Last week Sharp announced its NetWalker "Mobile Internet Tool" (PC-Z1-W) sporting a 5-inch WSVGA screen that promises to deliver internet access and double as an "Electronic Dictionary" and "e-Book," according to the official company press release.

Steve Sechrist
Senior Analyst and Editor

I can just see the discussion at the marketing roundtable drafting this press release, "OK, so make up your mind, what is it already?" But in a land where decision by consensus is the hallmark to good business we get our answer… "It’s all these things and we are going to say so up front."

NetWalker (PC-Z1-W) At a Glance:

• 5" WSVGA (1024×600) touchscreen
• MX515 Freescale CPU @ 800MHz
• 512MB of RAM
• 4GB of internal memory
• Wi-Fi b/g
• 68 key QWERTY keyboard
• Up to 16GB microSDHC cards
• 10hr battery lifespan
• Selling in Japan 44,800 Yen ($480)

Sharp is actually on record as calling the device a mobile phone companion. Masafumi Matsumoto, Sharp’s Executive VP, said in a recent Nikkei-net interview, "Packing every function into one device makes it harder to use. The NetWalker is designed to be user-friendly and used in addition to a mobile phone." He elaborated a bit by commenting, "Mobile phones have small displays, and netbooks are heavy and have short battery lives. We eliminated these drawbacks (from the NetWalker)."

One of NetWalker’s best features is the 3-second boot up allowing for quick access to e-mail and other web apps, and it includes access to all MS Office documents for on the road computing. What the device seriously lacks in function as a "web tool" is 3G or other alternative web connectivity, when not in range of a hot spot. In calling this a "mobile phone companion," the company neglected to realize the important role the mobile phone network plays in delivering web based data. By doing so, they also possibly cut-out their most important distribution channel — wireless carriers hungry to boost ARPU numbers with added wireless services.

But in spite of this obvious flaw, the product may hit a chord with users looking for a small, light weight (really light 409 gr. or just under a pound) netbook with a nice (really nice WSVGA) LCD that will blow the socks off any e-Book reader, with its full color images and 10-hour battery life. The $480 price is not inspiring as a single use device (Amazon Kindle’s are down to $299), but for the plethora of uses this product does provide, it is probably a good value–one that will get better as retailers move away from MSRP. The unit will sell exclusively in Japan for now, so a 3G-enabled version 2.0 may be in the cards for the West–we’ll see.