Sharp Announces Two Tablet E-Readers, Cloud-Based E-Bookstore

Sharp Electronics announced Monday that it will launch two new Android-based tablet e-readers this December, but in Japan only. The company also said it will introduce a new “cloud-based media service” named Galapagos that will provide users an e-bookstore for the new tablets.

According to the announcement, Sharp will introduce two tablet models: a “mobile” version featuring a 5.5-inch LCD screen that displays text like a paperback book, and a “home” version featuring a 10.8-inch, high-resolution HD LCD designed for users that want to read newspapers and magazines in a two-page spread format.

The mobile version will come in red or silver colors while the home version will come in black. Both models will have Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, and while Sharp hasn’t specified what platform the two tablets will run on, several media outlets have reported the e-readers will run Google’s Android operating system.

Meanwhile, the Galapagos service will launch with approximately 30,000 books, magazines and periodicals. Sharp said e-bookstore will offer users a fee-based service called "Automatic Scheduled Delivery Service," which will deliver the most recent editions of digital newspapers and magazines automatically to subscribers. The Galapagos e-bookstore will also give users free trial versions of recommended content.

While the Galapagos tablets will launch in Japan only this year, Sharp is looking at bringing the devices to other regions, including North America. According to Sharp, the company is in talks with Verizon to add 3G wireless service to its e-reader tablets if they are introduced to the U.S. Sharp said it also plans to build out the Galapagos media service beyond e-books, which could include digital video and audio content down the road, putting Sharp in direct competition with Apple’s iTunes service and mobile devices.