Which phone? SharpGX10 or Panasonic GD87?

RicardoSmith

Looking for a new phone. Kinda like these, whaddya think?

rabbitinlights

Ill be having a look at both those phone 2moro at work (all day)
so ill get back to you about them, they both look fairly savage though!!
njoy
sean

RicardoSmith

Had a look at both of them on the way home tonight. The Sharp is a lot fatter than the panasonic. The panasonic also seems to have a much better battery life. That said the sharp felt better built though they are both really nice phones. Soooo much better than most of the really cheap feeling phones that are around at the moment. In Dublin theres a difference in price (on vodaphone contract) the panasonic is more expensive at 379 while the sharp is 299. Thats in euros.

Let us know what you think. I might get one at the weekend..

Lex_Diamonds

I'll be getting a GD87 tomorrow. Paid the extra dosh cos of tri-band, longer battery life and better camera functions(night shot etc).

However, I do agree that the Sharp has superior build quality, and I would also say its very fat

I'll post up a mini review as soon as I can.

Fidelis

The GD87 is probably the better buy of the two. However, the cameras on both phones are significantly inferior to the N7650.

I personally dislike the GX-10 for several reasons, one being that it becomes tediously slow to navigate the various messaging menus when the memory begins to fill-up. The colours on the Panasonic are more vibrant aswell, if that's any incentive

RicardoSmith

To tell the truth I'm not really interested in the camera part of the phones. I actually like the phones just as a phone. (if you know what I mean).

I actually must be one of the few that don't like the nokia's interface on all their phones, If you have any friends called A+anything, you'll find that they get lots of accidental calls from nokia owners. Their menus seem simple but I find it slower than my old siemens s25.

I really heat on the nokias that theres no automatic lock and the keypad lock is the same and also dire on all their phones. Both of these features I consider critical on a phone. I have a borrowed 3310 for the last month and it drives me nuts.

A lot of phones lately are very poorly built. The 6310i, and T68i feel like you'll break them just by pressing the buttons, never mind dropping it. The SharpGX10 and the Panasonic GD87 really feel well built. I'd like to see what the menus/interface are like before I buy, but thats hard to find out. I think the extra battery life the panasonic wins out, but the buttons aren't as tactile as the sharp. The Sharp is too big/fat though.

Actually a friend of mine got a 7650 as a work phone today. I didn't get to see it though. It was nicked out of his hand this evening. Guess it time to buy insurance whatever phone you buy.

Fidelis

Battery life on these 1st generation camera phones are all quite similar - 24hrs. The true-colour displays devour the power supply. The only colour phone with a decent battery life is the T68i, but then Ericsson's generally have good battery lives and the T68i only uses 256 colours.

Unfortunately, they will die on you after a days use *unless* you leave them in a corner and don't answer them

The menu on the Sharp isn't great, it's quite finicky and awkward to use. You could be pleasantly surprised by the functionality of the N7650. Just make sure you get to play around with the phone for a few minutes before you part a weeks wages on one of these things

RicardoSmith

But the N7650 is huge! I'd need to wear my combats around all the time just to have a pocket big enough to keep it in!
Does it have an auto lock?

Fidelis

Nope, no auto-lock feature on the N7650. But whenever you close the unit, it gives you the option to lock it. I know what you're saying though, I like the Siemen's auto-lock feature too.

Ok, the N7650 issue of size... it ain't that big. I've had absolutely no bother carrying one around with me for the last 3 months. The 6310i is taller than it, albeit slimmer, but it's really not as big as people make it out to be. Here's a picture I took with a GX-10 a few minutes ago to show the comparisons, less a GX-10.


L - R: V66, GD-76, GX-10, N7650 & N3650.

RicardoSmith

Its not so much the overall dimensions as the thickness of it. I find a tall phone phone like the 6310i ok as its very slim so will fit in a pocket ok. But the N7650 is like 3 of them together. It looks a bit dubious in your pocket.

flywheel

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
Its not so much the overall dimensions as the thickness of it. I find a tall phone phone like the 6310i ok as its very slim so will fit in a pocket ok. But the N7650 is like 3 of them together. It looks a bit dubious in your pocket.

it's a chunky phone alright - it's width and depth means it goes in the jacket pocket as it causes a "very happy to see you" look if left in the trousers - which may work for or against you in different circumstances

but - benefit of the phone is that there are 101 apps and utilities out there for it - there are two that can be set to automatically lock the the exposed buttons/joystick when the keypad is closed

a freeware one Keylock 1.1 you need to launch it and have it running in the background to get it working

or a multi utility application for trial/purchase from Ximplify called SeleQ that bundles a number of different applications including autokeylock:

BrianG

Lex_Diamonds

Well, I got the GD87 today. I have to say its a very impressive piece of kit. But then again im coming from a Siemens C35 here

Lots of options, solid phone, nice and quick to get used to. The ring tones sound great, hell, one of them even has vocals. There is a voice record function and you can also record calls (14 secs)

The vibrate is nice and strong, with the ability to set it at "constant" or "intermittant". The ringer volume is also decent.

The included game, "Sheep Herder" is a load of crap, im really hoping I can download something else.

The only real downside I can see with this phone is the lack of j2me support. If your set on downloading games then the GX10 is the phone to go for.

My main reason for choosing this phone over the GX10 is the longer battery life. If anyone wants any questions answered about this phone, post here.

Fidelis:

When you ran the camera, was there noticeable noise on the viewer? I see alot of vertical lines and general crappiness, wondering if this is normal.

