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| Sharp 903 |
| General |
| Network | Umts / Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 / Gsm 1900 |
| Announced | 2005, July |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 109 X 50 X 29 Mm |
| Weight | 140 G |
| Display |
| Type | Tft, 256k Colors |
| Size | 240 X 320 Pixels, 36 X 48 Mm |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Polyphonic (128 Channels), Mp3 |
| Customization | Download, |
| Vibration | Yes |
| | - 3d Stereo Sound
- Stereo Speakers |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 500 Entries, Photo Call |
| Call Records | 20 Dialed, 20 Received, 20 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | Minisd, 64 Mb Card Included, |
| | - 8 Mb Shared Memory |
| Data |
| Gprs | Class 10 (4+1/3+2 Slots), 32 - 48 Kbps |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | Yes, 384 Kbps |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, V1.1 |
| Infrared Port | Yes |
| Usb | Yes |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Mms, Email |
| Browser | Wap 2.0/xhtml |
| Games | Yes + Downloadable, |
| Colors | Black |
| Camera | 3.15 Mp, 2048x1536 Pixels, 2x Optical Zoom, Video(qvga), Flash; Secondary Video Call Camera |
| | - Video Call
- Java Midp 2.0
- Mp3/aac/aac+ Player
- T9
- Organiser
- Voice Memo
- Barcode Reading |
| Battery |
| | Standard Battery, Li-ion 900 Mah |
| Stand-by | Up To 250 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 4 H |
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Sharp - 903Optical Zoom with the Sharp 903
Major features
W-CDMA 2100, GSM 900/1800/1900MHz network support
3.2 megapixel CCD camera, 2x optical/24x digital zoom, auto-focus, flash LED
2.4” 262,144 colour, TFT 240x320 pixel (QVGA), Mobile ASV LCD with swivel flip
128 tone polyphonic ringtones with MP3 and AAC/M4A support
8MB internal memory, miniSD external memory support
Dedicated music player with up to 7 hours playback
USB, infra-red and Bluetooth local connectivity
SMS, MMS and E-mail messaging support
GPRS/W-CDMA data capable with WAP 2.0 compliant internet browser
MIDP 2.0/VFX Java games and applications
PIM, organiser functions, E-book reader and other tools
Problems/Issues?
No external screen
Small internal memory with restrictions
Java applications can’t be transferred to handset
Extensive DRM restrictions
Nearly no accessories available at all
Included features different depending on region
Sales package (should contain):
Sharp 903 handset
Lithium-ion battery
User manual
Quick start guide
64MB miniSD memory card
miniSD to SD converter
PC software CD
Stereo handsfree earphones
AV-out cable
Introduction
By now many people will know Sharp for its line of Vodafone handsets specialising in imaging and display technology, and for their number of ‘first’ technologies in GSM phones in those fields - the GX20 with the first QVGA LCD, the GX30 with the first megapixel camera, and the 902 (also known as 902SH) with the first optical zoom capable two megapixel camera (it wasn’t released in Australia). Now, Sharp has brought us a phone with yet another first – a 3.2 megapixel camera with 2x optical zoom, called the 903. It’s a multimedia powerhouse with a wide-angle screen, large video support, an insane amount of polyphonic tone support, E-Book reader and more.
Note that while this phone is called the Sharp 903 in most countries with a Vodafone operator, it’s also known as the Vodafone 903SH in Japan, the Sharp SX833 in Hong Kong and the Sharp WX-T91 in Taiwan. While all versions of the phone share the same hardware and most of the same features, please keep in mind that this is a review of the worldwide (or European) version, as is sold in Australia (and any country with a Vodafone outlet (or Vodafone partner outlet), other than Japan. The firmware of each phone differs between versions, and some features that may exist in the version I reviewed, may not exist in others.
Got that? Let’s continue with the review then.
New/outstanding features
The Sharp 903 brings a number of new technologies to phones in Australia, particularly in the imaging field. It’s the first phone sold in Australia with a 3.2 megapixel camera, and the first to have optical zoom (2x) at that. The camera is clear and precise, and takes photos with stunning clarity. There’s also 24x digital zoom if you want to zoom in on small resolution pictures (combined with the optical zoom, you can reach a total of 48x zoom).
