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| Sharp GX10 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 |
| Announced | 2002, Oct |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 94 X 49 X 27 Mm |
| Weight | 110 G |
| Display |
| Type | Tft, 65k Colors |
| Size | 120 X 160 Pixels |
| | - Second External Display, Monochrome, 1 Line + Icons
- Four-way Navigation
- Wallpapers |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Polyphonic (16 Channels) |
| Amount | 20 + Custom |
| Customization | Composer, Download, |
| Vibration | In Battery |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 200 X 6 Fields, Contact Groups, Photo Call |
| Call Records | 10 Dialed, 10 Received, 10 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | No |
| | - 700 Kb Memory For Pictures
- 100 Calendar Entries
- 20 Short Messages
- 10 Sec Per Voice Memo Record |
| Data |
| Gprs | Class 10 (4+1/3+2 Slots), 32 - 48 Kbps |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Infrared Port | Yes |
| Usb | |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Mms |
| Browser | Wap 1.2.1 |
| Clock | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes |
| Games | 3 - Pk Game, Collection Hunter, Ice Hockey + Java, |
| Colors | |
| Camera | Cif, 352 X 288 Pixels |
| | - Java
- T9
- Organizer
- Calculator
- Voice Memo |
| Battery |
| | Standard Battery, Li-ion 720 Mah |
| Stand-by | Up To 250 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 3 H 30 Min |
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Sharp - GX10Snap-up with the Sharp GX10
Major features
Bright and sharp 65K-colour LCD screen
Dual displays
Built-in camera with zoom capability
Text and multimedia messaging support
Polyphonic sounds for calls, messages and other tones
WAP over GPRS
Java application compatibility
Graphical features - colour menus, wallpaper, and picture phonebook feature
Built-in PIM functions with voice memo capability
Problems/Issues?
Caller ID issues
Cannot send photos to external device via IR
Cannot use active folder to answer calls
Keypad not so responsive whilst messaging with T9 activated
Sales package (should contain):
1 x Sharp GX10 handset
1 x Li-ion battery @ 720mAh
1 x headset
1 x charger
1 x Sharp GX10 user guide
1 x modem setup CD-ROM
Overview
It’s not their first-ever GSM handset - but Sharp’s GX10 model offers its users a different taste of what to expect, especially when it comes to looking at phone functionality and how it is presented to us. While Sharp also manufactures mobile phones for its local Japanese market, they have implemented ideas used on those products and put them into the GX10.
Unfortunately, we won’t be getting all the fantastic features that are available on those Japanese i-Mode phones. But in the meantime, enjoy the support provided by the GX10 for some of the latest trends and technologies available in the GSM arena!
New/outstanding features
Probably one of the reasons why Sharp has re-entered the GSM handset market is that colour screens and mobile imaging have finally arrived (while the Japanese have enjoyed having this luxury for quite some time now!) The GX10 offers support for multimedia messaging (MMS) while also having the ability to snap up shots and send them via this method. As for other things, the GX10 comes equipped with all the basic necessities of a current-day GSM handset - plus polyphonic tones and support for Java applications and games.
Physical aspects
In many ways, both the Sharp GX10 and Panasonic GD87/88 share a very similar design - from the use of a clamshell design, dual displays, camera with self-view mirror located on the top folder; and right down to the similar opening/closing mechanism used to join the two faces together. At the end of the day, you can’t really blame them for these similarities - since the manufacturers are both Japanese.
Although similar, not everything is entirely the same. Probably the biggest issue that I had with the GX10 is the seemingly thicker form factor. Measuring in at 27 millimetres, the GX10 may be 4mm thicker than the GD87/88 - but due to its squarer design, it also makes it feel even thicker on a visual level.
I found the phone quite hard to hold properly in my big hands. I was able to maintain a firm grip, but not a comfortable one that is achievable with most other handsets. Fortunately, weight was not an issue.
At the base of the phone is the charging and data socket, which is protected by a non-removable rubber cover. Unlike other phones where the rubber can be taken off permanently (and can be either lost or forgotten about), the one on the GX10 is attached to the actual phone unit and provides the socket with protection from the elements while not in use.
