Review: Sharp GX20

Sharp GX20 Review

Phone rating:

The Sharp GX20 mobile phone is the successor to the GX10/GX10i, and comes with an improved camera with a resolution of 310,000 pixels, 4x digital zoom, flash and storage for up to 80 pictures. The GX20 also has a digital camcorder function. You can send and receive video clips using MMS.

Other enhancements include the colour external display, ultra-high resolution internal 65,000 colour display, improved Java support for downloading games, and a built-in torch.

However the GX20 still suffers from having no easy way of transferring pictures from the phone to a PC. It's also quite a heavy phone compared with others in its class.

Features of the Sharp GX20 include:

• Integrated digital camera (with flash) & digital camcorder
• 16 voice polyphonic ringtones, ringtone composer
• High resolution colour display (240 x 320 pixels, 65,536 colours) plus external colour display
• Multimedia Messaging (MMS)
• WAP, GPRS
• Downloadable Java™ applications
• Enhanced animation
• Wallpaper
• Caller identification (on external display)
• Built-in infra-red modem
• Torch
• Predictive text input
• Clock, calendar, games
• Size: 95 x 49 x 25 mm
• Weight: 105g
• Battery standby: up to 220 hours
• Battery talktime: up to 3 hours
• Vibration alert
• Tri band

Sharp GX20 Consumer Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

Average rating from 100 reviews:

Reviewed by KABA from England on 9th Dec 2003
HAD THE PHONE A COULPE OF WEEKS AND AS I AM A TECHNOLOGY FREAK I KNOW QUITE ALOT ABOUT THE FUNCTIONS OF THE PHONE. U DONT NEED A DATA CABLE TO TRANSFER PICTURES TO UR PC AND VICE VERSA JUST USE THE INFRARED. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO DO THIS AND ANY OTHER FUNCTION SUCH AS CHANGING THE LIHHT COLOUR OF THE FLASH AND TRASNFER NUMBERS FOM SIM TO PHONE IN 30 SECONDS, SEND US AN E-MAIL AT DAVEJONES7@HOTMAIL.COM. RESPEKT!!! By da way tis phone * all over da e700 No contest. BELIEVE!!!
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Reviewed by Amy from UK on 8th Dec 2003
This phone is outstanding, what more can i say. I dont have anything bad to say about this phone,it is brill. Ace picture quality,good camcorder, easy to use, and i love the idea of a colour external screen! if you are thinking of buying this phone then i sugest that you go for it!
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Reviewed by Jo from UK on 8th Dec 2003
Ok, I test Mobile Phones and PDA's for a living and I own a GX20. I would recommend them to anyone who is not bothered about Bluetooth. It's light, small, easy to use, and has some terrific features (unbeatable resolution on the display, good camera, video capture option, great games available online, etc). The downsides I found are small, but: no stopwatch (I always found this useful on my Siemens previously), no currency converter (also very useful when I was travelling with the Siemens). I recently seem to have developed a problem with it switching itself off and I wonder if anyone else has experienced this? I have never seen it on the test handsets I use. For the one who asked if they should get a GX20 or a E710 - get the Sharp - it's miles better.
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Reviewed by Mark from England on 6th Dec 2003
JUST GOT THIS FONE AND IT IS EXCELLENT AND TO TRANSFER PICTURES TO COMPUTER FROM PHONE GET THE DATA CABLE FROM THE VODAFONE SHOP FOR 30 QUID IT CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD ANY RINGTONE AND PICTURE FROM THE WEB( THIS CAN BE DONE IN MIDI FORMAT( RINGTONES) IF U WANT GOOD SITES WHICH CAN BE DONE 4 FREE PLEASE WRITE TO ME mrd17@hotmail.xom ps. i cant lock my phone cause i got it on web(300 quid from comet) cause u need handset code which i cant find cause i lost it? what is the orignial code
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Reviewed by Paul from Ireland on 6th Dec 2003
If you have a laptop then use infrared to transfer your pics. The Handset Manager software which comes with the phone works fine, though the transfer rate is slow. Still, saves buying a data cable. Pics are 40KB - 75KB in size at the highest setting (640x480, fine) and take about 10 secs each to transfer. You can take around 30 pics at this setting. Quality is great if the lighting is good.
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Reviewed by mark from england on 6th Dec 2003
i brought a sharp gx20 after looking at the reviews about it on here , i am totaly amazed about the quality of the pics and the phone itself , it is the best phone i beleive to be on the market at the moment , and everything i have read about it is true, i did have a sharp gx10i but this gx20 was well worth buying , so if your thinking about getting a gx10i , (don't bother) pay the extra and get the gx20 . you wont be disapointed.
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Reviewed by Jon from UK on 5th Dec 2003
>Iain: I think that the Sharp GX20 is the best for camera quality and ease of use but the samsung e700 phone is slightly smaller. Go with the V500 if you want bluetooth. I have the Sharp GX20 and my mate has the motorola v500 which looks cool but isnt that great on the inside. Hope that helps you decide. :)
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Reviewed by Iain from U.K. on 5th Dec 2003
I have just bought this phones 2day. i have had itfor about 3 hours and it rules. just a few things though. i have bought FIFA 2004 with it and it won't work, it says network error and unable to get FIFA. is this because i have just got my phone or is it something else? is their any other default wallpapers and if there is how do i get to them as these 2 men playing footy are annoying me.
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Reviewed by george_pets from greece on 5th Dec 2003
How can I play my video files to my pc? Please answer...
