Product Reviews

Like it or not, picture messaging is taking off, much in the same way that WAP, GPRS and Bluetooth did in the past. Or at least that's what manufacturers would have us believe, as the majority of mainstream mobile phones now feature these technologies regardless. So after the initial trickle, we now have the imminent deluge of camera phones, with Panasonic's GD87 and Sharp's GX10 likely to compete head-to-head, owing to remarkable similarities in design.

Both handsets feature the familiar clamshell design, which serves as an excellent method of minimising their size and protecting the screen. When closed, the Sharp is slightly fatter than the Panasonic, although we wouldn't call it bulky. The sleeker look of the Panasonic is enhanced further through marginally better styling, especially its thinner, more curvaceous lid.

Both lids feature a small mono LCD, which presents information on the battery life and signal status, as well as caller ID. That said, neither phone allows you to reject a call without opening the clamshell first. A button placed on the Panasonic's lid is used only for voice memos or to operate the camera shutter.

In each case, the lid is also home to the camera lens, although whereas the Sharp's is placed at the extreme end when the clamshell is open, the Panasonic's is close to the hinge, making it easier to obscure with your fingers. A small range of picture quality settings is available for each phone, as well as brightness levels and zoom. There are a few more options for the Panasonic, such as optimised modes for close-ups and twilight. Ultimately, though, the quality is limited by the basic specification of the internal cameras. Even so, the Panasonic adds basic picture-editing functions and effects such as brightness, sepia and negative.

The Panasonic also features an IrDA port on the lid, whereas the Sharp positions its port just under the hinge of

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the clam. Arguably, the freedom of movement on the clamshell lid means the Panasonic's IrDA port is easier to position for best line of sight.

Once opened, the screen on the Panasonic looks a few millimetres bigger than the Sharp's. However, a small black border means the visible screen is, in fact, only 1mm larger in both directions. Minor quibbling aside, the quality of the TFT screens is equally impressive. Both are bold and bright with striking colours and are easily readable in most conditions.

Despite a few design differences, the main keypad and joystick are laid out in essentially the same manner for both phones and neither is better to use than the other. Also, both phones came packaged as Vodafone offerings - indeed, for the first few months, the Sharp will only be available with a Vodafone contract (hence the comparative pricing above). As such, each phone is customised to some degree for quick access to the Vodafone Live! WAP service offering games (Java or text based), chat services and so on. Picture messages cost 36p to send but they're free to receive.

Both menus rely heavily on graphics, with fine-resolution icons helping to identify your chosen menu. The Sharp menu requires you to scroll through each option in turn, whereas the Panasonic presents you with all nine of your options at once. Overall, the design of the Panasonic's menu system is far more intuitive than that of the Sharp - just to change a ring tone on the Sharp proved an insurmountable task without referring to the user manual.

Both phones feature integrated modems for data services, although Panasonic seems to think you'll never want to use its modem in conjunction with a notebook or otherwise for mobile web browsing or email. In fact, there's no mention that a driver even exists for its modem. In stark contrast, the Sharp ships with a modem installation disc, which makes setup a breeze. That said, the Panasonic does support SyncML synchronisation with your PDA and/or PC PIM over IrDA, whereas the Sharp doesn't.

On the face of it, both phones come across as initially impressive, but there are failings with both that can't be excused. The Panasonic is the better phone in terms of design, ease of use and its useful tri-band support. Neither phone fully meets the requirements of a travelling businessperson and the merits of taking and sending photos is still questionable, but we can't see camera phones going away, so expect to see more (and better) models appearing soon.