Sony announced plans to join the tablet party with two new entries running Android 3.0 Honeycomb today in a press release. Codenamed the S1 and S2, both tablets will be WiFi-, 3G-, and 4G-capable, and their unusual form factors will be hitting markets in the fall of this year.

The S2 is the far more unusual-looking model. Two narrow 5.5-inch screens are arranged on two sides of a clamshell, like a lovechild of the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. According to Sony, the screens will be able to be used separately or combined to use as one large display (though there is still a seam down the middle). The current design, which Sony says is subject to change, shows the two halves of the S2 with rounded backs, and... well... if we had one, we can't say we wouldn't decorate it to look like the Hamburglar.

The S1 looks more like a standard tablet, with a 9.4-inch screen and a piece of molded plastic that swoops down the back of the device at an angle, like a permanently folded-back cover—presumably to help keep the device propped up. Sony notes that the S1 will carry more of its weight toward the bottom for "a sense of stability and lightness," not unlike the Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook.

Sony hasn't mentioned how it plans to use Honeycomb, but it might do well to include some of its own alterations, as we found the OS to be rough even on the standard form factor of the Motorola Xoom. At minimum, the stock OS will not translate well to two screens without some dedicated tweaking.

But there's still plenty of space for Sony's tablets to occupy as an iPad alternative. Now that the Xoom has failed to impress and the PlayBook has fallen short of expectations (look for our review soon), consumers are going to be pinning their hopes on the next round of products from big-name manufacturers, who will hopefully have learned what not to do from the first Android tablet explosion.

Sony is placing an emphasis on the use of the devices for media, including the Qriocity1 music and video service and PlayStation Suite. The devices will be DLNA-capable, but further specs have not been disclosed. Sony states that the two models will be available globally this fall.