Sharp GX1 Review

Overall Rating

- It's free (not counting extortionate picture access costs ringtones accessing etc)
- It looks pretty good

- No Phone <=> PC file transfer possible
- You cannot send MMS to Non-sharp picture mobiles eg you cannot mms picture Nokias
- From what I've received back from them Sharp and O2 have no intention of updating with software
- no GX1 games to download and very little support online

Robant (previous reviewer) was correct in his assumptions about O2 and Sharp. They have basically ensured there is no way you can move pics/sounds between the phone and your pc. This will be because they want to make as much money as possible from dial up fees for ringtones and pictures.
I have made every effort to enable data tranfer to or from my phone .
I have tried the IR transmitter - NO JOY
I have tried the data cable - NO JOY

Sadly to put the record straight it is NOT POSSIBLE. The data cable like the IR only allows the modem function.

Any photos you take with the phone cannot be moved onto your pc. You cannot use file attachments on e-mails accessed on WAP on this phone.

I have hassled O2 and Sharp to develop some software so that (like most other picture phones)
you CAN move files to/from your PC.
They have both fobbed me off and denied responsibility. They know they are in the wrong.

The only way you can get new pics on your phone is through them being MMS'd through to you or through accessing the ringtones and pictures websites (both methods usually cost a fortune!)

Furthermore and this is a really bad one - You cannot MMS your pictures to any non-sharp picture phones. So forget about sending your Nokia owning friends a snap. What a huge drawback.

This phone has the potential to be an absolutely awesome buy. It plays wav files, you can customise your caller picture display and you can take instant low quality snaps.

However it falls down on the fact there is an utter lack of support from O2 and Sharp in user functionality.

That is there is no compatibility with non-sharp phones
(you can receive but not send)
and no software to enable phone-pc transfers.

WHAT A SHAME!

These 2 huge drawbacks will stop Sharps first phones really taking off.

My message to Sharp if they read this - sort out those 2 problems and you will really take off in the phone market.

Members' Comments onO2andSharparemoneygrabbers.'s Review

• michael patel. on 27th Apr 2003

  I agree with your comments, o2 & sharp, could have a huge money spinner! If only they would try to help customers, but that's not profitable!(staff at o2 need to be educated on what a customer is)i have three phones on my account with o2, there were two gx1 phones & nokia 3310, now only got one gx1, the other gx1 was replaced with a nokia 7650, bulky but a lot better than the gx1. when the contracts expire for all my phones, i'am off i cannot wait to leave o2 & sharp for the way they have and maybe still continue to treat customers, it's simple i will buy products & services elsewere! anywere but o2 & sharp (this includes all the sharp electrical products)thank you.
  

• roj. on 16th May 2003

  Fair enough, if Sharp don't support certain features then that's not good.
  However, as you say, for certain things the phone is excellent, although - like all mobiles - it also has its downsides.
  So if you don't read reviews (eg proper subjective magazine reviews) before you buy it to find out if it has the features you want, then you've only got yourself to blame.
  Yes, I'm also surprised you don't even get a data cable connection to computer - pretty much every other phone you can buy nowadays has that feature. However, this has absolutely nothing to do with o2.
  Do you know what o2 does? They send signals, offer telephony services and run network hardware. They don't have anything to do with handsets and handset features. Please be so kind as to tell me why they would care about the individual features of this phone, as I really cannot imagine.
  And concerning their prices - feel free to compare the price they offer the phones at, line rental, and individual call prices with those of the other providers. You'll find that they are by no means in last position. Yes, the new features like MMS are expensive, but if you want new technology, you have to pay. Did you expect them to be giving it away?
  Sorry, but I found this review ill-informed.