Sony Tablet S Gets $100 Price Cut

Sony has dropped the price of its Sony Tablet S by $100, bringing the price of the cheapest model to $400.

The 16GB Wi-Fi version of the Sony S is now available for $399.99, down from $499.99. The 32GB model is $499.99, down from $599.99.

Sony advertised the sale on its @SonyStore Twitter feed. "Happy New Year! How about some Tablet deals to start off 2012?" the company tweeted.

Sony debuted the Sony Tablet S (and the Sony Tablet P) at the IFA conference in Berlin last September.

The Sony Tablet S features a 9.4-inch, 1280-by-800 screen. It has a rounded top edge that narrows to a much flatter bottom, which Sony said makes it feel like you're holding a magazine that's been folded back, facilitating one-handed access. There's an infrared emitter, allowing users to turn the tablet into a programmable remote control for home electronics.

In reviewing the device, PCMag found that "the Android-based Sony Tablet S is good looking and well designed, but it's underpowered, overpriced, and doesn't pull Sony's multimedia services together in a convincing way."

In late December, Sony quietly confirmed a forthcoming Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for its Tablet S and Tablet P devices. /p>

The Sony Tablet P is currently listed as "coming soon" on the Sony Web site. For more, see PCMag's hands on with the device.

Android tablets have had trouble competing with the iPad at higher price points. The Amazon Kindle Fire has had some success but the device comes in at $199 and is generally thought of as a lower-price alternative to the iPad than a true threat.

Android-based tablets are not the only ones suffering—Research in Motion has dropped the price of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet several times, while HP was only able to move its webOS-based TouchPad after some deep price cuts.