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The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is now on Vodafone, and at £200 it’s set to be the first 4G tablet you can take in the bath.
The 10.1-inch Tablet Z is Vodafone’s first 4G-ready slate. That means it has 4G gubbins built-in, and when Vodafone switches on its 4G network the Tablet Z will be able to connect to it.
The tablet might be capable of working with 4G straight away, but that doesn’t mean you can just start 4Ging away merrily. Firstly, Vodafone has to activate 4G in your neck of the woods — EE, Britain’s first 4G network, has taken a few months to reach the 74 towns and cities it currently covers.
And secondly, it’ll probably cost you extra. Vodafone says when 4G launches in your area, “We can then talk about adding Vodafone 4G to your monthly plan,” which suggests an extra charge for super-fast mobile data.
Vodafone is planning to launch 4G by the late summer.
Don’t confuse the Tablet Z with the CNET Editors’ Choice Award-winning Sony Xperia Z smart phone, although they are both waterproof. As well as shrugging off a soaking, the Tablet disregards dust trying to penetrate its rugged exterior, and laughs off falls, bumps and knocks. Despite being so tough it’s also super-skinny.
Inside that impenetrable exterior is a 1.5GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean software.
The toughened screen is a high-definition job for watching films and playing games in crisp detail, whether out and about in the rain or relaxing in the hot tub.
The Xperia Tablet Z costs £200 on Vodafone, on a range of mobile data price plans including a £28 option with 1GB of data. Are you tempted by the Xperia Tablet Z? Have you ever ruined a gadget by getting it wet? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our splashproof Facebook page.