To assist the camera function, the flip can be rotated sideways 180 degrees and then closed so that the phone can be held like a digital camera. Buttons on the side of the phone allow you to operate the phone like a digital camera too; just press the shutter button and a picture gets taken. More on this in the physical aspects section.
The main display LCD is a stunner, thanks to Sharp’s Mobile ASV technology. It’s the same technology used in Sharp’s LCD TVs and enables horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 160 degrees, as well as a 300:1 contrast ratio. The picture is clear, colours are well displayed and simply better than I’ve ever seen on any phone screen.
The user interface is also much improved. Gone is the annoying red interface typical of Vodafone live! customised phones, and in its place is a sleek, black/red user interface with a main menu that looks far more impressive than previous models. The SMS/MMS interface is completely revised, as is the My Items menu.
Physical aspects
The first thing that comes to mind with this phone is the size – this is a big phone. It measures 109x50x29 millimetres and weighs 148 grams. I’m sure much of this is due to the camera module itself, which with its optical zoom and number of lenses needs a fair bit of room for itself. The antenna is internal at least.
Because this phone has a swivelling flip, it can be used in three different positions – the normal position, where you open and close the flip like any other clamshell; the self-portrait position, where the flip is opened and rotated 180 degrees (so that you see the screen and the back of the phone at the same time); and the viewer position, where the phone’s flip is closed but the LCD screen is facing out. The viewer position is used when using the phone as a digital camera and when you want to watch video in full screen.
The front of the phone is polished black and shiny, with the only thing to stand out is the Vodafone logo at the bottom. There is no external screen or anything else on the front of the phone. The left side reveals the handsfree/AV out connector and miniSD card slot, as well as the left speaker, while the right side has the right speaker and five buttons for operating the phone in viewer position – two arrow buttons and three soft keys. It also has a small LED that indicates if the phone is charging. On the back of the phone is where the camera lens itself and its assist LED are located. Access to the battery is also from there = the back cover slides off to reveal it, and underneath it is the SIM card slot.
The top of the phone houses the infra-red connector and the wrist strap hole, while the bottom of the phone has the charger/data socket and two gold contacts for use with the desktop charger (an accessory not sold in Australia). Opening the phone reveals the large 2.4 inch screen, with the speaker and video-call camera above. Below is the keypad layout – you have the arrow-pad with centre confirm key, flanked with two soft keys and the dial and hang-up keys. Below these are three keys to access the shortcut menu, delete text or go back in menus and access the music menu. Underneath these ones are the 12 number keys.
All the buttons are large and easy to press, thanks to the fact that the phone itself is large and allows for a lot of space for the keys. Despite the phone being heavier than most, it didn’t feel like typing text was a difficult thing to do.
User Interface & display
Take a closer look!
The large main LCD measures 2.4 inches (6cm) diagonally and supports a resolution of 240x320 pixels at 262,144 colours. It also features Sharp’s Mobile ASV technology, meaning viewing angles of 160 degrees both vertically and horizontally and a contrast ratio of 300:1. What this means in English is that the screen can be viewed from nearly any angle without the colours reversing, as is typical with many phone LCDs at the moment, and the colours of pictures themselves are vivid and strong, much closer to what they would look like in real life.
Sharp has designed the user interface so that seven lines of text will display when browsing menus. However, depending on which application you are using (messaging, web browsing or the E-Book reader), you can view the text at the same size as in menus, or shrink it all the way to the point that you can fit an astonishing 15 lines in one screen.
The main menu is accessible through the centre key and displays in a 3x4 grid of 12 icons. The number buttons and * and # buttons can be used to shortcut to any menu displayed, and you can keep doing this up to three layers of menus (meaning, once you’ve used menu shortcuts three times in a row, you won’t be able to again). The main menu icons are, from the top left: Entertainment, Vodafone live!, Music, Messaging, Camera, My Items, Organiser & Tools, Contacts, Call Log, Connectivity, SIM Application Toolkit, Settings. The menu responds instantly and in nearly all situations it continues to do so, although in very few cases, such as accessing the messaging menu, there is a half second delay in processing.
