Sharp Galápagos LCD-Reader vorm Start in Japan

29.11.2010 Johannes Haupt (Fachredakteur) 6 Kommentare

Zwei besonders für unterhaltungsorienterte Lesefreunde interessante Tablets bringt der japanische Unterhaltungselektroniker Sharp derzeit in Stellung. Die Zwillinge hören beide auf den schönen Namen Galápagos und verfügen über hochauflösende LC-Displays mit 5,5″ beziehungsweise 10,8″ Bildschirmdiagonale; für den angebundenen eBook Store (30.000 eBooks, Zeitungen und Zeitschriften zum Rollout) hat Sharp sogar ein eigenes eBook-Format entwickelt.

Das XMDF-Format kommt neben plain text auch mit audiovisuellen Inhalten klar (Pressemitteilung unten), was die Publikation von Enhanced eBooks ermöglicht. Weil es sich um ein proprietäres Format handelt, sind diese Dateien dann natürlich auch nur auf Sharp-Devices lesbar; damit unterscheiden sie sich hier allerdings auch nicht von gegenwärtig fürs iPhone/iPad erhältlichen 'erweiterten' Buchapps. Während man bei multimedialen Dateien in aller Regel keine Wahl hat, lohnt sich beim Kauf konventioneller eBooks generell die Nutzung von Online-/Mobile-Shops, die epub-Dateien offerieren – gekaufte Literatur kann dann auf einer ungleich größeren Anzahl von Endgeräten geschmökert werden.

Wer auf dem Sharp Galàpagos lesen möchte, kommt zunächst einmal in den Genuss einer gestochen scharfen Textdarstellung: Der Fünf-Zoller (220g) zeigt 1024x600px an, der Zehn-Zoller (765g) sogar 1366×800px. Das iPad bringt auf 9,7″ Bildschirmdiagonale dem gegenüber "nur" 1024×768 Pixel unter. Während das kleine Modell (mit einer bemerkenswerten Kombination aus Touchscreen und Trackball zu bedienen) ein gutes Buchlesegerät für die Hosentasche abgeben könnte, hat der 'große' Galàpagos das Potenzial, dem iPad als bestes Anzeigegerät für Periodika Konkurrenz zu machen.

Die Tablets wurden bereits vor einigen Monaten vorgestellt, erst heute ging Sharp aber mit Pricing und Releasetermin an die Öffentlichkeit. Beide Tablets sind demnach in Japan vom 3. Dezember an vorbestellbar und werden noch rechtzeitig zum Weihnachtsfest ausgeliefert. Für den 5,5″ Reader sind umgerechnet 360 Euro ausgerufen, der 10,8″ Device wechselt für umgerechnet knapp 500 Euro den Besitzer. Sharp soll bereits Gespräche mit internationalen Mobilfunkunternehmen führen, um die 3G-Reader mittelfristig (2011) auch außerhalb von Japan verfügbar zu machen.

Das Preisniveau von Hightech in Japan entspricht etwa dem in Deuschland; die Lesegeräte (!) werden also – so denn bei uns erhältlich – voraussichtlich keine Schnäppchen. Denn anders als Multimediatablets wie das iPad oder auch das Samsung Galaxy Tab sind die Sharp Galàpagos Geräte ganz um die Kernfunktion "Lesen" herum konzipiert, spielen damit funktional wohl eher in einer Liga mit dem (250 US-Dollar günstigen) Nook Color. Ob ausreichend viele Anwender 500 Euro für ein Gerät nur oder hauptsächlich zum Schmökern periodischer und/oder angereicherter Textinhalte nutzt, ist dann doch sehr fragwürdig; noch schwerer wird es das kleine Modell im Wettbewerb mit ähnlich kompakten, deutlich günstigeren und zudem noch augenfreundlicheren E-Ink Readern wie der Sony Reader PRS-350 Pocket Edition haben.

Sharp to start first E-bookstore Service from December with "GALAPAGOS" E-Book Reader

Launch of Cloud-Based Media Service Business Offering a New User Experience

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.