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Reviewed by Mick from uk on 4th Dec 2003
Hi I have not got the Gx2o but I have the Gx10i and I note some people are asking about cables to download to computer there is away round it. I just send it to my e-mail address so long as it is not a hotmail address you can do this then just save the pic as a Jpg file were ever you save your pic in your computer.I know it is expencsive way of doing it but you really only want to put the best onces on your computer and really it is only for fun.
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Reviewed by Iain Attkins from England on 3rd Dec 2003
Im think of getting this phone and I am wondering whether to get this or the Samsung e700 or the Motorola v500. which is best. PLZ TELL ME!
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Reviewed by mark from scotland on 3rd Dec 2003
not read this anywhere else but i was in phones 4 u yesterday ad i read that you could take 4 photos at once, without a pause, like the sagem myx6 i think, can anyone tell me if u can do this cheers
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Reviewed by ShAnE from UK on 2nd Dec 2003
K IVE JUST GOT MY PHONE - N HAVE SUM QUESTIONS ABOUT IT... HOW DO U CHANGE WHICH COLOUR U WANT THE LIGHT TO SHINE WEN SOMEONE CALLS YOU? ITS ALWAYS GREEEEN!!! AND WHAT SOFTWARE WILL I NEED WHEN I TRANSFER PHOTOS N VIDEOS TO MY PC?????? THANKS ALOT THEN
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Reviewed by michelle from england on 2nd Dec 2003
when standing the gx10i and the gx20 next to each the other the difference is outstanding. okay the colour of the gx10i is nicer but the features and improvements of the gx20 are unbelieveable, and endless.the camara is the main improvement, the picture is perfect compared to gx10i and the time taken to focus on an object is cut in half.i also think the other view finder is ace cause you can take a picture of yourself! the flash is a brill idea and works top notch, especially as it also comes in loads of different colours. however the picture does lose quality when zooming in, and also the video camara display picture is not as good as i thought it would be. the phone can store hundreds of tones and applications and the texting is clear and easy to do.i think an improvement to the phone would be a little cover for the camara lens to stop it getting dirty, and also as others have said, bluetoth would be an extra. the phone also being lighter and a bit more slimline also makes it nicer to hold than the gx10i. i'm getting the data cable for christmas, so hopefully i will have some good pictures in albums soon!
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Reviewed by Natalie from uk on 2nd Dec 2003
Hi all, not really a review as i havent bought the GX20....YET. But i had the GX10 which was fab untill someone nicked it during a recent weekend away.... anyhoo was deffo going to buy this phone untill i heard about the the new samsung E700 and now im not sure.... what do you guys think? dont know that much about the new samsung other than that it looks great. i had the samsung V200 which bored me after a few weeks... oh decisions decisions... any ideas??????
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Reviewed by Ben from France on 1st Dec 2003
Hi, I've juste seen that on the sharp website : http://www.sharp-mobile.com/europe/fr/faqs/viewfaq.asp?id=11 I have a gx20 and I'm really worried about that, It says we can't transfer pics via the cable!!! Is it true ? Someone already use the USB data cable to transfert pic from photo to pc ?? However I really like this phone but now I wonder if It was a good thing to buy it...
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Reviewed by mark from scotland on 29th Nov 2003
not got it yet but it doesnt have bluetooth qute surprisingly. bluetooth and a radio would make this fone the best ever, but im still gettin it, i love it!
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Reviewed by wayne from england on 28th Nov 2003
* no there is no bluetooth. i admit this is a bit surprising. however wot i find far more surprising is a fone that cant copy all entries at once from fone to sim! u gotta do them 1 at a time! i couldn't believe it!
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Reviewed by Binz from U.K. on 27th Nov 2003
This phone is the bomb!!!! - Best camera, Best screen, Flash & torch, video + sound - stylish camshell. What else do ya need - really???
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Reviewed by KABA from England on 27th Nov 2003
the best phone on the market at the moment. top screen, excellent camera quality. easy to use, txt messaging just as easy as to use as Nokia's. ive always had nokias and thought any other would be a let down but this phone is no problem. Buy it Now.
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Reviewed by Dino Mazzone from Isle of Man on 25th Nov 2003
does anyone out there know how to set the phone so all u have to do is open the phone to answer a call. please someone. i am getter well angry with it. And oh my god, how quick does the battery run down.
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Reviewed by Jonno from UK on 25th Nov 2003
I dont know about any new phones coming out to replace the gx20 but the picture quality is better than the sharp gx10. The video clips you make urself last about 20 secs mayb a bit less. Great phone in overall
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Reviewed by jon stoner from england on 25th Nov 2003
(its more of a question) does the gx20 have bluetooth and if not why? it seems sucth a good phone and if it doesent have bluetooth that is a big letdown if anyone could anser my question could you put a star at the start of the anser so i dont have to look through all the reviews to find it thanks
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Reviewed by Richard from UK on 25th Nov 2003
Well, yes, Shane, there is going to be (apparently) a GX-30: see this site for what may be the thing itself: http://techdigestuk.typepad.com/tech_digest/2003/09/is_this_the_sha.html. So you could wait until 'early next year' for that, assuming it is coming then and that it's better than the GX-20. On the other hand, there's *always* going to be a better one on the way, unless they stop making the things altogether, so you might as well take the plunge. As far as I'm concerned, the GX-20 is brilliant and I'm happy to have mine. I can always upgrade later.
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Reviewed by apples from ireland on 24th Nov 2003
aw no is there a time delay on the photos? that kind of ruins it does it. and is this fone better than the o2 x1. im gettin the gx20 probably. and i read that u cant turn off the sound for takin pictures which sucks if your in scool or sumtin.