All the menus are consistent with each other, with the left soft key and centre key usually acting as a confirm or OK key, while the right soft key lets you go back through the menus. Signal, battery and other indicators are always viewable on the top indicator line, although a clock display would have been really nice (the Japanese version of the 903 actually has a clock display, but the worldwide version does not, and I have no idea why).
Making and receiving calls
Calls are made on Vodafone’s 3G network in Australia, and on their GSM network if you’re out of their 3G coverage. On the 3G network call quality is crystal clear and reception is very good, although not excellent. This is more likely to do with Vodafone’s 3G coverage, which is still being built up at the moment. Go down to the GSM network on the 900 band, coverage is much better, but voice quality does drop down a notch. I did find that during a lot of my call testing, even though the 903 would hold a stable 3G signal, when a voice call was made on many occasions the phone would drop down to GSM and not return to 3G for the duration of the call. After the call was over, a minute later it would switch to 3G again. As the phone can’t be forced to stay on the 3G network (it can be forced on to GSM, but not 3G) it’s behaviour that can’t be avoided, although hopefully it will happen less often as Vodafone increases their 3G coverage strength.
While the phone holds good audio quality, it doesn’t produce enough volume. Particularly in noisy places, it can be hard to hear your caller. This can be helped by using the loudspeaker, but again, it’s not as loud as a speakerphone should be, in my opinion. Having said that, it is the first Sharp phone to actually feature speakerphone in the first place, so it’s a good step. Speakerphone itself works well without any communication problems, but the volume of the caller needs to be improved.
There are bundled stereo earphones included in the 903’s box that can be used for calling, and these work very well. I had no problems speaking to my caller and he had no problems conversing with me either. Bluetooth headsets can also be used, and once they are paired with the phone, it works flawlessly.
In terms of video calls the 903 performs well here too, and video calls can be made across all of Australia’s networks. I did have problems contacting a few people on the 3 network, although they could video call my phone without much trouble. The 903 has a few options for customising video calls, including the choice of which camera to use, picture quality preferences and a picture to be used for putting the other caller on hold.
There are 28 different tones preinstalled in the 903 – 10 sound effects, three alert tones, five ring patterns and ten polyphonic ringtones. Four of the ringtones have been moved over from the GX25 handset, although they sound much better when played by the 903, which is capable of a massive 128 polyphonic tones at once. All included polyphonic ringtones sound clear and detailed and are a joy to listen to. All 28 tones can set to ring depending on whether the phone receives a voice call, video call or message. MP3 and AAC/M4A ringtones are also supported, and can be copied over to the phone from a PC or downloaded from the mobile internet (although they have to be on the phone’s memory to be used as ringtones, not on the memory card). The 903 supports ring-videos too, although no preset videos are included in the phone.
The internal address book can store up to 500 different contacts, and you can attach three phone numbers and three email addresses to each contact. Other details can be attached, including a category, address details (broken down into street & number, city, state/province, postcode and country), a note, birthday, picture and a unique ringtone. You can even mark the contact as a ‘secret’ contact – one that only shows up when ‘Secret Mode’ is turned on from the security menu, which requires the phone’s handset code to enable. Contacts can be sent as vCard data to other devices via Infra-red or Bluetooth and can be backed up to the memory card as well, or transferred to a PC through the handset manager.
Messaging
The 903 supports SMS and MMS messaging, as well as POP3 email. The 903’s messaging interface is very different to Sharp’s phones of the past. SMS and MMS are combined through one main interface that details the recipient, subject and body of the message on screen at the same time. Initially you start composing an SMS, which has a limit of 755 characters (up to five linked messages are supported), but if you add anything to the message that an SMS isn’t capable of (such as a subject line or multimedia attachments) it will automatically convert to an MMS. It will also convert if more than three linked SMS messages are exceeded. If you want to force the message to be an SMS or MMS, you can do so from the Send menu.