Secondly, im wondering why there is an icon on both screens that isnt mentioned in the manual at all. Its an envelope with a round yoke in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Any ideas?

LoBo

Lex, how much did you pay for your phone & was it an upgrade or a 'first time' connection?

Just interested in the prices for the 3 vodafone live phones as all the vodafone ireland online shop is saying is about €600 (I presume for ready to go or sim free) which seems fairly prohibitive even for new phones.

If you know prices for the 3 let us know.

RicardoSmith

Vodaphone upgrade/firstime price is 379 for the GD87 and 299 for the GX10. Dunno what the sim free is.

Can't believe the prices of phones these days. In the UK they are still an awful lot cheaper. A friend got a 6310i in the UK for £30 while on Vodaphone here its €229.

Fidelis

Originally posted by Lex_Diamonds
When you ran the camera, was there noticeable noise on the viewer? I see alot of vertical lines and general crappiness, wondering if this is normal.

That was an issue encountered with the old hardware version of the GD87 once the battery life started to die. Not a defect as such, but it's been rectified in the most recent hardware version.

Secondly, im wondering why there is an icon on both screens that isnt mentioned in the manual at all. Its an envelope with a round yoke in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Any ideas?

I've been told that this icon represents a full mailbox, although I could be wrong, I'm working on second-hand information here as I haven't used the GD87 in about 2 months

v10

Now this is nice. OK it doesn't have the camera built in - but like the T68i it can be plugged into it as an accessory.

Similar size to 8310 except about half inch taller and a couple of mil slimmer. Full colour screen, Java, MMS, speakerphone, Tri-band, Polyphonic ringtones - the works - and it looks the part.

The downfall - It's not available yet on contracts so I had to pay €555 for it. Ah well, I like it !




Mine is Blue though...


V10.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by v10
I had to pay €555 for it. Ah well, I like it !

Seems a little excessive?

v10

Maybe it was excessive but I like the phone.

I haven't managed to get MMS working on it yet either !

Got all the settings off Vodafone but no joy !?:(

Disappointed in that respect. I'm hoping to get the camera accessory for it tommorow, so I'm gonna want to get MMS working.

Anyone any suggestions ?

When I send, I just get message sending failed.

When I'm receiving the phone obviously knows I have a knew message because a little envelope spins in the corner but then eventually say's 'Subscibe to GPRS first'

I am subscibing to GPRS and have confirmed the service is active on my account with vodafone - that's MMS and GPRS .

I dunno - I'm stumped.....

V10

flywheel

call and ask them to check that the MMS Access Point mms.vodafone.net has been set-up correctly for your account - (they have to check with technical support team)

appears to have been the stumbling block for some of us who had to configure the phone ourselves

let us know how you got on

HTH,
Brian G

v10

I have tried but they won't help because the phone has not yet been approved by Vodafone (in other words they haven't yet been trained regarding this handset).

They tell me that MMS and GPRS have both been activated but can't help me regarding settings etc.

I did manage to get a guy to send me 7650 settings - only to find that my phone was set up right.

Now, I'm baffled.

V10

flywheel

how about trying these:

1) go into a Vodafone Store that has a Live! demo station and get them to put your SIM in one of the demo phones (call in first thing in the morning when it's quiet)

if you have problems call them and tell them you have tried it in a supported handset

or

2) call and ask for the Live! Service to be removed form your account and then set-up from scratch

might sound extreme but that's how my O2 GPRS account got sorted after a server threw a wobbler the same day I was getting set-up back in April - everything "appeared" fine to support but access failed to have been granted at the network level

Brian G

Turner

Vodafone have just announced their staff offer on picture phones.
EUR 75 for the Sharp GX10.
Ahh for once im glad i work for Vodafone.

Nietzschean

Originally posted by Fidelis
Nope, no auto-lock feature on the N7650. But whenever you close the unit, it gives you the option to lock it. I know what you're saying though, I like the Siemen's auto-lock feature too.

Ok, the N7650 issue of size... it ain't that big. I've had absolutely no bother carrying one around with me for the last 3 months. The 6310i is taller than it, albeit slimmer, but it's really not as big as people make it out to be. Here's a picture I took with a GX-10 a few minutes ago to show the comparisons, less a GX-10.


L - R: V66, GD-76, GX-10, N7650 & N3650.

i dunno if this has been queried or what ever, but the n7650 has a timer that you can set to lock the fone after a specified time, i.e. i've mine set to 4mins, after that fone locks and requires 5digit code...key lock ain't quite that essential on n7650 anyway due to its design but none the less it does give the option upon closing and such

The_Scary_Man

Originally posted by v10
Maybe it was excessive but I like the phone.

I haven't managed to get MMS working on it yet either !

Got all the settings off Vodafone but no joy !?:(

Disappointed in that respect. I'm hoping to get the camera accessory for it tommorow, so I'm gonna want to get MMS working.

Anyone any suggestions ?

When I send, I just get message sending failed.

When I'm receiving the phone obviously knows I have a knew message because a little envelope spins in the corner but then eventually say's 'Subscibe to GPRS first'

I am subscibing to GPRS and have confirmed the service is active on my account with vodafone - that's MMS and GPRS .

I dunno - I'm stumped.....

V10

Just as a matter of interest how much did/will the camera set you back?

v10

I should of had it by now but they won't be in until Thursday now.

Anyway it's costing me €119.

BTW - Still haven't got MMS to work !

Didn't get into a Voda Store yet though.

V10