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Reviewed by =-Shane-= from UK on 21st Nov 2003
ive just orderd a sharp gx20 - but im very worried that im goin to pay £400 for this phone, then next month a sharp gx30 comes out, cuz then i wont have the best one. can anyone give me any info if theres a betta version cumin out, n if so will it be that much betta then the gx20? i really dont want to spend that much money on a phone if theres a better one round the corner. =( cant they stop makin phones now n evryone hav a gx20?
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Reviewed by Cora from Cheshire on 21st Nov 2003
After getting my new phone yesterday, I am more than impressed. It just keeps amazing me. The camera is excellent quality and the video is superb. The screen is really clear and the menus seem pretty straight forward. Having a torch is handy for the car late at night and the phone seems so light and nice to hold. It doesn't just look good it lives up to high expectations.
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Reviewed by Swukmale from UK on 20th Nov 2003
It really is as good as everyone says it is here - especially if you have the data cable. Transferring pictures, sounds, SMS messages and phonebook entries to and from your PC is well easy! Pic quality is really good - OK, so not as good as a proper digital camera - but considering it's a phone it's quite amazing! Very usable quality. Tons better than the GX10 I had before - and I thought that was good! The movies are fun too - shame Vodafone can't lift the transfer limit though. One small gripe - it's difficult to read the front (colour!) display without activating the backlight (by pressing the side volume button... you don't have to open the phone like a previous reviewer said). It's only a small gripe though and the other features by far make up for this and more! It would be nice if you could transfer games and MMS messages to and from the PC in addition to the other things also - but never mind, I suppose we can't have EVERYTHING can we! Can we?? I can't wait for the ne xt Sharp - I wonder what that one will do! Make the coffee?
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Reviewed by n/a from n/a on 20th Nov 2003
Can anyone tell me how long the video clips you make urself last as i really need to know. Apart from that it seems like a pretty amazing phone. Also is the pocture quality much better than that on the gx10?
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Reviewed by wayne from england on 20th Nov 2003
rob thanks for advice re the instructions for predictive text, ending with a space. unfortunately it didn't work when i tried it. its forgotten the words again. put a couple in last night. still remembered them this morning, but sometime between this morning and tonight its forgot both again. its got a worse memory than me! ah well guess the stuff it is good at makes up for it.
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Reviewed by wayne from england on 18th Nov 2003
transfered some video clips onto my pc but it doesn't know how to play them. can anyone tell me if i can download software that knows how to play these .3gp video files, and from where? cheers wayne
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Reviewed by Lee from Liverpool on 19th Nov 2003
This is a excellent phone, why? because the quality of the screen, pics and general build is flawless. I have my phone connected to my laptop via usb data cabel to transfer pics, sounds, numbers etc. Also use the GPRS modem on phone to connect to the internet via my infa red port on laptop, the speed I obtain is 115kbps, not broadband but better than old modems! The phone would have been a 5 star if it was'nt for the lack of Calender Reminder option, which I badly need, so had to buy diary to remind me of events! I also find it a bit bulky in trouser pocket. Final thought, buy this phone for hours of entertainment, you will not be disapointed.
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Reviewed by Shane from UK! on 19th Nov 2003
hey, ive wanted gx 20 for about a month now but cant afford to buy from a shop and its not in the lastest cataloge (which lets me pay weekly) so i bought a samsung v200 from it insted an i was so excited bout it coming, but wen it did i wernt too happy. the camera is good an the colour menu is brilliant but texting is soooo hard the space button isent the '0' button like the gx10 (my last phone) its the # button which is very confusing. anyway 3 days after getin my v200 the new cataloge came to my house with a very sexy sharp gx20 sittin on the bak cover - as u mite hav guessed my v200 is already back in its box and ready to be sent back for a transfer - really cant wait to have my gx20 =D cuz my last phone was a gx10 n i luved that to bits. 1 more thing - im hearing so many good things about this phone an i dnt mean to kill the party, but surly there must be some downsides n if there is i'd like to here them - thanx a million
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Reviewed by crazy-guy from geordieland on 18th Nov 2003
amazing phone and even better due to it being unlocked via vodafone themselves.a good £20 but worth it as i can send free mms and get free gprs via my old genie(o2)sim card with unlimited wap/gprs but keep free call allowance of contract sim.only thing is i cant find anything for it other than on vodafone site n i aint payin £5 per tone/java game.any cheaper or even free sites?would advise anyone to buy and am still happy with it after 2 months.email replies to crazy-guy@my.mopilot.com or inbox me if u a user.ta
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Reviewed by Richard Carter from UK on 17th Nov 2003
<====NOT A REVIEW BUT A QUESTION====> In the shop, liked the look of the GX-20 very much - but wondered how bright the screen was in daylight. At present I have a Sony-Ericsson T610, and in bright (or even quite dim) daylight, the screen is completely unreadable. Is the Sharp better than this? Advice welcome . . .
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Reviewed by kAREN from ENGLAND on 17th Nov 2003
To be honest the phone is absolutly pony!Dont buy it.get a 8910i
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Reviewed by Marco from Italy on 15th Nov 2003
Yesterday I got this phone.... well it's not just a phone, it's a jewel!
