Sony Xperia Z2 tablet arrives to the U.S., priced at $499

Although the Sony Xperia Z2 has yet to arrive in the United States, at least Sony fans will now have the opportunity to grab the Xperia Tablet Z2. The tablet Z2 is available for pre-order through Sony’s website as we speak, with an estimated shipping date set for May 4th.

At MWC we noted that the tablet had rather impressive specs and was a solid improvement over the original tablet Z, unfortunately it’s also a bit on the expensive side at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model. So what kind of specs does $499 bring you? The Xperia tablet Z2 is powered by a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 CPU with 3GB of RAM. Other specs include a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200, front-facing speakers, a water/dust resistant design, an 8.1MP camera and Android 4.4 KitKat.

If you’re unsure whether you’re willing to pay such a premium price for the Xperia Z2 tablet, you might want to check out our unboxing and first impressions of the device.

So how about it, anyone planning on picking up the Xperia tablet Z2? Conversely do you feel that the tablet Z2 is priced too high, despite its high-end build quality and cutting-edge specs?

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Windows Phone, Android And iOS Enjoyed A Holiday Bump In The U.S., BlackBerry Cratered

During the November to February period, Windows Phone, Android and iOS picked up market share in the U.S. smartphone game.

Windows Phone grew the most in real percentage terms — 0.3 percent — and in terms of relative percentage growth — 9.7 percent more share compared to its previous tally of 3.1 percent. That pace of growth, while better than holding fast for the holiday season, does indicate that Microsoft’s ability to increase its market share in its growing home market remains limited.

That Microsoft needs to reach 10 percent market share has become a mantra. At its last pace, it would take the company 22 quarters to hit that mark, or five-and-a-half years. That’s a bit too long. Microsoft ended the period with 3.4 percent market share.

Android grew by 0.2 percent to 52.1 percent market share in the U.S., while Apple picked up another 0.1 percent to end up with a 41.3 percent share.

If the top three grew, what fell? BlackBerry. During the period, the company lost 0.6 percent market share, or 17 percent of its former tally to end at 2.9 percent. So BlackBerry started the holiday season ahead of Windows Phone in the United States and ended far behind it.

A small victory for Microsoft, and a real one.

Call it stasis in motion: things are not changing much. Apple and Google run the show, Microsoft wants more of the action but remains a minor player, and BlackBerry continues to fall from the sky, on fire and visibly disintegrating.

IMAGE BY FLICKR USER Kenneth Lu UNDER CC BY 2.0 LICENSE (IMAGE HAS BEEN CROPPED)