14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp has just announced the RW-T107 Android tablet, which will be available on the market beginning September 5.
Sharp RW-T107 is aimed at business customers and offers users the possibility to interact via NFC interface with stores, posters, IDs and other.
The tablet is powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and comes with a 7-inch capacitive touch screen display with multitouch capabilities.
However, this doesn't matter too much as the device was mainly built for commercial interactions through its NFC chip.
According to Sharp, the RW-T107 tablet will only support Japanese FeliCa cards at launch, but support for additional cards will be introduced by the end of the year.
This is not the first NFC-capable tablet announced, as TazTag has recently released its TazPad tablet featuring a TCS2 TouchChip sensor that combines NFC and ZigBee capabilities with fingerprint authentication.
Sharp's tablet can read a client's loyalty card (via card or NFC phone), book orders and even complete a secure payment.
Commenting on the tablet's capabilities, the manufacturer said: “We can build systems and services that use IC cards, which are already increasing in popularity. These can be used as terminals to get a wide range of activities. For example, when used as a membership card in the retail system, you can even check points, as well as membership information and referrals.”
It appears that Sharp plans to release around 5,000 RW-T107 units monthly starting September, which seems a bit optimistic for a 7-inch tablet with such a niche target.
Details about the tablet's hardware configuration are a bit scarce, but it appears to be bundled with a microUSB port, SIM card slot, and HDMI.
In addition, the tablet features a 3.5mm audio port, speakers, as well as a 5,400 mAh Li-Ion battery.
No information about the tablet's price tag has been revealed yet, but it will only be available in Japan.