Panasonic to launch e-book/tablet hybrid

Tablets are not in demand just in this side of the world. The Asian market has cravings for these types of devices too. Panasonic is planning to take advantage by bringing an Android tablet/e-reader to the Japanese market. Those who choose to buy Panasonic’s upcoming e-reader will get their books from Rakuten (distributing ebooks from booklista). Customers will earn bonus points for buying content for Rakuten.

The details are quite sketchy as far as this e-reader is concerned. It does seem it will run Android’s Froyo 2.2 with a 7-inch LCD touch screen. Its display will have 1,024×600 resolution. Such an e-reader won’t make it far in the U.S. market. There are many more sophisticated devices already available in it. Panasonic won’t be bringing it to the U.S. anyway.

Recent studies have shown that e-readers are outpacing tablets in the U.S. market. While many companies are marketing their LCD tablets as “hybrid e-readers,” consumers are still craving for e-ink devices too. They are expected to continue buying high-end and budget tablets for their reading needs though.