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Reviewed by Matt from North London on 14th Nov 2003
if i could change on thing.... *thinks* theres nothing to change, its a absolute work of art, i couldnt be more thrilled. i have had a 3g phone and they are NOTHING compared to this, if you dont have one buy it... Camera 10/10 Video 10/10 out off 100 100/100
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Reviewed by Robert from England on 14th Nov 2003
it has a seperate memory 4 mms and sms it can store 150 texts i think but it also stores text's u send! brilliant phone, wicked camera if ne of u r considering buying this and want 2 no more my email is RobertCMorley@msn.com feel free 2 send me an email or add me 2 ur msn messenger!
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Reviewed by sirclarky from uk on 13th Nov 2003
Shane, you should read Sir maggie`s review
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Reviewed by Jonno from United Kingdom on 12th Nov 2003
>>mike: the gx20 has got a sent message box for sms as well as mms but i dont know how many sms it can store because i dont get that many :( lol. I know it can store more than 15 though. >>shane: the t610 is a good phone however the photos are better with the gx20. i used to have a t68i and it was ok. You can download pics to your computer using infrared or a cable. The gx20 doesnt have a radio unfortunately.
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Reviewed by Rob from UK on 12th Nov 2003
To add a word to the dictionary used for predictive text, hold the # key down to turn off the predictive text function, type the word in manually end the word with a space '_' and then turn the predictive text back on by holding down the # key again. If you do not put a space in after the word it will not be added. This must be updated on the next version. Hope that helps...
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Reviewed by mark from scotland on 11th Nov 2003
not bought the fone yet, but went into the car phone ware house today for a demo of the fone and the picture quality is absoulutely superb, the photos are outstanding and the video clips kick ass aswell! i never done much else on the fone, but recognized there was a time delay on the photos which can only be good if ure gettin a photo wi ur pals. menu seems really easy to navigate around and i cant w8 to get this fone for my xmas! the guy showed me something cool aswell, i think he kept the fone on camera mode but turned off the internal screen and used the external screeen for the camera view, i was very impressed. was a little worried about size but if people r walkin by u, they aint gonnanotcie the size wen uve got photos of that quality on it!!! dont even think about thinkin about buyin this fone, go and get it NOW!!!!! from vodafone shops in glasgow on payg, its £400, and same in carphonewarehouse, but if u go onto interactive and sky digital, the phone is £349.99, saving you a good fifty quid that u could use to get tones, pics and java games. get this beast now any comments e-mail me or add to msn messenger abeyptfc@hotmail.com cheers
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Reviewed by shane from UK on 11th Nov 2003
<<<== PLEASE HELP ME! ==>>> rite basicly i have a gx10 and ive broke it, i have contacted the suplier and they sed i can have all of my money back (£389) so i can basicly get which ever phone i want. i need help in deciding which fone i get i like the sound of the gx20 but is there anyway i can conect it to my pc with a cable or sumit? and wheres the radio? if i wernt gonna get this one i'm thinking about either the nokia 5210i or the t610. wat do u think please help =) thanks!
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Reviewed by Mike from UK on 10th Nov 2003
I have the GX10, and that is my baby. Im upgrading soon but i REALLY need to know how many sms it can store in the inbox as the GX10 could only store about 15, which is awful :( does it have a sent messages box for sms instead of just mms? pls email me at mik3ybaby@hotmail.com, it would be much appreciated!
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Reviewed by sakis from greece on 10th Nov 2003
well, i am writing again just to tell that i found the way to transfer my fotos to my pc. With infrared or cable and with the programm (Handset manager) that is in the cd-rom you take with the phone, it s very easy to make the connection and tranfer the fotos. And a last advise: buy this baby... it s the better phone in the market! all my friends are jellus of it.It s amazing... Trust me :)
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Reviewed by Adrian from Australia on 10th Nov 2003
All hail Sirmaggie. You are a beacon in the darkness of review drivel and mis-information! P.S. Sharp is spelled without an 'e', soz ^_^ /
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Reviewed by Martin from Scotland (UK) on 8th Nov 2003
Hey thats 2 reviews I've wrote - Hey and this makes 3! I must really love this phone. Either that or I'm just a geek with nothing to do all day! No really, this is in response to Jamy from France. Thanks for replying about the data cable/infa red dielema. But do you know if you can change the colour of the light that flashes when you recieve a call from Green to any other colour? Thanks in advance, Martin!!!
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Reviewed by sakis from greece on 5th Nov 2003
I' ve just bought this beautiful kai impressive phone.It' s excellent.very good screen and excellent camera! But i can not transfer my fotos to my pc. Anyone knows how? Please help me. My mail is: sakisbax@hotmail.com or answer through this rewiews.Thanks
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Reviewed by Martin from UK on 3rd Nov 2003
In response to the chap earlyer that was wanting to know how or where he can get his GX20 unlocked from Vodafone, the best place to look is on ebay. If you go to ebay you can buy an unlocking cable and the software to do it all for around £6. That seems pretty cheap if you ask me! "HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN"
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Reviewed by Olivio Moura from Portugal on 3rd Nov 2003
I have read all about the GX20, but tell me, beside the pic qualit, why must I not buy the Motorola v525
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Reviewed by canteii cameron from United Kingdom on 2nd Nov 2003
I have'nt got the sharp GX20 but it absolutely looks fantastic. I'm thinking of buying the GX10i on pay as you go but the only thing is it's locked on vodaphone :( email me on fatcat1995@yahoo.co.uk for any info please
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Reviewed by kromez from eng on 2nd Nov 2003
dont let n e 1 tel u n e ting negativ bout dis fone. it is truly the best fone on da market. da pik quality is incredible and the video capturing is a much better quality then the "3" fonez. da only fone on the market dat kan kontest the gx20 in da slightest is the nu samsung e700. but ther is stil no komparison at all. if u r guna get a nu fone, go 2 da vodafone shop and grab dis baby ryt now..n e queries bout da fone,,.. holla at ya boi >>cromezrtw@hotml.com... e-z
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Reviewed by jamy from France on 2nd Nov 2003
great phone no comments. Answering MARTIN you can transfer pics via infra red and cable but it is faster to transfer data, pics, and ringtons via cable. that is all. SHAWN you can unlock your phone at any Vodafone distributor for 30 euros MAX. Or call you provider they will do it for you if you are not on a contract.
