Sharp Galapagos Tablet / eBook Reader Announced for December

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Everyone capable of building a tablet will make one such device at some point in time. Today we’re looking at Sharp as the company has made official its eBook reader / tablet line called Galapagos and made of various models that will be available by December in different sizes.

So far we have a 5.5-inch “mobile type” eBook reader, and a 10.8-inch “home type” eReader that are going to be available to the masses and they’re both going to have color displays, or at least that’s what’s hinted at this point.

The 5.5-inch Sharp Galapagos device will come with a 5.5-inch LCD capable of 1,024 x 600 resolution while the 10.8-inch Galapagos model will offer you a 1,366 x 800 resolution, Wi-Fi b/g support and a bunch of other specs and features not really mentioned by the press release. But here are the “Major Features” that Sharp does mention:

1. “Automatic Scheduled Delivery Service” for periodical publications, including newspapers and magazines. Content from the most recent editions can be read whenever desired.
- Users can receive and enjoy the most recent editions of newspapers and magazines, automatically delivered at a pre-arranged time. (Prior service registration subject to fees is required)
- The users can categorize and organize the downloaded content by categories, including “unread / recommended”, “most recently read”, “favorite”, and “scheduled delivery”.
- The free trial version of e-book content will be automatically delivered from the e-book store. Contents that the users find interesting can be purchased immediately.
- The downloaded content will be stored on an e-book, and users can enjoy the e-book content even in a place without wireless network services.

2. Rich graphic capabilities and easy-to-use interface that give full consideration to the book culture of Japan.
- Complies with XMDF e-book format, to support Japanese expressions such as vertical writing and ruby. When users enlarged content on previous mobile terminals, the display needed to be scrolled to see the content fully. Content complying with XMDF format enables adapting to a change of font sizes without altering the content and picture layout.

3. Evolution of the terminal devices with periodic software updates.
- Automatic software updates of the media tablet will enable users to enjoy not just XMDF format content, but other e-book content services also, including various software applications. Users can enjoy the evolution of terminal devices with periodic software updates.

And how about some “Other Features”:

- Track ball feature in the mobile type with 5.5-inch screen. Users can rotate the track ball like a PC mouse and can flip the pages with one hand.
- Sharp’s e-book application software for PC “GALAPAGOS Station” enables users to organize downloaded content on PCs. Users can mark and add comments on the e-book content.
- PC data, including documents and maps, can be converted to XMDF format, and can be viewed on the media tablet.
- Web browser will display websites for PCs on a high resolution LCD screen.
- Pre-installed social network service application enables sharing readers’ comments and e-book list with friends.

Sharp will also launch an E-bookstore service that will go online at some point in December 2010 and will have to offer, at launch, 30,000 newspapers, magazines and books, although the details of this particular store will be available later down the road too.

Should we be excited? It’s too early to tell especially since this particular press release isn’t revealing as many details about this particular product as we would have wished for. Anyone interested in an eBook reader that looks like a tablet but might not perform like one?