Sharp keeps going with the Sidekick look, intros FX for AT&T
By Chris Ziegler 
posted July 19th 2010 2:25PM
posted July 19th 2010 2:25PM
AT&T Adds Sharp FX Quick Messaging Phone With AT&T Mobile TV to Device Lineup
New quick messaging phone the first from Sharp in AT&T portfolio
DALLAS, July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T* today announced the July 25 availability of Sharp FX™, the first quick messaging phone from Sharp on the AT&T network and the latest AT&T Mobile TV-capable device. The Sharp FX is being brought to market by Personal Communications Devices, LLC.
The Sharp FX has a full touchscreen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard for quick access to messaging, IM, email and social networking. The device also features an MP3 player, 2.0 megapixel digital camera with camcorder and Bluetooth® 2.1.
Other available features include:
* AT&T Address Book, which syncs contacts to an online address book so customers can access and manage their mobile contacts from their handset - or their PC. Synchronization occurs automatically when any change is made, so contact information is always backed up.
* The att.net mobile browser that supports full HTML surfing and also makes it easy for customers to customize their home page, navigate quickly to popular content and find local information.
* AT&T Navigator, which provides turn-by-turn directions, traffic alerts with one-touch rerouting, 3D moving maps, integrated speech recognition and more.**
* AT&T Social Net, which lets customers access multiple social networking sites from one application
* The ability to send photos and videos captured on their mobile phone to an Online Locker where customers can easily store, manage and share all their media.##
AT&T Mobile TV subscribers enjoy around-the-clock access to full-length live and time-shifted programming from FLO TV, including content from ABC Mobile, Adult Swim Mobile, CBS Mobile, CNBC, CNN Mobile, COMEDY CENTRAL, Disney Channel, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, msnbc, MTV, NBC 2Go, Nickelodeon and the movie channel Crackle. AT&T Mobile TV is available for $9.99 per month, and new subscribers receive the first seven days of their subscription for free. For more information, visit www.att.com/mobiletv.
The Sharp FX will be available at AT&T retail stores nationwide and online at www.wireless.att.com on July 25 for $99.99 (Pay $149.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $50 AT&T Promotion Card. Two year service agreement and a minimum $20 messaging or combination of messaging and data plans required. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment.)
For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com
interesting, but what's with the plain UI?
@inspiron41
and look at those bezels. seems as if they want to lay a girl by the side of the screen
@inspiron41
Icons on a black screen look familiar. Doesn't it. :D
@krishansy Yuk... AT&T will always be full of Sidekicks, because Jobs wants Apple to be the Hero...
@krishansy
Bezel on a touch screen phone. "i" can't place where I've seen that before
@DefPoet Oh and BTW, there's nothing "interesting" about it.., I take that back, "interesting" choice in form factor.. "interesting" choice of UI... and last but not least it is an "interesting" choice of carrier...
@inspiron41
Don't insult the UI. A kindergarten child worked hard on it in his room before bedtime.
In-house OS? Really?? Ewww.
@CRA1G I believe it will be running BrewMP.
@CRA1G
Careful what you say; iPhone users, Blackberry users and Palm users could take this as an insult.
Ooooo, welcome to 90's design Sharp!
@SExpress
Sharp makes phones? Since when?
@whySoSerious
For a while now, they are the largest (i think) in Japan.
@SExpress
Nothing says "We can bounce back from the sidekick!" like "Let's re-introduce the sidekick!" FAIL...
@whySoSerious They've been making them in Japan for ages. Take a look at the SH-03B to see a similar model for Japan. Notice how much better it looks and acts. Hope this one goes over well- they have a lot of potential, and I'd like to see an American edition of the SH-10B (or SH-07A) too.
only if it had a better UI.
This is one of the UGLIEST devices I've seen in a long time! Yuk! It looks like a toy phone I had as a child!
With ATT charging ridiculous rates for quick messaging devices there is zero reason to not get a smartphone at this price.
The required data and messaging planes are stupid
@DefPoet They don't require data on a QMD. Just messaging. After all, it doesn't really make sense to buy a Quick "Messaging" Device without the messaging part. Also, the data package for QMDs and dumbphones is $15 for unlimited data per line (or $10 for unlimited data per line if you are on a family plan). It's not the same data packages for smartphones.
