Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) is stopping any current shipments and sales of Xperia, the Tokyo-based tech giant’s newly minted tablet computer released just last month, after discovering a manufacturing defect that makes the device susceptible to water damage.

In a press release issued Friday, Sony said that a gap between the tablet screen -- the display body of the device -- and the case itself left the tablet’s interior open to water splashes and moisture damage.