There is T9 support for composing messages, and T9 dictionaries are present for all eleven languages included in the phone (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Greek, Hungarian, Turkish). Japanese text displays properly as well, so you can receive Japanese messages but you can’t type them back. I should also note that the Hong Kong/Taiwanese versions have T9 support for English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese, while the Japanese version has Japanese support only (and it’s not T9, it’s Sharp’s proprietary input software that is much more advanced). You can add new words to the T9 dictionary too, and edit them later if necessary. Up to 50 text templates of 256 characters each are supported too.
Messages can hold up to 300 kilobytes worth of slides that include text, pictures, sounds and videos, as well as ‘attached documents’ that can’t display in typical slides, such as TXT, HTML and SWF files, or contacts and appointment data. Items can be attached from the ‘media bar’ present at the bottom of the screen, and is quite convenient.
While POP email works separately from the MMS/SMS set-up and is selected from a separate menu option, messages are composed the same way. The only difference is that you can’t add slides, so multimedia files will get attached as a result. There are also ‘Voice Message’ and ‘Video Message’ options that make creating those type of MMS messages very easy.
Four megabytes of space are allocated to incoming message storage, which means hundreds of messages can be stored. The drafts, sent messages and outbox folders share one megabyte together.
Connectivity
The 903 is a dual/mode 3G/GSM device – it will connect to 3G networks on the 2100 band, and GSM networks on the 900, 1800 and 1900 bands. GPRS is rated at Class 10, meaning up to 48kbps data transfer, while on 3G of course transfers can work at up to 384kbps downstream. The included Openwave WAP 2.0 browser is able to access xHTML, cHTML and WML webpages, and can also look at full HTML pages on a limited basis.
Locally the phone supports USB, infra-red and Bluetooth. USB is used solely for connecting to a PC to use the phone as a modem and transfer data using the handset manager software (by Mobile Action), although no USB cable is included in the box. Infra-red is used for transferring any manner of content – multimedia, contacts and calendar data – to another device, be it a PC, PDA or mobile phone. Bluetooth can do the same, as well as be used with wireless headsets to make calls. You can also synchronise calendar and contacts data between Outlook and Outlook Express using all three connection methods (although Bluetooth may be problematic working with a PC. I certainly had trouble getting it to work).
Build quality
The build quality of the 903 is second to none. Built in Japan, the 903 is sturdy, rigid and very durable, despite having so many moving parts. There are no creaks or noises when using the flip, and the swivel mechanism is as sturdy as ever, despite nearly three months of use so far.
To date, all Sharps built in Japan (and even the ones built in China, to an extent) have had a level of quality that set the benchmark for other phones to match. The 903 is no exception.
Battery life
Unfortunately battery life is not the 903’s best feature. It features a 900mAh battery – slightly larger than previous Sharps – that allows it to attain official figures of 300 hours (3G)/290 hours (GSM), talk time of 2 hours 30 minutes (3G)/four hours (GSM), and video talk time of 1 hour 30 minutes (3G only). Recharge time is 2 hours 20 minutes. In practice, if you are a heavy user of the phone’s features – camera, web browsing, Java games and music player for example, the phone will run out of juice before the end of one day. If you are more moderate with your usage, you may be able to make it last for two days. But if you plan on owning the 903, you should recharge it every night, because it will need it.
Major features...
W-CDMA 2100, GSM 900/1800/1900MHz network support
The 903 supports the main three GSM network bands as well as 3G, so you will be hard pressed to find a country where the 903 can’t connect to any mobile network at all. Many countries in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions have 3G networks now as well.
3.2 megapixel CCD camera, 2x optical/24x digital zoom, auto-focus, flash LED
One of the best cameras available in a camera-phone right now, the 903’s CCD camera has six lenses (five of them glass) and takes pictures at up to 1536x2048 resolution. It can zoom up to 48x combined zoom, can focus on things from 10cm close to infinity, and records videos up to 320x240 at 15 frames per second. Special scenes allow for photos customised to the location, while shooting modes such as multishot, overlap and bracket modes can help troubleshoot the perfect picture to take. Shutter lag is greatly improved over Sharp’s older phones, although not eliminated altogether. Pictures/videos save to internal memory or the miniSD memory card slot.
