and their name) will make such a form factor more appealing.

On the bright side, this is one of the most portable (if not the most portable) Honeycomb tablets in existence. Its screens only measure 5.5 inches diagonally (1024 x 800 each). When folded closed, this tablet should actually fit in most bags easily or even in big pockets.

Having dual screens can be convenient for gaming, typing and multi-tasking, but there is one downside. That bezel in the middle of the screens is not attractive. While Sony has done a better job at this than Kyocera, it is still annoying to have a black line in the middle of your screen (when using both screens together). You can imagine the frustration when trying to watch a movie on this tablet.

We know this bad boy is coming to AT&T with 4G connectivity. This is a huge decision factor, and it may be good or bad news depending on your preferences. We do wish there was a WiFi-only option as well, though.

Specs

Android 3.2 Honeycomb
1 GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor
Dual 5.5-inch screens (1024 x 800 each)
WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) connectivity for AT&T with HSPA+
5 MP rear-facing camera, and VGA front-facing camera

Wrap Up

These tablets are interesting, but as mentioned before, Sony is really taking a risk. Also, while the experience is what matters to the common consumer, these specs look weak for late 2011. Sony may have just taken a little too long to get these devices ready to go.

We’re already talking about Tegra 3 tablets. By the time Sony’s tablets come out in October-November (at the earliest) they will seem a bit outdated. A nice-looking, convenient device will never bee overlooked, though. After all, these tablets are very aesthetically pleasing.

What do you guys think? Will integration with Sony’s products and services help these tablets? Did Sony simply take too long? Will anyone be getting one? Which would you choose?

Every now and then when Verizon releases the next big device in the Droid series, they decide to really build up the hype. I’m not talking about the normal advertising campaigns; I’m talking about DroidLanding. Verizon likes to utilize the DroidLanding Twitter account and DroidDoes website to really drag out a launch event. In doing so, they always end up giving away a ton of phones and gaining a lot of attention.

If you take a look at the DroidLanding Twitter stream today, you’ll see the next chapter in the DroidLanding saga is about to unfurl. And this time, the main attraction is the Droid Bionic. Verizon has handed out press kits to BGR, BoingBoing, Joystiq and Android Central that contain codes for unlocking special content on DroidDoes.com. Once all four codes have been “entered,” a video will be completely unlocked that details how the Droid Bionic launch will play out. So far, 52 percent of the video has been unlocked. Not much has been detailed in that 52 percent, but we do know people will be scrambling to play a game with 768 chances to win. We can only assume some of those “chances” are bound to be Droid Bionics.

If you want to get in on the action, head over to Twitter and follow the DroidLanding account. To check out the progress on the video unlocking, visit DroidDoes.com.

I know a lot of you have said you’re going to skip out on the Bionic and wait for the Nexus. But if you won one, would you use it?

How would you feel if you could run iOS apps on your Android device? How about your Windows or Linux PC? It’s undoubtedly been thought of before, but no one has made any real attempt at doing anything about it. Until now.

An extremely ambitious project has found its way to Kickstarter in search of some much needed funding. In theory, iEMU sounds relatively simple. Create an honest to goodness iOS emulator that runs on multiple platforms. The emulator will be based on the open-source emulator QEMU, with support for Samsung’s S5L8930. (Also known as the Apple A4).

At this point you might be thinking to yourself, “Emulators are old news.” There’s one for testing iOS apps on Mac, and you can play everything from NES to GameCube games on even the oldest PCs. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. And as a matter of fact, there is no iOS emulator for Mac. It’s a simulator, which isn’t the same as a virtualized version of an OS. Emulating all the hardware of a locked down device like the iPhone will be extremely hard. Project leader Chris Wade apparently already has the CPU working, but there’s still a long way to go. The GPU, multitouch, USB, cellular data and camera are just a few of the components that need to be cobbled together.

So why should you, an Android user, care? It’s not like iOS apps will be available on Android handsets right away (even though that is an end goal), but it’s a good start. A really good start. This project will lay the groundwork for making the ever-expanding Android OS that much more powerful. Imagine, if you will, a Nexus device that runs Ice Cream Sandwich and iOS apps. Or an HD2-esque device that can run Windows Mobile 8, Ubuntu, Android, Meego and emulate iOS well enough to take advantage of the Apple Appstore. That’s the next device I’d like to use. And this project is the first step.

Head on over to Kickstarter and, if nothing else, check it out. You can also keep up on the progress of iEMU here.

IFA has begun and all the goodies are starting to show up. One of the main players to take the stage is Sony Ericsson, and they’ve just announced a new device: the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S.

As you can imagine, this is a beefed up version of the original Xperia Arc. Improvements include a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor and an 8.1 MP camera. Sony Ericsson is known for good camera quality, and this device does not lag behind.

The Xperia Arc S camera comes packed with an Exmor R sensor. This camera seems to be the same one the older version carries, but it actually comes with a very interesting new feature. It now includes a 3D Sweep Panorama mode that allows you to take 2D panoramic pictures and transform them into 3D.

As you would expect, the rest of the specs look to be the same as the original Xperia Arc. This includes a 4.2-inch display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 512 MB of RAM and 1 GB of internal storage with an 8 GB microSD card .(Supports cards of up to 32 GB).

Sony Ericsson has announced that the Xperia Arc will be available this October (globally) in five colors. If you want to differentiate yourself from the crowd, your options will be: Pure White, Midnight Blue, Misty Silver, Gloss Black and Sakura Pink.

The changes are not revolutionary, but that processor should bring an extra boost to your experience. We do wish that Sony Ericsson had announced a new device, though, and not just an upgrade to a current smartphone. For more details, take a look at the press release and images posted below. We’d love to hear what you think. Are you getting your hands on one of these? If you’re a current Xperia Arc owner, are you satisfied with your device? Is it worth it to upgrade to this one?

Gallery

Show Press Release