Sharp Launches Mobile Phone for Bloggers

Sharp has launched a new mobile phone in Japan that features a small
QWERTY keyboard and a tool allowing users to easily update their blogs.

The
Sharp 922SH went on sale on Thursday and has a 3.5-inch display that
folds out to the side so the phone can be used more like a miniature
laptop than a traditional clamshell phone. The widescreen VGA display
has a resolution of 854 pixel by 480 pixels.

The phone has an RSS reader and a PC-style web browser in addition to one more adapted to mobile use.

There's
a three-row QWERTY keyboard above which sit hot keys for functions such
as digital mobile TV and the camera. There are also buttons for phone
functions, navigation keys and a shortcut key to Yahoo Mobile, the
mobile internet service offered by Softbank, which is the largest
shareholder in Yahoo Japan.

The phone works on the WCDMA
(Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) used in Japan and the GSM
(Global System for Mobile Communications) networks found elsewhere. Its
features include Bluetooth and a 2MP main camera and 110,000-pixel
sub-camera for videoconferencing. It accepts Micro SD memory cards.

The
phone measures 56mm by 116mm by 17mm and weighs 132g. Battery life is
250 minutes of talk time on WCDMA and 270 minutes on GSM with standby
time at 340 hours and 310 hours respectively, said Sharp. TV viewing
time is 4.5 hours.

The phone is locked to the Softbank network in Japan and there are no plans at present to launch it overseas.