On the inside, everything is laid out quite well - including the sizing of the actual LCD display, and the layout of the numeric keypad and navigational keys. Performing tedious operations with the keypad (messaging, for example) is effortless and maximum comfort is retained thanks to good levels of tactility and the handset’s correct weight.
Take a closer look!
User Interface & display
Take a closer look!
The 65,535-colour LCD screen is indeed comfortable to look at, and provides extremely good colour depth for all that’s displayed - including simple colour graphics for menus and games, and images taken with the built-in digital camera.
There’s nothing hard about using the GX10. Accessing the menu simply requires a tap of the “M” button at the centre of the 4-way navigational key. To go into different menu trees, press either the “M” button or right arrow to enter the menu or function, and left arrow to return back to the previous screen or menu level.
Lastly, you may find some slight discrepancies with the menu layouts and colours used on different GX10-based models. As the one I used for review was a Vodafone-stock model, its menus and colours have been customised for their own network - including the implementation of the Vodafone live! service.
Making and receiving calls
Call handling on the GX10 is similar to most other active folder phones, with the small exception of needing to press the “answer” button even after opening the clamshell (see Problems/issues for more details). You can take calls through the actual phone earpiece or via a headset - there’s no speakerphone function on the GX10.
Polyphonic tones are becoming pretty standard on recently-released mobile phone models. The GX10 offers these tones - but not just for incoming calls. You can set built-in and custom tones for incoming message alerts, warning, keypad, and power on/off tones too!
Messaging
Having both text and multimedia messaging options available at your fingertips is sure handy. But a fundamental issue that I had with the GX10 was using the assigned function keys for changing the current input mode, which required a long depress of the star (*) key to switch between numeric, small letters, all caps, and sentence mode. If you required changing between these modes in a message, the average time required to complete such a message is increased.
The T9 predictive text system on the GX10 isn’t all that great either. To scroll through the word list, you would need to use the up/down arrow instead of using either zero (0) or the star (*) key, which is usually quicker because there’s no need for great finger movement. Additionally, the phone also has trouble in accepting fast keystrokes - in other words, if you typed too fast, the phone will miss a few letters causing the entire word to be completed incorrectly. Therefore, if you usually use two hands with T9, I suggest going back to just one to avoid disappointment.
Build quality
It’s also a rarity to hear that a GSM phone is made in Japan. In the case of the GX10, this is exactly the case - and I found the build quality of this model to be quite “Japanese”. The phone’s overall construction is quite rigid and all of the attachments (back cover, internal battery, rubber socket cover) fitted comfortably into their rightful places.
Battery life
As with most colour screen models, if you make great use of the primary LCD screen you will experience an overall low standby time. Alternatively, if you only use the phone and its features when necessary, average standby time is increased accordingly.
On average use, I was able to obtain approximately 2 hours worth of talk time, and 2-3 days standby. Again, these numbers will vary greatly depending on how you actually use the phone.
Major features...
Bright and sharp 65K-colour LCD screen
The 65,535-colour TFT colour LCD screen on the GX10 provides superb picture quality for both simple graphics (menus) and detailed images (photos). Its high-definition screen provides a comfortable viewing experience in any lighting situation - under the sun or in a very dark place.
Dual displays
In addition to the very-colourful display, the GX10 clamshell is also equipped with a small external display used for the display of frequently-used indicators - including signal strength, battery meter, GPRS/messages/silent/missed calls indicators, current time and date, and caller ID for incoming calls. A very solid white backlight provides extremely sufficient levels of illumination, and can be activated by pressing either volume buttons when the clamshell is closed up.
Built-in camera with zoom capability
The GX10’s internal camera allows its user to take simple snaps and either store them on the phone for later viewing or attach them with your next MMS message. You can activate the digital zoom for close-up shots, as well as increase/decrease the overall lighting or personalise the size/quality of the image.
Text and multimedia messaging support
The GX10 comes with support for basic text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages. Its integrated camera makes the latter option a more practical one - especially when you want to show a picture of something to a person at that moment in time. Of course, the receiver of the MMS message would need to have an MMS-capable phone.
