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Sharp is jumping into the Android tablet space with the launch of two new tablets designed to work with the company’s new eBook service. The Galapagos tablets are due out in December, and will be able to access a library of 30,000 books, newspapers, and magazines at launch.
One model will feature a 5.5 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel LCD display and come in red or silver colors. The other model will have a larger 10.8 inch, 1366 x 800 pixel display and come in black. Both devices will run Google Android and include 802.11b/g WiFi capabilities.
While the company is positioning the devices as eReaders, the full color screens and Google Android operating system should make them much more useful since you’ll be able to surf the web, access multimedia content, and run third party apps (although I’d be surprised if the Galapagos tablets ship with access to the Google Android Market).
Sharp has put together a demo video, which you can find below. It shows off the user interface and some of the other features. The software looks pretty slick.
Sharp is playing up the subscription service aspect of the eReaders, with the latest issues of newspapers and magazines delivered wirelessly to subscribers. The company will also offer software for converting documents, maps, and other data from a PC into a format that’s viewable on the portable tablets.
