Sharp Galapagos tablets priced and dated for Japan

Sharp today committed to Japanese ship dates and pricing for its Galapagos tablets, widely considered the first domestic rivals to the iPad in Japan. The slates ship December 10 and are both relatively expensive, as the 5.5-inch model will cost 39,800 yen ($473) and the periodical-friendly 10.8-inch model will cost 54,800 yen ($651). Pre-orders start December 3.

Thetwo are primarily focused on e-reading and will have access to automatically delivered magazines and newspapers in a relatively new XMDF format that handles advanced layouts. Both are still true Android tablets with web access, Office reading and social networking given special treatment by Sharp. Both have an 8GB microSDHC card as their main storage and are separated mostly by their screens, which reach up to 1024x600 on the smaller Galapagos and 1366x800 on the 10.8-inch version.

Pricing for either tablet is likely to be lower in the US, where they should sell through Verizon in the near future and won't include tax in the price. The Japanese prices may nonetheless run up against Apple's in some areas. The 5.5-inch model is roughly $100 less expensive than a base iPad, which costs $580 in Japan, but also has half the storage and a smaller display. Sharp's 10.8-inch tablet cost is also significantly more expensive, although its larger screen and resolution play into the difference. [via Impress]

By Electronista Staff