Sharp Galapagos: a smartphone rival to the Nintendo 3DS?

Sharp is set to release a pair of glasses-free, Android-powered 3D smartphones in Japan.

Sporting the 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, the Sharp Galapagos 3D handsets will bring a new dimension to mobile gaming, a popular passtime in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The name Galapagos is playful poke at those who suggest that Japanese phones are endemic technologies, being too complex or advanced to compete in the western market.

Much like the 3DS, by utilising a parallax barrier, which focuses the left and right eye on a slightly different image, the Galapagos phones create a stereoscopic display which fools your brain into seeing a 3D image.

As well as being able to play 3D video, the handsets are capable of taking 3D photos and converting 2D movies and stills into 3D.

Naturally, games are already being pushed with several titles already announced including Capcom's Resident Evil: Degeneration, Mega-Man and Ghost 'n Goblins: Gold Knights, Namco's rhythm game Taiko no Tatsujin, and Game Arts' SILPHEED Alternative.

The Galapagos may be capable of holding its own against the 3DS in Japan, but it remains to be seen whether it will make its way to Europe or the USA.

Sharp's first handset, the Galapagos 003SH will be in Japanese stores from December 2010, with the Galapagos 005SH following closely behind in February 2011.

Both phones will support WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, with a microSD expansion slot supporting up to 32GB of storage.

[source: Kotaku]