Sharp 5.5- And 10.8-inch Galapagos Tablets Announced

Sharp looks like it wants to dip its feet into the tablet and eBook reader market with the introduction of its Galapagos in Tokyo today. The name is used for the company’s cloud-based eBook service and two new Android devices that support said service. The first is a 5.5-inch 1024 x 600 pixel display device that is optimized for displaying paperback books and will include a trackball to scroll through the pages. The larger model will ditch the trackball in favor of page turning similar to the iPad. You’re offered a 10.8-inch 1366 x 800 pixel LCD display for magazines that are formatted for a two-page spread. Both devices offer built-in Wi-Fi, allowing users to browse the web, read PC documents, play games, share comments and recommendations with other owners via a social app. The Galapagos eBook service is slated to launch in Japan this December and customers are expected to have a choice of 30,000 newspapers, magazines, and books at time of launch. Check out a video promoting these devices after the jump.

Matthew Chung
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: galapagos, Japan, Sharp, sharp galapagos, Tablet