Sharp to Plunge Into E-Readers Via Its XMDF Format

Seeking to plunge into the U.S. e-reader business, Sharp is in discussions with Verizon Wireless to carry in its stores devices based on Sharp’s eXtending Mobile Documents Format (XMDF) platform, a Sharp U.S. spokesman told us. A Verizon Wireless spokeswoman declined comment.

Sharp on Tuesday in Japan unveiled 5.5- and 10.8-inch LCD-based e-reader prototypes that use a new version of its XMDF platform, enabling video and animations in addition to text and still images. Sharp said newspaper, magazine and book publishers in Japan and globally will back the launch of its e-readers, but those potential partners weren’t disclosed, and the U.S. spokesman declined to discuss other distribution plans. The company said in Japan it plans to ship XMDF-based e-readers sometime this fiscal year, which ends March 31.

Verizon Wireless has been edging into the e-reader business. Verizon was to provide the 3G network for iRex Technologies’ DR800SG $399 e-reader unveiled last fall (CED Sept 24 p3) that was to be sold through Best Buy. But Best Buy dropped the product earlier this year when iRex filed for bankruptcy.

Sharp’s revamped version of XMDF represents an extension of a platform first introduced in 2001 for the company’s Zaurus PDA. It was upgraded in 2007 to deliver e-books to cellphones in Japan. XMDF is an XML format compiled for e-books and electronic dictionaries and was originally intended for Japanese users. It’s already used for some Japanese novels and manga comics. Besides e-readers, Sharp said, it plans to use XMDF in TVs, set-top boxes, videogame consoles and other devices.