Not sure what this will do 9 months after the fact, but here it is…

In terms of first impressions, you may think the device pictured here in the hands of Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci is yet another eBook reader designed to secure a slice of the profit pie presently chewed on by Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

You’d be right… and wrong.

Moreover, while Shuffle Gazine reports that computer maker Acer did indeed showcase its solid but somewhat uninspired LumiRead eBook reader during today’s press event, it was Lanci’s photographed unveiling of a similarly styled tablet that caught the attention of gathered media representatives.

Little is presently known about the device other than Lanci referred to it directly as a tablet and was willing to confirm that it comes with a 7-inch display, a touch-based user interface, the Android OS, a low-slung QWERTY keyboard, full colour functionality, and a fourth quarter retail release.

Price points and target markets for the unnamed tablet have not yet been divulged.

For those readers more interested in the LumiRead, Acer’s virgin foray into the eBook reader arena has a 6-inch monochrome display, 2GBs of storage space, expandable memory via microSD, and a low-slung keyboard.