Sony Xperia Tablet Z will go on sale in Q2 priced from $499

IDG News Service - Sony's Xperia Tablet Z will go on sale globally in the second quarter, priced from $499 in the U.S.

The 10-inch tablet will be just 6.9 millimeters thick, with an 1,920 by 1,200 pixel HD screen and a new quad core processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon S4 Pro. It will weigh 495 grams, according to Sony.

A black version of the device will go on sale in the U.S. in the second quarter, priced at $499 with 16GB of storage or $599 with 32GB, Sony said Monday. A white 32GB version will be sold at Sony's stores and website. Storage can be extended via a microSD slot.

The company did not indicate pricing for other countries.

Sony said the device will have the highest levels of water and dirt resistance in a tablet, and can be held under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. It will also feature speakers designed to offer surround sound regardless of how the tablet is gripped, as well as an 8 Megapixel rear mounted camera and 2 Megapixel front-facing camera using the company's own image sensors.

The new tablet will join Sony's Xperia Z phone, announced in January, as a flagship device, part of the company's quest to regain the gadget glory of years past. The company has set a goal of becoming the world's number three smartphone maker, behind Apple and Samsung.

Sony has posted a new video of the device online.

The tablet has touch-card NFC (near field communication) technology, allowing devices to transfer video and audio files by tapping them together. Sony is increasingly incorporating NFC into its new products

Sony is also striving to give the tablet a key role in users' living rooms. It can be used as a universal remote control, and the company is launching a new app called "TV SideView" that allows users to search for shows on traditional channels as well as Netflix and YouTube, and share content on social networks.

The device will launch with Android 4.1 and an update to 4.2 will be made available after it goes on sale.