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Reviewed by Martin from UK on 1st Oct 2003
"This phone is absolutly fandabaydosey" I've red some of the other reviews and can't understand how anyone can give this phone a low rating. The picture quality is literally AMAZING! And not only that, it has a display of equal quality to display your pictures on. I qwned the Sharp GX10 before this and thought that had a good screen, this just blows it away! I remember when I was reading a review about the GX10 last year when I was about to buy it and it said "The pictures were pretty good and clear to see, but only could ever be used for fun - nothing more!" Well boys and girls the GX20 has turned that statment on its head. The picture quality and resolution is so good its not only just for taking fun snaps that will only remain on your phone, you'll be able to take good quality pic's wherever and whenever then put them on your pc and print them off! Another this I like about the GX20 is that they've slimed it down. The GX10 was great, but slightly chunkey, but the GX20 has (in my opinion) just shaved enough off for it to be slim, sleek and sexy! "MMMMH! just how I like them!"
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Reviewed by Mjcneat from England on 1st Nov 2003
I got this phone today and I can't wait to use it. When I was in the shop with my parents buying it, the assistant gave me a demo of the camera and video recorder. The quality was excellent because of the flash on the phone, which no other mobile has. I felt sorry for all the people buying Samsung E700s. About 10 must of been sold in an hour. They didnt realise that when they get home in the dark, the camera will be inferior to the Sharp GX20!
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Reviewed by shawn from england on 31st Oct 2003
hello i just bought this phone one week ago !! it is amazing mobile but locked on vodafone does anybody know that where can i unlock my lovely gx20 ?? and how much it costs ?? many thanks
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Reviewed by Jason from France on 31st Oct 2003
Well, i just bought the phone and am waiting to get it. Can anybody tell me where the website is for sharp phones (jasonboucher@noos.fr) Thanx
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Reviewed by Martin from Scotland (UK) on 30th Oct 2003
I had taken the time to read through all the reviews for this phone before I decided to buy one, and let me tell you!! "this phone is the dogs boll@cks" If your in 'ANY' doubt about which phone to buy....Let me asure you! "This is the one to go for at the moment" The picture quality just amazes me and as for taking pictures in the dark!! WOW! JUST... WOW! The one thing I would like to know however is how to change the colour of the light that flashes when your recieving a call? And one other thing! Whats the best way of transfering things from your pc to the phone? Cable or infa red? Please let me know, my email is (froggass@hotmail.com) Thanks in advance!!! But hey! I'm not going out on anything but a possative note on this phone! It's superb!!! BUY ONE TODAY!!
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Reviewed by Craig Marduk from Hungary on 30th Oct 2003
I think this is now the greatest phone. The screen is more than outstanding!
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Reviewed by wayne from england on 30th Oct 2003
to add to the fone dictionary problem. the problem isn't teaching the fone new words, its the fone remembering for more than a few hours. according to sharp you teach the fone a new word by going into multitap, writing the word, and then back into intuitive. as advised in a previous review. this does teach it the word. (although so does building the word by staying in intuitive and building it a bit at a time). the problem i got is that anything from a few hours to a day later its forgot what it's been taught. this is my 3rd handset so i doubt its a faulty handset problem. surprised though that nobody else is experiencing the problem. i did have more confidence in the 3rd handset cos after teaching it a word it kept making the following word begin with a capital, so something different was happening, and it seemed to be remembering them. however this stopped after a couple of days and its back to forgetting words after a few hours. guess i just gonna have to live with it
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Reviewed by abey from glasgow,scotland on 29th Oct 2003
not a review as such but i was just wondering if someone who has this phone could e-mail me and tell me the best bits and not so good bits about this phone as im looking to buy it myself. please e-mail me at abeyptfc@hotmail.com or add me to msn messenger witht the same address thankyou
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Reviewed by Antonis from Anorthosis on 29th Oct 2003
I HAVE GX20 FROM 15 SEPT . THE CAMERA AND SOME OTHER FEATURES ARE GOOD but SOME IMPORTANT FEATURES ARE NOT INCLUDED. 1. THE PHONE IS NOT VERY LOUD. 2. THE ALARM IS NOT RINGING WHEN PHONE IS SWITCHED OFF. 3. REMINDER IS NOT RINGING.DOES NOT HAVE OPTIONS FOR REMINDING. 4.NO LOUDSPEAKER. 5. BATTERY LAST ONLY FOR 2 DAYS. AND ITS LOCKED FROM VODAFONE,TOO. FOR THE OTHER OPTIONS ITS A GREAT PHONE TO BUY. --------------------------------------------------------
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Reviewed by Sirmaggie from UK on 26th Oct 2003
Hi Guys and Girls, I feel I have to correct some points in the previous reveiws. You can transfer picture's, ringtones and tunes via infa-red. Just set the infa-red speed on the PC to the same as the phone and use Phone manager v7, its a free download if you dont already have it. Trust me it works and I have done it. It works well and really is very simply. If you can't do it buy a data cable off a website like ebay for around £4, the GX10i cable is exactly the same as GX20. This also goes for car phone chargers which i bought for £1.50. The only thing you cannot transfer is games because this feature is locked by Vodafone. As for adding words to dictionary the phone does it automatically, just turn off predictive (Hold down # key)write the word and turn predictive back on. Hey presto your word is there! The video quality is not DVD quality, but I think 'Craig' (see review below) must have a had pint to many if he has to squint his eyes because it is very good, better than th e 3G phones. The alarm will not switch phone on, buy an alarm clock if you want to wake up in morning!!! Once the novelty has worn off, playing with all the features etc, The battery should be good for two days of normal use. Texting is very, very simple and yes it does take two more clicks than a Nokia; But its not a Nokia its a Sharpe so it is going to be different but it certainly is not difficult in the slightest and gives the option to save without sending with less button presses than a Nokia. It is a great phone, dont let the people here put you off. Well done Sharpe, I for one will not be going back to Nokia. The newest compareable phone is the Samsung E700, while cosmictally it looks better, it is of no comparision as the picture and screen quality is not as good. Happy shopping all and thanks for reading. X
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Reviewed by karim from UK on 21st Oct 2003
i had this phone for 2 weeks now i think it is a great phone. the camera takes some awsome pics.But i still did not try to send my pics to my PC. Can someone tell me if it is possible to do it. Because i know that the GX10i u can only use the phone as a modem.i will give it 4 stars now but if i´m able to download the PICS to my PC i will come back and give it a 5 stars rating. I will really appreciate it if someone can reply to me in his review THANKS.