2.4” 262,144 colour, TFT 240x320 pixel (QVGA), Mobile ASV LCD with swivel flip
The main LCD is unique in the mobile market and has no rival. With high resolution, a high number of colours, a high viewing angle and high contrast, viewing anything on this screen is enjoyable. Brightness can be adjusted between four steps and up to seven lines of text can display for menus, while up to 15 lines will display in the E-Book.
128 tone polyphonic ringtones with MP3 and AAC/M4A support
There are 28 different preset ringtones and they all sound excellent through the stereo speakers on either side of the phone. MP3 and AAC/M4A support is also there, although volume is much lower when playing these files, which doesn’t make them very useful as ringtones. All sound files can be applied as ringtones for voice calls or video calls, as well as message alerts.
8MB internal memory, miniSD external memory support
The 903 only has a paltry eight megabytes of space to share between multimedia files onboard. It’s very small, considering that DRM-encrypted files and Java games/applications can’t be transferred to the miniSD memory card slot. Nonetheless, the miniSD slot can be used for normal pictures, music and videos and officially supports up to 256MB cards (although 1GB cards are confirmed working in the phone).
In addition, there are four megabytes of dedicated memory to store incoming messages (SMS, MMS and email), and one megabyte to store outgoing and sent ones.
Dedicated music player with up to seven hours playback
The music player supports MP3 AAC and aacPlus files (with the m4a extension). It’s a simple player with ID3 tag support for MP3 files (but no support for the tags in AAC files though), playlist support (can only be constructed on the handset though, one file at a time) and has four equaliser profiles to choose from: Normal, Bass, Surround and Surround Bass. There are four playback patterns too: Normal, Repeat, Repeat All and Random. Finally, the music player can be minimised and the rest of the phone used while the music plays, but the music player shuts off when trying to use the web browser, half the functions in the Tools list, and when downloading an MMS message.
USB, infra-red and Bluetooth local connectivity
USB is available for transferring files to a PC and using the phone as a modem for internet access, while infra-red and Bluetooth can be used to transfer files over to many other electronic devices. Finally, Bluetooth can also be used to connect wireless headsets to make phone calls. All three methods can be used with the PC handset manager to synchronise contacts and calendar data between Outlook or Outlook Express. However, Bluetooth won’t always work with all PC Bluetooth adapters – more in the problems section.
SMS, MMS and E-mail messaging support
The 903 supports text and picture messaging through three standards: SMS, MMS and POP3/SMTP email. SMS of up to 755 characters can be sent (five linked messages), with T9 predictive text support available for up to 11 languages (and font support for up to 12). Custom words can be added, and there is no slowdown when entering text, no matter how many characters are on-screen.
MMS is supported with up to 300 kilobytes of space available for a message. You can attach multiple slides containing pictures, sound and video, as well as regular files such as text, HTML and SWF files that get attached outside the slides.
Finally, POP3 email works the same way as MMS, except everything gets attached, including multimedia files.
GPRS/W-CDMA data capable with WAP 2.0 compliant internet browser
The included Openwave WAP 2.0 browser can view xHTML, cHTML and WML webpages as well as HTML ones to a limited extent. The 903 connects at up to 384kbps on 3G networks and up to 48kbps on GSM/GPRS ones. The browser is very capable, with font size scaling, bookmarks, saved pages and access history accessible. The 903, being a Vodafone phone, only comes with Vodafone’s data profiles and won’t work with the other providers unless you can get the right profile settings entered.
MIDP 2.0/VFX Java games and applications
The 903 supports Java applications that conform to MIDP 2.0 and Vodafone’s VFX specification (also known as VSCL 2.0). There are three preinstalled trial games available that shut down after 60 seconds of play: Taito’s Arkanoid DX and Puzzle Bobble, as well as Digital Chocolate’s Extreme Air Snowboarding. More games can be downloaded from Vodafone live!, and the Opera Mini browser is a great addition that allows you to view full websites without any restrictions and in all 12 supported phone languages (including Japanese!).