Polyphonic sounds for calls, messages and other tones
A collection of polyphonic tones come built into the GX10, which can be used for incoming calls and messages. These same sounds can also be assigned for use as keypad and warning tones, with the ability to adjust the audible length of such tones as well (for example, to play the first 0.25 / 0.5 / 1.0 second of the time).
WAP over GPRS
Browsing WAP pages using the built-in browser is easy. For users of Vodafone live! enabled handsets, this service has been preset onto the phone, whereby enriching the overall user experience of using Mobile Internet services. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) provides the quick-loading of WAP pages thanks to the high-speed connection offered. The GX10 can also be connected to an external PC device through the IR port and act as a data modem with the relevant drivers and software installed.
Java application compatibility
The GX10 comes Java-enabled, allowing for various Java MIDlets to be run off the actual phone. Such Java applications are not just restricted to games, but can also come in the form of productivity tools and utilities that can enhance the overall user experience of the typical mobile phone.
Graphical features - colour menus, wallpaper, and picture phonebook feature
The number of benefits in having a colour display is probably endless when you consider what can be displayed on the screen. Of course, colour depth is something important - but the GX10 has one of the richest LCD screens currently available on the GSM handset market. Starting from simplicity, the GX10 uses simple colours for its menu interface - while functions requiring complex graphics, such as background wallpapers, picture phonebook and camera/picture viewer, are done extremely well too!
Built-in PIM functions with voice memo capability
The GX10 comes with several organiser features - including a month-view calendar, alarm clock, calculator with currency converter, and also the availability of a voice memo feature where you can record voice notes instead of typing them into the phone.
Problems/Issues?
Caller ID issues
This came as a surprise. Initially thinking that it could have been a memory selection issue, I later confirmed that the GX10’s caller ID system had a problem in deciphering international prefixed phonebook entries.
If you add the international prefix to your phone numbers in the phone book (for example, +61414xxxxxx instead of 0414xxxxx), there is a good chance that the GX10 would not retrieve the respective caller’s name for incoming calls, and would only display the number as if its not in the phonebook.
The only way around this problem is to amend your phonebook entries to not have the “+” and country code prefix, which somewhat defeats the purpose of having the convenience of using the “+” - a silly problem to have.
Cannot use active folder to answer calls
I don’t know what it is with these Japanese-designed, clamshell GSM handsets. On the Panasonic GD87/88, you couldn’t answer or end calls simply by respectively opening or closing the active folder (at least they could have put a function in allowing this feature to be turned on/off!)
Fortunately, on the GX10, they’ve got half of it right - you can end calls by closing the clamshell. But you would still have to press the ANSWER (green) button after opening up the handset to take the incoming call - which is plain silly when it has an active folder. I don’t think it would hurt to have an on/off switch for this.
Cannot send photos to external device via IR
I was trying to find a way to transfer the pictures off the GX10 to my PC - but this was just not possible. Although the handset had the capability of storing up to 80 standard-sized pictures, it would have been nice if there was a way for me to backup pictures to another device without having to send them as MMSes!
Keypad not so responsive whilst messaging with T9 activated
As mentioned before, the GX10’s responsiveness to keypresses when using T9 is quite poor considering the greater number of mobile handsets offering this capability. Alike other models with similar problems, poor buffering of keystrokes results in possible malformed words - and is usually the case when a user goes slightly faster than what the phone can handle. For individuals who are able to put some speed into their 12-digit-keypad typing, you may want to think twice about the GX10.
In Summary
Models like the Sharp GX10 are not in short demand. Even though they may seem steeply priced when compared to the more down-to-earth models, which were once also where MMS and camera-enabled phones are right now, there is a shortage in the number of different models available with such features.
The GX10 does include some unique offerings, which ultimately makes the phone unique from the others. If you are able to overcome the fact that the phone is slightly thicker and has a not-so-responsive messaging system, the Sharp GX10 is a worthwhile option to consider if you are out shopping for an MMS-enabled mobile phone with integrated camera. |
| Common misspellings on this brand: shafp , eharp , Sharp , sha5p , suarp |
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