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Reviewed by Matt from UK on 20th Oct 2003
This phone is proper bo, I tell thee!
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Reviewed by Oscar from Australia on 19th Oct 2003
I have just got the phone today from Vodafone, the camera is really outstanding. Is it possible to send the pics from the phone to my lap-top via infra-red? Can anybody teach me? Thanks!
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Reviewed by paul from uk on 19th Oct 2003
its cool!
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Reviewed by Phil from England on 18th Oct 2003
This phone is outstanding in one respect only - the quality of its pictures. However, using Vodafone's MMS picture messaging, pics taken in High Quality cannot be sent due to the max 30KB limit imposed by Vodafone. This also applies to the Video sending facility. The rest of the phone, texting, ease of use etc is average.
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Reviewed by Grim from UK on 18th Oct 2003
I'd love to give this phone 5 stars but I can't. Ok, so the screen is excellent, the camera is of a decent quality and the general layout is well thought of. There are however a few niggles which disappoint me. firstly, theres only 2Mb of memory, which quite frankly is poor (how about the use of a slot memory card?). Secondly, You don't seem to be able to configure where the shortcut keys shortcut to. Ok, thats no biggie but hey. hmmm, struggling for complaints now. Sod it, buy it. Its the best phone i've ever had and i've owned a few. Seriously, i picked mine up from Phones 4 U in the UK for 70 quid (haggle with them)
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Reviewed by mac from Australia on 17th Oct 2003
Very excellent phone, regarding downloading pictures that is not possible. The only thing you can do with the Infrared port is to upload contacts and pics for wallpaper but i cannot still get the ringtones to upload I think vodafone has locked this function in some way. Overgreat phone, nice change from Nokias. Fast menu, nice screen.
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Reviewed by Craig McDermott from Manchester, UK on 15th Oct 2003
All the hype about this phone i just don't get. Ive been using it a week now and its ok but nothing more than that, i've put my sim back in my 7210 as the GX20 just doesn't do the simple things. Yes the built in camera is good and the games also. What i don't like . . . Text, i'm used to typing then sending my msg with about 2 clicks, on this thing it takes 5 clicks before you can send it, quicker to walk down the pub and speak to them. If your used to Nokia then you won't like the text facility in the sharp, end of story. Alarm, why put a phone in an alarm you can't turn off else the alarm wont work? How stupid is that! Infared port, Vodafone & Sharp have blocked the facility so transfer games/pics/ringtones etc via the port, utter con just so they can make more money! Battery, needs charging every day, no good. No radio. Video, great you can record clips, you just try playing them back and watching them, the quality is dreadful, squint those eyes!
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Reviewed by Karim from UK on 14th Oct 2003
Message regarding predictive text input. New words can be added. When you want to add a word, just type it as normal with the T9 deactivated and the word is automatically added to the dictionary.
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Reviewed by H from Scotland on 14th Oct 2003
There is actually a dictionary cos it remembers things it didn't remember before, such as 'fone'. Though I'm still working out how it does this - maybe try the word in T9 then switch to normal and type it? If anyone works it out please say.
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Reviewed by wayne from england on 13th Oct 2003
is it a bug that i have a prob with the predictive text forgeting what i've taught it - i mean like within a few minutes or so! thought it was the hand-set but i've had it exchanged and get the same thing. the organiser isn't as good as i hoped. the calendar isn't great, i agree about the fone having to be left on and not silent is a pain, (i've got a fone that was only £40 new no contract that is capable of switching itself on), i'm surprised there's no bluetooth, and just as surprised there is no note writing feature included. t68i was a much better organiser. shame it was so full of bugs. but the camera and video stuff is very impressive. particularly not having to be in brilliant lighting to take them. after all we wanna take most in the pub. having a torch on it is a feature that i've always thought would actually come in useful, and does. i would say the most valuable accessory has got to be a spare battery!
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Reviewed by mark from UK on 13th Oct 2003
great phone on the market. the camera is outstanding.
