At e-Book Expo Tokyo, Panasonic exhibited an e-book tablet that’s currently being developed. This tablet will support e-commerce site Rakuten’s e-book store, which will open in early August. The price and release date will be announced soon.

The demo tablet weighs 400 g, and has a 7-inch screen, with a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels. This demo device has a dual-core CPU, built-in camera, and microSDHC slot. The specifications of the actual product, though, haven’t been decided yet.

“This tablet mainly handles e-books for the Japanese market. What’s distinctive about it is the software, rather than the hardware. It has an API that can receive information from Rakuten and show it on screen. We’ll be offering a service where all you need is a Wi-Fi connection to get book information and rankings in real time.”

The device has 600 previewable e-books pre-installed, so you can enjoy some content as soon as you buy it. And because it’s Android-based, this tablet also provides basic applications like browsing and e-mail.

The home screen features a unique interface, resembling a desktop. It shows books you’re partway through, your favorites, and books you haven’t read yet. When you flick each icon, the thumbnails change, and when you pinch out, a list of thumbnails is displayed.

“This e-book tablet is aimed mainly at people in their 30s and 40s, who tend to read a lot, as well as older age groups.”

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