Sony Network and New Tablets Collide

Some have been known to release bad news when there is lots of other bad news, but not good news on the back of bad news. However, Sony has done just that.

A Hacking attack on Sony has resulted in its PlayStation Network being taken offline and being still unavailable after five days! The PlayStation Network is used by 70 million registered account holders and owners of PS3 and PlayStation Portable machines and is used to download games, films and music, as well as to play online with friends.

Sony has thanked its users for their patience and assured them that it was working "around the clock" to strengthen the network infrastructure. However in its blog statement they did not reference any potential issues relating to stored personal information or credit card details.

The hacking group, Anonymous, deny that they were behind the attack but do that some members may have acted on their own without the group's knowledge. Anonymous has criticised Sony over its treatment of George Hotz, an American hacker who unlocked the PS3's closed operating system to allow pirated games to be played on the machine.
The timing of this could not be worse for Sony as it clashes with the Easter holidays and their first foray into the tablet PC market.

Sony has announced two tablets which will hit the market later this year and will both use Google's Android operating system. Sony has stated its intent to become the second largest tablet player within one year.

Sony Tablet S1 will have a 9.4” display and is wedge shaped with a thicker upper portion which Sony claim makes it easier to hold. The S2 is a folding device equipped with dual 5.5-inch screens. It has a rounded design and is small enough to fit in the inside pocket of a jacket. Both devices come with Android 3.0, WiFi and 3G and utilise Sony's premium network services, which include the currently stricken PlayStation Network for gaming and also the Qriocity media service.

Users will also be able to browse and buy electronic books which obviously raise the question over Sony’s poorly performing eInk readers and whether these will be dropped for the new S1 and S2. By combining tablets, ebooks, games and lifestyle interfaces the S1 and S2 start to become interesting tablet options.

However announcing a common platform when their flagship PSN service is on its back is not the best of timing.