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Reviewed by michael from UK on 13th Oct 2003
Good phone, but u cannot dowload the pics using infra red. u can only use the phone as a modem like the GX10 and GX10i. But overall it is a great phone with a great camera.If anybody was able to download the pics to the PC using infra red please let me know. I´ll be surprised.Thanks.
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Reviewed by Jack Hipperson from England on 11th Oct 2003
This is the best phone ever!! No exeptions!!
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Reviewed by nicky from england on 10th Oct 2003
i can not get picture messages displayed
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Reviewed by john from wales on 10th Oct 2003
Camera is great it has to be said games are fantastic, especially if your use to snake on ur nokia. My two Gripes are only small but important to me: 1.The calendar has no alarm so you cannot use as a reminder-used my nokia 8310 reminder all the time. 2. You can not input any words into the dictionary-damn thing my inglish will be gettin better at this rate
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Reviewed by amy_triptyline from UK on 9th Oct 2003
Can't get better quality screen & photos........ it even has a flash! easy to use & much better than the gx10 as you can now download photos to your pc. i've had a few camera phones & this is the by far the best one out at the moment. oh & you can even make short video clips.
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Reviewed by Graeme from Yorkshire on 9th Oct 2003
This phone is outstanding. I had a problem porting picks but that was resolved by changing the IR port speed on my PC. Tell you something, it turns a few heads this little baby. Hats off to Sharp I say!!!
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Reviewed by Salema from Portugal on 8th Oct 2003
Simply the BEST that the money can buy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by s. nunes from england on 6th Oct 2003
i was worried about changing from a user friendly nokia to a different make, but this sharp is dead easy and certainly not as complicated as it looks. The menus are easy to navigate around. The picture quality is excellent, it has a zoom and the macro works well. You can customise your pictures in various ways which just adds to the fun. Great phone, which looks and feels good and very light..the screen dwarfs the sony/ericsson model..
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Reviewed by Maggie from UK on 1st Oct 2003
reply to C.net. how can you possably review a phone you dont own this is just ridiculous. You can get a blue tooth add-on so you can use the hands free on blue tooth if you require it. i have the phone and it is quite simply outstanding. nuff said!
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Reviewed by james from deen on 1st Oct 2003
great phone so far. It blew my mind
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Reviewed by nik from London, England on 30th Sep 2003
Second non-Scandinavian mobile handset to have owned. Had a Samsung V200 before this. The Samsung started off pretty cool but after a few weeks its inadequecies became apparent eg. very poor battery life (virtually charging every night despite the phone having 2 battreies in the box - pointless having 2 batteries when you couldn't charge the spare!!), naff low light photos and generally grainy photo images, no dictionary for new words during texting, poor texting dynamics e.g. inability of phone to switch automatically to upper case following a full stop (which Sony Ericsson phones do very well and according to other sources so to do the Nokia's!), poor sound earpiece sound quality during conversations, no caller picture id, tendency for phone to stall when selecting camera and many other irks. Basically the Samsung V200 can be described as a gimmick phone! I got tired of the thing and tranfered my contract to someone else who, on the face of it, liked the phone just to get r id of it. Even the girlfired is sick of the phone - got one for her as well as a present!! Then there is the Sharp GX20. This is truely an amazing imaging mobile phone. Great photo quality of varying sizes - the largest being a standard photo size 640x480, decent video recording including sound/audio of between 10-20secs depending on image quality, a flash which is fantastic in total darkness (10 out of 10 for image quality in 100% darkness!), brightness adjust where required, photo id so you can see the image of the caller both on the external and internal display, crystal clear images of your photos on the phones displays, good sound quality during calls, the list is almost endless!! Oh just to remind you that this is a phone!! Basically this phone does everything the Samsung does do and then some!! Good size and weight, legendary Sharp gaming, cool looking device this. As far as qualms go the Sharp GX20 suffers the same fate as the Samsung with regards to a missing dictionary for new words during texting. It also has a basic calender, there is no email POP3 client, no Bluetooth technology, unable to share data with other mobiles via infra red which is annoying - you can only use infra red to share data via a laptop/computer, all of which the Sony Ericsson's and Nokia's do well (when will Far East manufactures learn from their European counterparts and vice versa?)!! All in all you will probably want a phone for more of one thing than the other. For imaging mainly this phone is absolutely the dogs bo*%#cksand I would recommend it to anyone! For business mainly I would go for the Sony Ericsson T610 or P800 or even the now classic T68i. For more acurate star rating, I would give the Sharp GX20 5 out of 5 stars for an imaging and fun mobile phone. For all other applications I would say 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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Reviewed by Brian from England on 29th Sep 2003
This phone is absolutely fantastic!
