Sharp
Sharp

Sharp

Behind the Faceplate of Sharp's 921SH

The Nikkei Electronics ‘Teardown Squad’ has cracked open the 921SH handset by Sharp which recently became available via SoftBank Mobile. One of the main features of this model, touted successor to the 913SH and 920SH released last year, is of course the fingertip tracing sensitive screen and motion control sensor functionality. In a valiant effort “to determine the differences and similarities” between the past and present models they have posted detailed findings, with photos, Here. We also noted their Dissecting the Japanese Mobile Phone article posted back in March.

Sharp Maintains Top Spot in 2007

Sharp sold the most mobile handsets in Japan during fiscal 2007, with 25% market share, to hold top spot for the 3rd consecutive year according to data released by MM Research Institute. The company boosted handset shipments by an impressive 23% YoY, for a total of 12.76 million units, setting a new record as their Aquos branded LCD models proved to be a popular choice with growing consumer demand to watch 1Seg digital tv broadcasts. Overall, the domestic handset sales increased 2.9% to a new record of 50.76 million units.

YAPPA 3D User Interface – Video Interview

YAPPA 3D User Interface - Video InterviewWe sat down with Masahiro Ito, founder and CEO of YAPPA Corp., last week and were entirely impressed with both the product presentation and his charming ease when discussing the mobile industry. We managed to get a sneak preview of their so-called Spin UI Effect Engine and with the press release now public we’re thrilled to go live with this report. The company has an admirable list of top-tier clients, including the 3D Box UI on Sharps device for eMobile, and is growing beyond Japan with several offices overseas.

Sharp Bluetooth Watch from Citizen

SoftBank Mobile is promoting this iVIRT-M watch, made by Citizen, as an added bonus feature to accompy their 920SH handset by Sharp. According to the details provided it “connects via Bluetooth, so incoming calls, mail, and S! Quick News will always be right at hand”.. we’re not sure if the pun was intended. In addition to functioning as a remote camera shutter, it features a 64-color LCD and can even display mail pictographs. It’s not clear whether the Citizen unit can also function with Sharps 920YK device, recently introduced with a bundled E*Trade stock market application.

Sharp Handsets Hold Top Market Share

Sharp increased it’s position as the top supplier of mobile phones in Japan in 2007 for the second straight year, according to a Jiji article press quoting market research company IDC Japan. In the October-December period, Sharp held on the top spot for the seventh consecutive quarter. The company took a 25.1 pct share of domestic mobile phone shipments, up from 18.6 pct in the previous year, thanks to the popularity of its Aquos branded models. Total shipments, across all handset makers, was up year-on-year 4.4 pct to 51.52 million units.

Dissecting the Japanese Mobile Phone

The March edition of Nikkei Electronics Asia features an interesting peek under the hood of three current handsets now available in Japan. They expose how the insides of these so-called “All in One” multi-function models; the P905i VIERA from Panasonic, W53H from Hitachi and the 920SH by Sharp, are designed in cooperation of a local electronics manufacturer. Interesting to note the OLED screen on the W53H ‘Wooo’ by Hitachi was produced by Samsung and that efforts to slim the design while increasing battery power, to a whopping double 1-Seg. viewing time, are key considerations.