Sony aiming for small(er) with junior-sized Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

[sincity]

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/tablets/Sony/XperiaZ2Tablet/HandsOn2/XperiaZ2Tablet-HandsOn-14-470-75.JPG

The fervor surrounding smaller tablets like the iPad mini and Nexus 7 appears to have mostly fallen on deaf ears in Japan, but Sony may finally be getting the message, if a brief new product mention in an unlikely place is any indication.

TechTastic (via Google Translate) turned up an interesting find today while sifting through the user guide for Sony's newest Bluetooth speaker, which directly mentions compatibility with an as-yet unannounced Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

The discovery can be clearly be spotted lurking on page four of the Bluetooth Speaker with Magnetic Charging Pad model BSC10 user guide (PDF link), which outlines which attachment to use with a variety of Xperia smartphones and tablets.

The word "Compact" seems to indicate Sony could finally be taking smaller tablets seriously, and the report suggests that particular model could lean closer to an eight-inch display than the consumer electronics giant's previous 10.1-inch models.

On the horizon

Xperia tablet fans also may not have long to wait for the release, with the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact rumored to be announced on September 3, which is only two and a half weeks away at this writing.

The report prognosticates that the more diminutive tablet will arrive with internal specs largely matching those of the Xperia Z3 smartphone, although Sony will likely cheap out when it comes to the camera quality.

Assuming that is indeed the case, that would put a MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 processor under the Compact's hood, along with 3GB RAM and a 1080p resolution display to top things off.

Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact may not satisfy Sony lovers in the market for a seven-inch slate, but it may have to suffice for now; look for this one to pop up on the radar again sometime in the next couple of weeks.

• Go (virtual) hands-on with Oculus Rift in our review!

http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3d9e8b4c/sc/28/mf.gif


http://da.feedsportal.com/r/204366652728/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3d9e8b4c/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/204366652728/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3d9e8b4c/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/204366652728/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3d9e8b4c/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img

http://da.feedsportal.com/r/204366652728/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3d9e8b4c/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/204366652728/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3d9e8b4c/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/H1vQ4mMxjfU