The 903’s Java performance is mediocre in 2D games, but in 3D games it rockets to the top, powered by Toshiba’s T4G graphics chip:
JBenchmark 1.0 2282
JBenchmark 2.0 249
JBenchmark 3D Low Quality 541
JBenchmark 3D High Quality 634
JBenchmark HD 270
PIM, organiser functions, E-book reader and other tools
The 903 has many extra organiser and useful applications installed. The calendar allows you to enter appointments with reminders to alert you to them when they approach. There is an alarm function, calculator and voice recorder – functions from previous Sharp phones. The SIM toolkit is also supported, accessible from the main menu. New however is a stopwatch, countdown timer, a simple tasks manager (if you don’t want to use the more advanced calendar) and an expenses memo program too.
The last two are important additions in my view. The first is a barcode scanner. While that might sound weird and scanning product barcodes might not sound too useful for a phone, the scanner actually has a different purpose. It scans 2D barcodes called QR codes that store more useful information – text, simple pictures and even website links. QR barcodes are actively used in Japan in magazine advertisements to allow users to simply take a picture of the barcode and go straight to the website without entering the URL manually. Granted, it’s not very useful in Australia, but Sharp is hoping that eventually such barcodes will be used outside Japan in the same way. The scanner also has an OCR function that can scan lines of text and numbers. It’s more useful but not accurate in certain situations.
The second feature is the E-Book reader. The E-Book reader is able to open simple text files and Sharp’s proprietary XMDF format (zbf and zbk files). It has bookmark support and allows you to jump to any part of the file through specifying what percentage mark you want to access, e.g. 50% to go halfway through the file.
Problems/Issues?
No external screen
Sharp didn’t include an external screen on the 903 at all, so you can’t check the time, reception or battery levels unless you open the phone up. Japanese phone makers seemed to follow this trend in Japan for a little while since the swivelling flip started being used extensively, and the 903 is victim to this trend. It’s not a good trend at all, and hopefully Sharp will rectify this in future phones, particularly with a bigger screen than the small 72x12 pixel one used in the GX25.
Having said this, the 903 does indicate if it’s received a call, message or an appointment as passed by blinking the flash LED in one of three different colours, so you can still know if these things have happened or not without opening the phone.
Small internal memory with restrictions
While eight megabytes of memory is very small these days, normally I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, because of the miniSD card slot, which allows cards up to one gigabyte to be used in the 903. It’s the software restrictions embedded in the phone that bring the 903’s internal memory’s size under greater scrutiny. For example, if you want to set a sound file as a ringtone, it has to be on the handset memory. If your MP3 file is two megabytes, it will take 25% of your internal memory up, just to set it as a ringtone. In addition, Java applications are stuck on the handset memory as well – they can’t be copied to the memory card, probably because of copyright issues and Vodafone’s worries that people will pass games around illicitly that way. It’s silly because most regular people like you and me won’t be bothered to pass games to friends via memory card, and chances are your friend’s phone uses a different memory card format anyway. These are very silly restrictions, and regardless of who is behind them (Sharp or Vodafone Group in the UK), they should be fixed in Sharp’s next handsets.
Java applications can’t be transferred to handset
Another restriction related to Java applications, this is actually a problem that predates the 903, all the way to the original GX10 released three years ago. Considering that most games come from Vodafone live! and the cost of them can be included in one of their call caps, it’s not a serious problem in my eyes, but nonetheless it annoys some people with Sharp phones.
Extensive DRM restrictions
The digital rights management restrictions embedded in the 903 are so extensive that they are amazing. It’s very obvious with Java applications (again), because if you download an application, and then swap SIM cards, the application deactivates and is inaccessible. It stays this way unless you put back the SIM card that was used to download it onto the handset. This is regardless of whether you buy the application or download it freely. Why is this necessary?
Also, if you download any content from the Vodafone live! store, including music files that could be up to two megabytes in size, they are restricted to handset memory and can’t be moved to the memory card. With only eight megabytes of memory, I can’t see how Vodafone expects you to buy a lot of music from them at all.
