Sharp is due to add its name to a ballooning list of iPad contenders. The company is launching a tablet PC and eBook service in Japan this December, and a U.S. launch may follow in 2011.
Sharp is in negotiations with Verizon in the U.S. to bring its planned Galapagos WiFi-only tablet/eReader to the U.S., said Reuters. The Android device will come in 2 sizes bearing either a 5.5-inch or 10.8-inch screen. It will launch with access to 30,000 eBooks, newspapers and magazines and will expand to the delivery of movies, music and games next year. Sony is also planning a tablet and eReader service in Japan by year’s end.
The Galapagos units look like many current tablets except the smaller version comes with a trackball, said The Wall Street Journal, which also affirmed the device is expected to head for the U.S. in 2011.
No pricing was announced.
Source: Reuters, The Wall Street Journal
Photo via The Wall Street Journal
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