Sharp

Sharp Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. The company takes its name from one of its founder's first inventions, the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil, which was invented by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1915. Since then it has developed into one of the leading electronics companies in the world. As a semiconductor maker, Sharp is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders and among the Top 100 R&D Spenders. It manufactures a variety of consumer electronic products, including LCD televisions, mobile phones, microwave ovens, Home Cinema and audio systems, air purification systems, fax machines and calculators. Sharp's Mobile Communications Division created the world's first commercial camera phone, the J-SH04, in Japan in 1997.