Nearly no accessories available at all
While previous Sharp phones such as the GX30 have enjoyed limited accessory support, such as batteries and car chargers, in Australia, the 903 has almost no accessories available for it at all. There are a huge number of accessories listed on Sharp’s website, including desktop and car charger holders, a music player remote control, and 3.5mm headset adapter. None of these are available in Australia, and after checking various forums I’ve learnt that outside Japan they’re not really available anywhere at all. The easiest way to get them would be to use eBay, which isn’t really acceptable.
The only things available from Vodafone shops that work with the 903 are AC adapters, car chargers and USB data cables. The first two are in fact designed for the GX30 and while they work with the 903, they charge slower than the 903’s proper equipment (the 903’s bundled AC adapter is faster at charging than the GX30’s one).
Included features different depending on region
This is the problem that annoyed me the most. The Japanese version 903SH is embedded with many more features than the other three versions of the phone, including my review 903 handset. They aren’t crucial to the phone’s running and main features, but I am bewildered as to why they were removed from versions of the phone sold outside Japan.
These features are detailed below. For reasons of simplicity I refer to the Japanese version as the 903SH and the Australian (or worldwide) version as the 903.
Themes – The 903SH has three different themes or skins that can be selected to customise the look of the main menu and rest of the phone (similar to Motorola phones’ skins). The 903 only has the default Vodafone theme (which is much improved from previous Vodafone menus, however).
Operator Logo display – the 903SH can toggle this on and off, so you can see your wallpaper without anything cluttering it. The 903 can’t turn it off at all.
No menu bar on standby screen – the bottom menu bar on the standby screen is transparent on the 903SH and visible on the 903, covering the bottom part of the wallpaper.
Java storage on memory card – the 903SH can store Java applications on the memory card, while the Australian 903 cannot.
Status bar clock: When on a screen other than the standby one, the 903SH displays the clock in the top-right hand corner. The 903 doesn’t do this.
Messaging folder support – the 903SH is able to store messages in multiple folders, and can automatically receive messages directly to certain folders based on characteristics such as recipient and subject. The 903 can’t do this (it stores everything in one big list).
Speed Mail – the 903SH can be programmed to start composing a message to a person by pressing one number button on the standby screen, the same way the speed dial function allows you to hold down a number to call someone in particular. Simply dial one number, push the down arrow and the composition window appears with the recipient already entered. The 903 doesn’t have this feature.
Auto Power-On – the 903SH can be programmed to turn on automatically at a certain time. The 903 doesn’t have this feature.
Answer Phone – the 903SH has its own answering machine built in, and is able to store messages from people calling without using the network’s voicemail service whenever the phone is in range of the network. This feature doesn’t exist in the 903.
Colour variants – the 903 is only available in black in Australia, but in Japan the 903SH is also available in white and red. In Hong Kong it’s available in a limited edition full black colour.
People may never use these features, but it doesn’t mean Sharp should delete them completely. I personally find all of these features useful in some form or another, and I’m sure there are plenty of other people who would like them too. I have no idea why Sharp doesn’t keep these features in the worldwide version of the phone. It just doesn’t make sense, and I do hope that in the future they make the different versions of their phones sold around the world more transparent. If it’s Vodafone Group making these restrictions, then I hope they realise that people want these features and that these restrictions are very unpopular.
In Summary
The Sharp 903 is easily the camera phone of 2005 (and continues to be the best until now). With a 3.2 megapixel camera with optical zoom and other features, it is more than qualified to replace the digital camera at home for most outdoor functions. It has other useful features like Bluetooth, 3G, video calling, full messaging support, a music player and Java applications, making it an all-round useful handset that I can recommend to anyone looking to have an all-in-one device, but not the sophistication of a smart-phone (like me).
Sharp hasn’t got the perfect device though – if they can fix the problems listed in the previous section then they will really have a great phone to sell. Vodafone Australia also needs to lower its price. At $1199 it’s a very expensive phone indeed, and Vodafone’s 24 month contract offer dropping it to $939 isn’t very cheap either. |
| Common misspellings on this brand: shbarp , sharlp , sha4p , shharp , shuarp |
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