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Sharp Corp, which is Japan’s biggest mobile device maker, reported it’s first quarter operating profit dropping 14%. Operating profits are sales, minus the cost of good sold and their administrative/logistical expenses. Sharp’s fell to 36.4 billion yen, compared to 42.3 billion from the same period a year earlier.

Sharp’s presence in Europe has been one closely tied to specific Operators - notably Vodafone. However in it’s domestic market it is a goliath amongst vendors. Sharp’s representatives are looking to TVs, handsets, and LCD panels are the cash cows for the company, in the short term, with LCD panels particularly picking up the fiscal slack in the meantime.

Handset sales at the company, which supplies to NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp., and Softbank Corp., Japan’s three wireless- phone operators, declined 38 percent to 129 billion yen in the quarter, Vice President Toshishige Hamano said.

Seems a number of handset vendors are feeling the pinch recently - I wouldn’t be surprised if we some consolidation in the next 12-24 months…..

[Via: Bloomberg.com]

The T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 is ready to bring swappable shells and customizable graphics to the entry-level HipTop market - especially for all your creative types looking to change up your Sidekick’s look with the changing of the seasons (or months, or days, depending on how much you want to spend on new shells). With video recording and playback capabilities, and a 2 megapixel camera, T-Mobile’s Sidekick 2008 isn’t going to disappoint on the media-front either.

The slenderer T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 has already been reviewed by the  folks over at Phone Arena, and they’ve come away pleased with the new Sidekick. The overall dimensions are smaller than with the flagship Sidekick LX, so a smaller 2.6-inch display is expected. But, the display is still easily viewable and automatically adjusts its brightness based on ambient lighting conditions (thanks to an ambient light sensor).

The keyboard is classic Sidekick, and makes for some easy typing. Although, the upper row of keys are apparently a bit over-sensitive and take some getting used to. Likewise, the swivel mechanism is slick and smooth - again, classic Sidekick.

Video capture, 2 megapixel camera, and stereo Bluetooth round out the otherwise simple feature-set. The Sidekick 2008 is marketed as a decidedly more down-range HipTop for the youngest of Sidekick users with lesser budgets, so the inclusion of a decent camera and stereo Bluetooth is a nice surprise.

Unfortunately, as a down-range device, the Sidekick 2008 sports cheap-feeling plastic exterior pieces that pick up smudges and scuffs like nothing else. But, seeing as how additional Sidekick shells can be had for $15 from T-Mo, Sidekick 2008 users can replace scuffed-up shells at a whim.

Overall, the Sidekick 2008 is exactly what we’d expect in a low-end Sidekick. In fact, the Sidekick 2008 surprises us with a healthy spec-sheet and decent styling - something you don’t see everyday in the entry-level market. Find the full review at Phone Arena.

[Via: Phone Arena]

The wait is over, fellow Sidekickers. A new era of customizable and user-swappable Sidekick shells is finally upon us. Following on Sidekick 2008 live pics leaked to the web, T-Mobile has launched their highly anticipated T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 for HipTop fans across the US.

And, just like their Sidekick LX Tony Hawk edition launch, T-Mobile has whipped up a nifty, interactive website for the Sidekick 2008. Even if you’re not in the market for a Sidekick 2008, the webpage is worth a look.

Select T-Mobile retail locations are now carrying the Sharp-made Sidekick 2008. Eager Sidekick 2008 hopefuls can land their very own customizable Sidekick for $149.99 after 2-year contract. Each additional Sidekick shell will run $9.99 and a pair will cost $14.99.

Most notable in the Sidekick 2008 feature-set is the inclusion of the 2 megapixel camera with video capture. With Sidekick LX users finally getting jiggy with their OTA update enabling video capture and playback, it seems only fair that Sidekick 2008 owners get the same functionality out of the box.

Here’s a run-down of Sidekick 2008 specs:

Early hands-on reports indicate that the Sidekick 2008 definitely hits the mark as a low-end HipTop. Like its spiritual predecessor, the Sidekick iD, the Sidekick 2008 is the affordable HipTop for the hipper, younger (more so than the already young Sidekick demographic) Sidekick set. Unfortunately, build- and material-quality are in line with the Sidekick 2008’s billing as an entry-level offering.

And, with pricing just $50 less than an iPhone (on contract), T-Mobile might be left with more Sidekick 2008 stock than they had anticipated.

T-Mobile Sidekick

As expected, Boy Genius got his hands on the T-Mobile Sidekick LX OTA update. BGR is confirming that, in addition to spell checker, play and share capabilities, an alarm clock, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP), Bluetooth file transfer support, the Sidekick LX OTA (otherwise known as an “update”) does indeed enable video recording and playback.

