If you thought phone design was beginning to get a little boring, have no fear. Today, Sharp has announced the Aquos Phone The Hybrid 007SH, a Android phone that is much more than a touchscreen. Blending smartphone and feature phone design with some impressive specs and new features should certainly draw some attention to Sharp. The device runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), has a full number pad and directional pad, a 3D-capable 3.4-inch screen with an 854×480 pixel resolution, a completely waterproof design, a swivel on the touchscreen so it can close to display the screen on the outside, and a 16MP camera on the back. Oh, and it comes in several designer colors.
We don’t know the processing power, internal storage, or RAM, but we do know that the device will show 3D without glasses, much like the Nintendo 3DS and some upcoming Android handsets. It also has an infrared port, a Micro HDMI display, Blu-ray connectivity, a Micro SD slot, a digital TV tuner, and can act as a digital wallet using RFID and Felica (sorry, no NFC). Unfortunately, don’t get too excited. It was announced in partnership with SoftBank, a large telecommunications company in Japan.
Sharp has not announced any plans to bring the device to North America, which may be a good thing. While customers like new features, the Aquos may be a bit ahead of its time, packing in more goodies than we might be ready to handle. However, the idea of a waterproof cellphone is very appealing. For those interested, we’ve included a couple more pictures below.
Would you buy a clamshell Android? We wouldn’t mind, though a full qwerty keyboard would be preferred. Other smartphone clamshells, like the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, have not gone over so well here in the United States.