@aschettler
From the AT&T press release:
Two year service agreement and a minimum $20 messaging or combination of messaging and data plans required.
http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=18111&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=30945
So for an extra $50 in-store and $5/mo, one could get a iPhone4 with 2GB of data.
I think this phone is DOA.
Sad. Just throw Android on it and get that $10 data plan from T-Mobile and it'll keep selling.
Lawsuit?
How are so many of you able to comment on the UI already? All I see is a screen with some icons of probably the only features I'd want on the home page anyway. Is there a link to some hands-on with the device video that I'm missing?
@bj55555
They fail to realize that it looks just like a ios screen shot. With an off center row of icons.
@bj55555 You right, why not settle for less when there are already 3-4 very capable OS's on the market?
@Son Of a Gun Why buy a smartphone if you don't want your kids downloading stupid fart apps or wasting their time playing Plants vs. Zombies?
That is awful. AT&Ts horrible messaging/data plans don't help either.
When will they ever learn...
Blegh..
Looks like they stole the Fuze's keyboard and slapped it on a black Quickfire
At&t stole my $50 "mail in rebate". They drown you with paperwork and even if u get it right, and mail the documents, you will have to follow up with a phone call (which is not stated anywhere as a requirement for the mail in rebate) to ask about your rebate. The internet is full of stories of At&t rebate thefts. Do not trust those slimy bastards.
@TareG
Drown you with paperwork? The last AT&T rebate I had was one whole piece of paper which asks you to mail the UPC and receipt along with it.
@Peter F
Yeah that's what I did. After mailing it (the same day I made my purchase), I received nothing. I called them and they said "Yeah we received your papers, but it's too late now to process it. You should have reminded us within 3 weeks of your purchase. Sorry."
more bezel, yeah! The whole big screen, small phone paradigm is passe.
Seriously what do businesses think when they release phones like that? I just do not understand where the F is the market when you hear that Android sells 160k devices a year, and iPhone has reached 3 million in 3 weeks.
Wtf are they thinking? They cant go iPhone cause its closed, if I were a new company in the game I would immediately go Android.
Whatever, phone sucks.
@wakeup
what?
@wakeup Not everybody wants a smartphone. Get over it.
Great, another mail-in rebate scam. So, the actual price is $150. The competioon is $100 iPhone. Whig one do u think kids will want?
@pika2000
AT&T sends their rebates and is usually quick about it. This doesn't require a data plan. Go away iPhone fanboy.
@pika2000 if you go to a store, and you know how to purchase you wont need to mail it in. they can do it right then and there. just act like you're unsure if you want to buy and they will sweeten the deal by saying "i can do the rebate right now if you want"...it's worked everytime for me
Speaking of AT&T, any chance of the Engadget review of the Captivate soon?
Dear Sharp,
Android can save you.
Love,
Former Sidekick, iPhone, and Blackberry user.
@randall814
Not everyone wants a smartphone.
Haha, it looks as if they just rebranded some leftover Sidekicks they had laying around in the back of the Sharp warehouse for five years.
I use to own a Sharp 9130C, its a MTK model. It was great even though it wasn't made directly by Sharp (for the chinese market). I know Sharp phones in Japan are amazing (I currently own an NEC n906i) and am sadly disappointed in Sharp's decision to release such a "standard" phone for the US market.
That phone looks pretty....sharp. *puts on shades*
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Oh wow. This legit looks like the Quickfire 2, lol. I didn't even notice it until Engadget said anything. I was so fixated with thinking "Holy shit it's the fucking Sidekick Slide all over again!" lol.
Other than the large bezel/small screen the design doesn't seem too bad to me. But why didn't they keep the same sidekick style keyboard?
Ugly, kill it with fire.
i can see this being a phone for the tweens.
parents who may already have an existing family plan and who dont want to cough up a pretty penny for a smart phone can get this for their kid. i think it would work great for them because they're not stuck with a LG Rumor type phone that is extremely laughable but its not out of their "smart" phone league.
i could totally see my 12 year old nephew with this or females of almost any age (nothing sexist, it just seems simple and most women prefer simple).