Sharp is officially entering the E-reader business in Japan with the launches of two Sharp Galapagos E-book readers in Japan. Both devices will be powered by Android and have access to a cloud-based bookstore with about 30,000 pieces of content.
The two Galapagos devices unveiled today are the 5.5-inch mobile model and the 10.8-inch home model. Both feature 802.11 b/g WiFi and a significant differentiator, support for the next generation XMDF e-book format.
XMDF is also known as Ever-eXtending Mobile Document Format (not to be confused with eXtensible Model Data Format,) and was introduced in 2001. Already in use on millions of mobile phones in Japan, It supports vertical text formatting and Ruby subscript characters (aka furigana), and lets publishers embed video, audio, and style effects in their documents.
As the Android E-book reader market begins to take shape, it looks like Sharp’s Galapagos readers will have the edge in the Japanese market. XMDF support might be the perfect differentiator the product needs to stand out in the crowded space.
Sharp Corporation will launch a new cloud-based media service business, named “GALAPAGOS”, to provide a new user experience, while evolving to meet each customer’s changing needs with a network service and device specifically designed for the Japanese market. The first effort in this area will be an e-bookstore service that is planned to begin in December of this year. Two compatible tablet terminals have been developed specifically as e-book readers and will be introduced at the same time.
This new e-bookstore provides an “Automatic Scheduled Delivery Service” (fee-based service) for periodical publications. The most recent editions of newspapers and magazines a user has subscribed to can be delivered and read by the user’s e-book readers. In addition, free trial versions of recommended e-book content can also be delivered to the e-book reader, letting users immediately purchase content of their favor.
Two models of the e-book readers have been developed—a mobile type featuring a 5.5-inch LCD screen that reads like a paperback book, and a home type featuring a 10.8-inch high-resolution HD LCD that allows users to enjoy magazines formatted across a two-page spread.
Sharp will continue to provide for evolving e-book lifestyles by further enriching the content available through the service, and by expanding the functions of compatible terminal devices.
