Created: 5 December 2010 · Last edited: 4 September 2026
In December 2010, Sharp launched two tablets in the GALAPAGOS series: a 5.5-inch "mobile" model and a 10.8-inch "home" model. The tablets provided access to the GALAPAGOS cloud service for e-books and other tailored content, with around 30,000 newspaper, magazine and book titles available at launch.
The 5.5-inch model was also released by NTT DoCoMo as the SH-07C, adding FOMA 3G mobile connectivity. Sharp also planned to launch the GALAPAGOS tablets in the USA and India, but these international releases never materialised.
The EB-W51GJ has a 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 × 600 px, an LED-backlit multi-touch display and a weight of just 220 grams. Additional storage is available through microSDHC cards with capacities of up to 32 GB.
The GALAPAGOS EB-W51GJ has a 3.5 mm audio jack and a mono speaker, as well as an accelerometer and a trackball for navigation.
In terms of connectivity, the EB-W51GJ offers Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth and USB 2.0 via a mini-USB port.
Specifications
- Display: 5.5 inches, 1024 × 600 px — New Mobile ASV LCD
- Operating system: Proprietary Linux-based
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GALAPAGOS EB-W51GJ EB-W51GJ
- Waterproofing: None
- Dustproofing: None
- External storage: microSDHC, 32 GB
- The OS received an upgrade to version 2.3 on 11 August 2011.
The original GALAPAGOS tablets ran a Sharp-developed Linux-based operating system designed primarily for e-books and multimedia content. In August 2011, Sharp provided a system software upgrade that replaced the proprietary GALAPAGOS platform with Android 2.3. Because Android itself is based on the Linux kernel, this was technically feasible, but it was effectively a replacement of the software platform rather than a conventional OS upgrade.
After the upgrade, the tablets gained access to Google's Android Market.
GALAPAGOS
EB-W51GJ
SH-07C
- Waterproofing: None
- Dustproofing: None
- Operating memory (RAM): 512 MB
- Built-in storage memory: 2 GB
- External storage: microSDHC, 32 GB
The SH-07C was the NTT DoCoMo variant of the Sharp GALAPAGOS EB-W51GJ, adding FOMA 3G cellular connectivity and associated carrier functionality. It was also slightly thicker and heavier, and had 512 MB of RAM and 2 GB of ROM.
Unlike the EB-W51GJ and EB-WX1GJ, the SH-07C never received the system software upgrade to Android 2.3.