In September 2010, Sharp announced a 5.5- and a 10.8-inch Android tablet for the Japanese market, followed by a 7-inch version in August this year. After seeing they had no chance against the iPad 2, Sharp discontinued the first two “Galapagos” models, with the industry betting not on if but when they will stop producing the 7-inch tablet.
But Sharp isn’t ready to give up on the booming tablet market: the company announced yet another Android Galapagos model for the Japanese market yesterday, the Galapagos EB-A71GJ-B. → Read More
About a year ago, Sharp decided to enter the rapidly growing tablet market with the terribly named Galapagos, two Android devices sized at 5.5 and 10.8 inches that went on sale in Japan last December. The company then launched a 7-inch version on the Japanese market last month and announced that model will hit the US “this year”.
But sales must have been really bad for the initial models, the 5.5- and the 10.8-inch versions, as Sharp Japan today announced [JP] it will stop taking orders for the Galapagos in those sizes from September 30. The company said, however, that it will continue to offer the 7-inch version in Japan (where it costs US$587). → Read More
Is this a sign of things to come in other countries? In Japan, Sharp is currently developing [JP] an inexpensive tablet aimed at a very specific target group: elderly online shoppers. → Read More
We’ve spent quite a few posts on Sharp’s Android tablets, named Galapagos, in the past months. The 5.5 and 10.8-inch devices are marketed as tablet/e-reader hybrids, with Sharp having inked deals with Japanese publishers to offer books and newspapers to buyers in its home market. And today, various Japanese media are reporting that big S will bring both Galapagos devices to the US next year. → Read More
No word yet when Sharp will release their “Galapagos” Android tablets outside Japan, but over here, the 5.5- and 10.8-inch devices will drop into stores on December 10. Big S will start accepting pre-orders for the tablets, which were unveiled back in September, starting December 3. And they won’t be cheap. → Read More
In September, we blogged on CrunchGear about Sharp’s entry into the Android tablet sector (the company is currently readying a 5.5-inch and a 10.8-inch version). Strangely dubbed “Galapagos”, the tablets, which will be available in Japan starting next month, will soon be joined by two smartphones carrying the same name. → Read More
CrunchGear is at CEATEC 2010, Asia’s biggest technology and electronics exhibition, which takes place yearly in Chiba (one hour away from Tokyo). Sharp’s booth was (next to 3D devices) all about Android, with its so-called Galapagos e-reader/tablet hybrids being not only the biggest attraction there but also one of the biggest of the entire exhibition. → Read More
It took them a while, but now it seems Sharp is serious about entering the e-book and tablet business. The company announced “Galapagos”in Tokyo today [press release in English], with Galapagos being the (terrible) name both for Sharp’s cloud-based e-book service and two new Android devices supporting that service. → Read More
San Francisco, CA
