AT&T Says It Will Be 'Exclusive' Carrier For Sony S2

exclusive U.S. mobile broadband carrier

Sony's S2 tablet features a clamshell design with dual 5.5-inch 1024 x 480 screens, and runs Android's Honeycomb 3.0 operating system on Nvidia's dual-core Tegra 2 processor. The S2's screens can be used as two discrete displays, or combined to function as a single screen.

AT&T also provided the first insight into the broadband capabilities of the S2 that Sony unveiled, along with sister tablet S1, in April.

Sony's S2 tablet will support Wi-Fi and 4G network capability. With a qualifying data plan, S2 subscribers will be able to access AT&T's 20,000 mobile hotspots as well as the company's HSPA+ network, according to AT&T.

While many of the Android tablets unveiled recently have a form factor similar to the 10.1-inch S1 tablet, the S2 uses a folding design. In a statement, David Haight, vice president of business development for AT&T emerging devices, described the S2 as a "completely portable form factor," highlighting the role of mobile broadband access to the S2 user experience.

Like all Android devices, the S2 tablet will have access to Google's Android Market. But the Sony team has been working on additional content streams for the S1 and S2, including an emulator for PlayStation Games. The game service, called PlayStation Suite, will allow users to download PlayStation One emulated games, with additional titles to follow, from the PlayStation Store to their Android tablet or phone.

AT&T is planning to offer monthly data plans for the S2 tablet but is waiting until the device's launch to provide details on distribution and pricing.