For you Sidekick LX owners out there, try to stay calm as the update is rolled out. In the meantime, enjoy the screenshots of the new Sidekick LX UI over at BGR.

Update:
It looks like the OTA update is finally starting to be rolled out to the masses. If you still haven’t gotten the update, just keep waiting. The Sidekick LX OTA update is random and will be delivered to your HipTop by the end of August (or so we hear). 

[Via: BGR]

Wondering just what kind of official Sidekick 2008 shells will be available from T-Mobile? Well, here you go! Cellphonesignal, ever the T-Mobile enthusiasts, have posted pictures of the official Sidekick 2008 shells.

Of course, you can always customize your own shells to better match your Sidekick 2008 with your personality. But, if you’d like to go the simpler route, peeps these here shells that should be available once the Sidekick 2008 launches on T-Mobile.

[Via: Cellphonesignal]

By now it’s clear that T-Mobile’s newest HipTop, the Sidekick 2008, will be launching sooner rather than later. Good thing, considering T-Mobile will probably want to release a handset named for the year 2008 with as much time left on the 2008-clock as possible.

So, with the Sidekick 2008 (Gekko) headed to a T-Mobile store near you (and possibly Best Buy), it’s time to go live with actual photos of the device in the wild! Cellphonesignal has the pictures that you’ve been waiting for.

Notice the glossy shells and multiple color choices. The user-swappable, customizable shells don’t add any significant mass to the Sidekick 2008 (Gekko) either. These in-hand shots confirm that the Sidekick 2008 is a bit more svelte and compact than T-Mobile’s more up-range Sidekick offerings.

Head on over to Cellphonesignal for more pictures.

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[Via: Cellphonesignal]

It’s better than nothing. While customizable Sidekick fans are squirming in their seats for T-Mobile to go live with their Sidekick 2008 (previously codenamed Sidekick Gekko/Gecco), or saving up their dough for a Craigslisted Sidekick 2008, Cellphonesignal has gotten their hands on photos of the Sidekick 2008 dummy-phones in the wild.

Sure, these aren’t pics of the real-deal Sidekick 2008 running free in the wild, but it’s definitely going to give you something to do while you wait for Best Buy to start offering the latest HipTop for T-Mobile.

The form-factor is as familiar as it gets for the Sidekick lineup, and we even get a glimpse of a few presumably official Sidekick shell variants. You know, for those of you that just have to make sure your Sidekick matches your outfit.

We go as far as making sure our underwear matches our socks.

[Show as slideshow]

[Via: Cellphonesignal]

Sony and Samsung have become members of an HD consortium that is working to send HD video signals wirelessly from a single Set-top box (STB) wirelessly to screens placed aroundthe home. The new consortium will consist of Sony, Samsung, Motorola, Sharp, and Hitatchi - and will develop a standard around tech from a company called Amimon - which they are calling WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface).

As many of you will know that have tried to stream video, and perhaps HD video around your home, it’s actually reasonably difficult due to the super-high bandwidth requirements - added to the fact that video “data” must be delivered on-time, consistently in order, for the user experience not to suffer. Personally, I’ve reverted to the new revisions of powerline networking, which supports up to 200Mb/s transfer rate (in a newly-wired property), to satisfy the need for transiting video around.

Anyhow, let’s wait and see what this WHDI standard comes up with - you can expect reasonably about 12 months delay before hardware starts appearing - once that’s in, then you gotta buy it, and probably upgrade/tweak the wireless devices in your house!

[Via: news.cn]

I just received my regular email from Expansys, telling me about their latest offers - one of the items sparked some fond memories…. the Sharp GX10 was one of the first three handsets to launch Vodafone Live back in the day (circa 2002), with what was for then quite advanced features - camera, MMS, colour screen - the list goes on! The original GX10 was a silver-grey colour, whereas it’s product refresh (the GX10i, above) was a machine-grey.

And how times change - the GX10i is now on sale at Expansys for the princely sum of £24.95! If you want to take a look, you can check it out here.

T-Mobile has yet to release their latest Sidekick with user-swappable and customizable shells, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your eager hands on a Sidekick 2008 today. Leave it up to Craigslist to have a not-yet-released handset up for sale before its official launch.

If you’ve got the bankroll and the desire to get first-crack at the Sidekick 2008 Gekko, hit up the Craigslist ad.

But, before you blow your summer job paycheck on a pre-release Sidekick 2008, just be warned that this looks to be trial device given to field testers.

[Via: HipTop3]