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TOKYO (Reuters) – Sony launched its prototypal paper computers weekday in an enterprising attempt to clutch the No.2 spot from Samsung in a fast-growing mart submissive by Apple's year-old iPad.

The gadgets, supported on Google's Android 3.0 operating system, could be whatever of the Japanese company's most important newborn products since the Playstation mettlesome console prefabricated its debut in 1994.

Sony, also the inventor of the Walkman and once a symbol of Japan's high-tech might, is today struggling to become up with hit devices and meliorate profit margins as it competes with Apple, Samsung Electronics and Nintendo.

"Expectations are baritone that any consort can present a plausible contest to Apple," said Jay Defibaugh, administrator of justness investigate at MF Global in Tokyo.

Sony's tablets join more than 100 iPad challengers supported on Android, and may struggle to evolve themselves, although Sony does hit the plus of being healthy to link the tablets to its recreation and entertainment offerings.

"Being late into the paper mart is not needs a intense thing," said Geoff Blaber, nous of ambulatory figure code investigate at British IT psychotherapy concern CCS Insight.

"If destined manufacturers are taking their instance to become to mart with something really differentiated from the iPad... that can be beatific for them in the daylong run."

Samsung's Galaxy Tab is Apple's strongest competitor patch Motorola, LG Electronics and HTC are flooding the mart with tablets running Android.

A analyse publicised weekday showed that Android is already losing whatever allure for code developers affected with Apple -- message that less of the apps that draw customers to buy a creation are probable to be acquirable for Android.

Sony's black, glossy devices, code-named S1 and S2, module be the prototypal tablets to enable the use of PlayStation games, Kunimasa Suzuki, help chair of the consumer products and services group, said at Tuesday's media launch.

Sony is banking on the unusual, off-center organisation of the S1 and admittance to prototypal procreation PlayStation games and its another networked content to evolve the products from the batch of tablets in the market.

which has priced the PlayBook to match the iPad, has struggled to get consumer fans since actuation the figure last week.

Hewlett-Packard Co undraped its entrant in the paper race in February.

Sony's tablets module be WiFi and 3G/4G compatible. S1 has a 9.4-inch display and a curved organisation that Sony said makes it easier to hold for daylong periods of time.

The S2 has two 5.5-inch displays in a clamshell design, which Suzuki stressed by producing digit of them from his jacket incurvature during the launch.

Sony has seen its share toll motion in the time decade as it struggled to ready up with rivals. Helped by its success in TVs and another products, Samsung's mart capitalization of whatever $134 1000000000 dwarfs Sony's $30 1000000000 mart value.

Sony's Kazuo Hirai, seen as a probable progeny to CEO histrion Stringer, prefabricated his prototypal public attendance at the circumstance after the consort promoted the recreation sectionalization honcho to the number 2 function last month.

Google's Android honcho Andy Rubin was also on hand.

Shares in Sony, which unveils its quarterly results on May 26, lapse 2.1 proportionality weekday in a Nikkei mart down just over 1 percent.

(Additional reporting by Miyoung Kim in Seoul and Georgina Prodhan in London; additional composition by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

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