Although Sharp mobile phones are a familiar sight in Japan, elsewhere in the world have become a kind of "forgotten brand" with a series of unexciting phones that are nothing like the high-tech devices sold in the Japanese market.
A few years ago, Sharp was virtually the market leader in terms of technical wizardry. Sharp introduced QVGA screens with the GX20 in 2003, 1.3 and 2.0 megapixel camera phones with Sharp GX30 and 902, followed by a 3.2-megapixel Sharp 903 in 2005. In fact, the specifications of the three-year-old Sharp 903 are still competitive today. You could say that Sharp was ahead of its time, and maybe that was part of the problem .. the 902 and 903 were 3G Trailblazers at a time when consumers were simply not interested in 3G devices.
So, instead of producing high-end phones, Sharp began to arrive with cheaper phones, as the GX25. These are sold moderately well, but there's little benefit in this type of phone. The question becomes more complicated when Vodafone sold its Japanese operation to Softbank, which effectively stopped the flow of Japanese phones Vodafone in the line-up.
As a result, Sharp SX862 is a rare thing - an advanced phone that Sharp is sold in markets other than Japan. It is true that the SX862 is only available in Hong Kong, although closely related WX-T92 is available in Taiwan and these two phones are based on the Japanese Sharp 920SH. So even if the SX862 is never officially sold outside Hong Kong, Sharp may be for fans to get their hands on one.
What makes the Sharp GX862 special is the screen - this is a rotating 3.2 "panel with a very impressive 854 x 480 pixels resolution. That's a screen smaller than the 3.5" in the iPhone 3G, and much less than the 4 "on the screen Nokia E90, but it's much higher resolution. This means that the Sharp SX862 can display Web pages more or less the same way as they would appear on a PC, and can also play widescreen video effectively. The screen uses elements of the show here Sharp technology to achieve high contrast ratios and good color reproduction .. of course, flat panel technologies are something that Sharp is very, very good. There is a small 60 x 32 pixels on the outside as well.
At the rear of the SX862 is a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, multishot capabilities and high-intensity LED flash. SmarTone (who are selling the SX862 in Hong Kong) say that the camera quality is so good that "even better most 5-megapixel cameras." Resolution video capture is 640 x 480 pixels (VGA resolution), although The frame rate is not specified. The SX862 also supports video calls through a secondary chamber.
Predictably, there is a media player that can play audio tracks and also the resolution VGA video at 30 frames per second. Internal storage is only 50 MB, but this is expandable microSD card up to 2GB.
This is a device capable HSDPA high speed of up 3.6 Mbps, but also comes with USB, Bluetooth and infrared connectivity. At its heart, this device with UMTS 2100 MHz GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900. Physically the SX862 is a great device at 111 x 50 x 18 mm and 120 grams of weight. Talktime is around 3 hours and 20 minutes with a maximum of 14 days time.
Despite the impressive specifications, this is not really a Nokia N95 beater. The GX862 Sharp lacks GPS, Wi-Fi or an FM radio. In addition, the big screen is touch sensitive, and because the SX862 is not a smartphone then software options are limited. Still, this is a very impressive device. Mobileburn have a comprehensive review of the GX862, so you can judge for yourself.
SmarTone-Vodafone are selling the SX862 of HK $ 5,680 (approx £ 360 or € 450) Free SIM, or HK $ 3280 with an 18-month contract.
Because this is sold through Vodafone Hong Kong affiliate, it is possible that Vodafone could choose to sell this or any other high-end Sharp devices in other markets sometime in the future. Come to Vodafone .. maybe Europe is looking for an antidote to all Japanese wannabees iPhone!
Sharp SX862 at a glance
Network: GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 + UMTS 2100
Data: GPRS + UMTS + HSDPA
Screen: 854 x 480 pixels
Camera: 3.2 megapixels
Size: Large clamshell, 111 x 50 x 18mm/ 120 grams
Bluetooth: Yes
Memory card: microSD
Infra-red: Yes
Polyphonic: Yes
Java: Yes
GPS: No
Battery life: 3 hours talk / 14 days standby
Source: mobilegazette.com
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