Sony’s Tablet S, Tablet P Available this Fall, on Docomo Network in Japan

This morning in Tokyo, I dropped in on Sony’s press conference where it was showing off its upcoming pair of Android tablets. It was announced that the new tablets, which are both 3G and Wi-Fi capable, would run on the Docomo network. Previously referred to as the S1 and S2, the devices are dubbed the Tablet S and Tablet P.

The larger, more conventional model is the 9.4-inch Tablet S, which from the front looks like a regular tablet, but when viewed from the side it reveals a unique tapered profile. When trying it out, it did feel pretty nice in my hands allowing for a slightly more comfortable grip that other tablet alternatives.

The Tablet S’s little brother is a little freaky, attempting to nail down the dual-screen tablet concept (remember the Kyocera Echo?) with a 5.5-inch display. If the VAIO Type P died and came back in tablet form, this might be it. It’s equally pocketable, although I found that the size resulted in virtual keyboard that was just a little too small for two hands and a little too big for thumb typing. I thought I would like the on-screen gaming buttons on the smaller form factor, but oddly, I didn’t. It just felt icky…

Does Sony have a shot at being crowned the second best tablet behind the iPad? I don’t think they’re anywhere near Samsung’s Galaxy Tab yet. The Sony flavor of Android feels quite limited to me.

For more information on both devices, check out the full specifications below.