E-bookstore Service (overview)

Start of service December, 2010 (Planned)
Content lineup (at time of launch) Approx. 30,000 newspapers, magazines, and books
* Details of the service, such as content and price are scheduled to be announced separately in conjunction with the start of the service.

E-book Reader/Tablet Terminal (overview)

Nickname GALAPAGOS

Mobile type
5.5-inch LCD
(1,024 × 600 pixels)

Home type
10.8-inch
(1,366 × 800 pixels)

Communication function Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b/g)
* Details about the e-book readers, including the specific date of introduction, will be announced separately.

Major Features

1. "Automatic Scheduled Delivery Service" for periodical publications, including newspapers and magazines. Content from the most recent editions can be delivered and read whenever desired.
2. Rich graphic capabilities and an easy-to-use interface that give full consideration to the book culture of Japan.
3. "Evolution" of the terminal devices with periodic software updates.
"GALAPAGOS" was chosen as the name for Sharp’s cloud-based media service business, as a symbol of the "evolution" of services and terminal devices that constantly bring fresh, new experiences to the user. The name comes from the famous Galapagos Islands, which were visited by Charles Darwin (1809–1882), a British geologist and biologist. The observations he made while on the islands played a key role in the formulation of his "theory of evolution".

Major Features

1. "Automatic Scheduled Delivery Service" for periodical publications, including newspapers and magazines. Content from the most recent editions can be read whenever desired.
– Users can receive and enjoy the most recent editions of newspapers and magazines, automatically delivered at a pre-arranged time. (Prior service registration subject to fees is required)
– The users can categorize and organize the downloaded content by categories, including "unread / recommended", "most recently read", "favorite", and "scheduled delivery".
– The free trial version of e-book content will be automatically delivered from the e-book store. Contents that the users find interesting can be purchased immediately.
– The downloaded content will be stored on an e-book, and users can enjoy the e-book content even in a place without wireless network services.

2. Rich graphic capabilities and easy-to-use interface that give full consideration to the book culture of Japan.
– Complies with XMDF e-book format, to support Japanese expressions such as vertical writing and ruby. When users enlarged content on previous mobile terminals, the display needed to be scrolled to see the content fully. Content complying with XMDF format enables adapting to a change of font sizes without altering the content and picture layout.

3. Evolution of the terminal devices with periodic software updates.
– Automatic software updates of the media tablet will enable users to enjoy not just XMDF format content, but other e-book content services also, including various software applications. Users can enjoy the evolution of terminal devices with periodic software updates.

Other Features

– Track ball feature in the mobile type with 5.5-inch screen. Users can rotate the track ball like a PC mouse and can flip the pages with one hand.
– Sharp’s e-book application software for PC "GALAPAGOS Station" enables users to organize downloaded content on PCs. Users can mark and add comments on the e-book content.
– PC data, including documents and maps, can be converted to XMDF format, and can be viewed on the media tablet.
– Web browser will display websites for PCs on a high resolution LCD screen.
– Pre-installed social network service application enables sharing readers' comments and e-book list with friends.

Sharp Corporation has developed XMDF, a next-generation e-book format (hereinafter “Next-generation XMDF”) with advanced features that allow users to enjoy video and audio content, in addition to current features such as texts and still images. With next-generation XMDF as a core technology, Sharp will within this year provide digital platform to promote e-book distribution service and launch compatible reader devices to enter the e-book market. Various publishing houses (newspaper, magazines, catalogs), printing and agent companies in Japan and overseas market will be supporting Sharp to launch this e-book business. Sharp’s next-generation XMDF is an advanced version of the current XMDF format. The current XMDF format has been commercialized in 2001 and is used in e-book contents including Japanese novels and manga comics. The next-generation XMDF enables easy viewing of digital contents including video and audio, and allows automatic adjustment of the layout to match and meet publishers’ needs. With this digital platform, Sharp plans to enhance users’ e-book lifestyle with more sophisticated user interface technology, and at the same time will contribute to expand the e-book market. XMDF allows users to browse the same content on multiple terminals including smart phones, PCs and TVs and also streamlines publisher’s e-book contents production.

Sharp intends to innovate e-book lifestyles and to contribute in the creation of a new market for e-books.