Sharp announces Galapagos A01SH 7-inch Honeycomb tablet
It used to be that 7-inch Honeycomb tablets were more of a dream than a reality. These days, numerous devices meeting those specifications have been announced, and the Acer Iconia Tab even made it to the preorder phase. Now, we have news of yet another Honeycomb tablet that will soon be available, at least in Japan.
The oddly named Galapagos A01SH will be added to Sharp's existing Galapagos line, which currently contains a 10-inch and 5.5-inch device. It will be powered by the standard Tegra 2 processor and include a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, WiFi, dual cameras, and 8GB of storage.
As these specifications are only average, the most important feature of this device is the inclusion of Android 3.2. The specialized tablet OS has been notably absent from all but a few devices, and most of those are not available for purchase yet. Of course, this one isn't either, but having another manufacturer in the running could at least push other companies' release dates closer.
Because of the A01SH's average specs, Sharp will likely attempt to differentiate with price. Since the tablet will only be available in Japan, heavy import fees could negate this advantage, so most users will be better off buying local hardware. However, if the device does end up here it could be a good value, so budget-mindful users should keep an eye on it.
[UberGizmo]
