Sharp has completely skipped out on the whole Tablet PC bit and gone straight to an eBook reader. Their new Galapagos e-reading tablets are due to hit stores in December of this year and they’ve got two models available. One comes with a 5.5-inch LCD screen that sports a 1024 x 600 resolution while the second much larger with a 10.8-inch display featuring a 1366 x 800 pixel resolution. They also feature a track ball for navigation. Users can rotate the track ball like a PC mouse and can flip the pages with one hand. Both these devices are loaded with Wi-Fi and for now are heading to the Japanese market with no word on them making to any other areas. Their new e-bookstore provides an "Automatic Scheduled Delivery Service" (fee-based service) for periodical publications.

The Home model i.e. the one with the 10.8-inch display is handy for reading digital magazines and such while the smaller one is more of a mobile version. Sharp's e-book application software for PC called the ‘GALAPAGOS Station’ enables you to organize downloaded content on your PCs. You can mark and add comments on the e-book content if you so desire. Other PC data, including documents and maps, can be converted to XMDF format, and can be viewed on the media tablet. It also has a Web browser that can display websites for PCs. Lastly, they come with pre-installed social network service application that allow you to share readers' comments and e-book lists with friends. So far though, the prices haven’t been mentioned.

[Engadget]