Tablets

Clear room in your digital life for the latest tablet, the 10.1-inch HD Sony Xperia Tablet Z. Released today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company says this tablet is the thinnest of all other 10-inch tablets currently on the market at 6.9mm.

Sony hopes the Xperia, operating on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, will become the center of your living room, controlling TV watching with the Side View app, which functions as an interactive programming guide while also controlling something as simple as changing the channels of a Sony or most other manufacturers' television displays. The slim tablet's features also include:

• Front-facing 2MP camera and rear 8MP HD camera.
• NFC technology.
• Water resistance in up to three feet of water.
• Two-speaker surround sound.

The Xperia Tablet Z will come in a 16GB model ($499, black) or 32GB model ($599, black and white) and be available to consumers sometime in Spring 2013.

Microsoft is adding another tablet to its Surface Windows 8 lineup — Surface Pro, the high-performance version of the already-released Surface RT tablet, which is available starting today in the US and Canada.

Unlike the Surface RT, the Pro runs a full Windows 8 desktop operating system and supports current Windows 7 applications. It's more comparable to ultraportable laptops than tablets that run on a mobile OS. The device costs $899 for the 64GB standalone version and $999 for the 128GB model.

When we asked readers in November if the hefty price tag was worth it, only 37 percent said "yes" (for comparison, the 64GB iPad Retina is $699). But if you've spent the last couple of months reconsidering, here's a guide to where the Surface Pro is available, what you're getting right out of the box, and which accessories are available.

• Where to buy — Starting Feb. 9, both 64GB and 128GB versions will be available at all Microsoft retail stores, MicrosoftStore.com, and Staples and Best Buy in the US.
• In the box — The dark titanium-colored tablet comes with a capacitive Surface Pen that has a digitizing technology called Palm Block. On the outside, the body is comparable to the Surface RT, just thicker (14mm) and a little heavier (2 lbs.), and both the front- and rear-facing cameras are 720p HD. On the inside, there's an Intel Core i5 processor and the 10.6-inch display runs 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution.
• A note about 64GB — Microsoft notes that the Windows 8 system software uses significant storage space and "available storage is subject to change based on system updates and apps usage." If you're thinking about using the Surface Pro as your primary computing device, consider getting the 128GB model.
• The accessories — The Surface Pro very notably does not include the touch or type keyboard covers with a trackpad that click into the edge of the tablet. The touch version ($120) is pressure sensitive, while the type version ($130) is more like a full-fledged keyboard. Both covers work with Surface Pro and RT tablets.

Last week, Apple announced its most high-end tablet to date, a 128GB iPad with Retina display (starting at $799), available today at the Apple online store, Apple retail stores, and select authorized resellers nationwide.

The 128GB model is available in black or white, for $799 with WiFi and $929 for WiFi + Cellular. Like other fourth-generation iPads, the tablet is LTE-ready with a 9.7-inch Retina display at 264 ppi, A6X chip with quad-core graphics, 720p FaceTime HD video camera, 5MP iSight camera with 1080p video, and 10-hour battery life.

The release of the high-capacity storage iPad marks Apple's entrance into the high-performance tablet/laptop market, spearheaded by Microsoft's Surface Pro, which is set for a Feb. 9 release date. Apple may have strategically added the 128GB iPad just days ahead of the Surface Pro's launch, hoping to woo customers on the fence.

Microsoft's Surface Pro (priced at a similarly hefty $999 for 128GB) runs a full Windows 8 desktop operating system. While Apple's mobile operating system is not quite at that performance level, the iPad still takes the top spot as the bestselling tablet on the market.