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Reviewed by james from spain on 29th Sep 2003
I got this phone three weeks ago and it was the biggest mistake i have made so far in buying a phone. yes the pics quality is great and u can personalize the phone. But u cannot donload UR pics to ur PC. So can someone tell me what is the need of having a great camera phone if u cannot download ur favorite pics.I´m really disappointed i had the ericsson T610 even if the camera was not that good i was able to share all informtion between my PC and the phone using BLUETOOTH. It was very easy to download and upload any pics or ringtons. I think ericsson is the best in connectivity because if u dont have bluetooth u got nothing.(no pics, no games, no ringtones, not dat transfer at alllll.If u r going to buy a phone wait for the second generation because the stndard is set an now there is room for improvements. Good Luck
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Reviewed by Maggie from UK on 28th Sep 2003
This is a fantastic phone or should i say camera! its both! Getting it unlocked is easy, quick call to Vodafone and they do it there and then and charge you £20, Now use it on T-Mobile. Three very minor complaints however. its not loud enough for me, in the car, radio going full blast, im getting lot of missed calls (Oh Well)and you get the CD in the box when you buy it but no data cable, whats the point in that! Data cables can be bought online for a fraction of the price they want to charge you in shops, so save yourself some money and have a good look around. second fault is, you cannot download games from phone to PC or visa versa, so if you want games you have to download them at £5 each and when your memory is full delete them and then pay another fiver is you want them again!!! if anyone one finds a way round this please, please do get intouch (richard@itfirst.freeserve.co.uk)No blue tooth although it does have infa-red. Bluetooth headsets will work with a plug in add- on, currently selling for around £80, but why not have it built in, in the first place is beyond me!Apart from these minor points it is the best phone you can own at the moment, and ive had quite a few to compare it with!!! Go buy it, your love it. Take care all happy shoping!
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Reviewed by kari from mark on 27th Sep 2003
It is a great phone but can someone tell me how i can dowload the PICS to my PC using Infra red. Does it work or is there a problem with it like the other sharp versions. Thanks
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Reviewed by Panny from UK on 25th Sep 2003
Had the phone for two weeks now and am thoroughly pleased with it. The camera is excellent and theres enough gadgets on there to keep you entertained for hours. Dream on all you boring Nokia users for quality like this!!! Just a few points though that niggle me are the fact that you cant add an alarm to any of your schedules in the calender and also that the alarm wont go off when the phone is on silent. (Annoying as I like peace when I sleep!!) And finally there is no separate outgoing and incoming call timers as i like to check my minutes for my contract. But thats it other than that a great phone. If anybody got any pointers let me know. (pannyevangelou@aol.com)
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Reviewed by tom from england on 22nd Sep 2003
This phone is amazing. i have never owned a camera phone before and did not think much of the quaility of the pictures, having owned a digital camera i did not see the need for one on my phone, but i was wrong this phone takes better pictures then my camera. The quality is unbeliveable! but the phone does not end there, there is so much you can change on the phone that i cant see how i will ever get board of it. There is only one problem i can see with the phone, when writing a text message in predictive text there is no way to input text into the dictionary which can be a bit anoying.
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Reviewed by JILL from MANCHESTER on 22nd Sep 2003
MESSAGE TO DAVE FROM ENGLAND 15TH SEPTEMBER 2003 REGARDING YOUR QUERY ON THE CONTRAST DIMMING AFTER SOME TIME I WAS TOLD IF YOU EXTEND THE SCREEN??? YOU CAN CHANGE TO TIMERS ON THE CONTRAST SECTION TO ELONGATE THE TIME BEFORE IT FADES AGAIN
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Reviewed by HAZ from UK on 21st Sep 2003
BEST PHONE OUT ON THIS DAY,I HAD THE PANASONIC GD87.HAVING THE SHARP PHONE IS CLASS.LOTS OF EXRAS AND THE CAM IS BLOODY CLASS.THE TEXT SPEED ON IT IS BETTER THAN THE GD87 AND SO IS THE BATTEY LIFE.IT GETS MY TOP MARKS FOR A SHARP PHONE!!
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Reviewed by H from Scotland on 20th Sep 2003
Don't understand what you mean about a bug - you mean how it darkens to save battery? Just press the volume switch at the side. And I totally agree about the disco light thing - the phone has it so why can't we use it? Or can we? (think that's just us being greedy). But anyway, i've been searching for the perfect phone since my Nokia 3310 contract finished 3 years ago and was too unimpressed with every single phone out there because of little niggles such as bad texting, pointless camera (bad quality) but this just has no faults! Not one! I'm so fascinated by it - I can take photo in PITCH black with the torch (i.e flash but it turns into a v.bright torch - press and hold volume button) and photos look the same as my £500 digital camera's quality! I'm fed up of typing but believe me this is the best phone out there, take it from a total perfectionist, it's one of those phones that has tiny things that make all the difference. I thought i'd never stray from buying Nokias but t his has changed my mind.
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Reviewed by adam from uk on 20th Sep 2003
Had the phone less than 9 hours and i can see why there's "all the hype". It's a great phone and easy to use. The picture quality is sometimes better than my digi camera. Waiting now for a hands free kit for the car and i'll be sorted. Buy one you will love it
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Reviewed by Geoff from England on 18th Sep 2003
This is with out doubt the best phone on the market, i had a T68i before this, 6 months ago that was a good phone, this phone makes that phone look as bout as intelligent as a solar powered calculator! picture quality is amazing, and after i got mine i made my girlfriend go and buy one. If you know what i mean. Everything about this phone is excellent, i have no niggles, its my new best friend.
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Reviewed by Carla from London on 18th Sep 2003
This fone is FAB, the picture quality is amazing,the best by far.The integrated flash makes pictures taken at night great quality too. Being used to nokias I found txt messaging easy, every thing on this fone is great except one thing-y does the outer light flash green when the fone rings, regardless of mode, is there anyway to change the colour, like the disco mode for when taking picture and video clips? Buy this fone, it's a must!!!
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Reviewed by Dave from england on 15th Sep 2003
i used to have a t100 and this is much better.better battery life,better screen,downloadable games (pacman and tiger woods is brilliant).camera is good with a flash that doubles up as a torch. only 2 niggles:- a little too light in weight (doesnt feel as solid as t100)and annoying bug when the external screen loses contrast from time to time and have to open and close phone for screen to return to selected contrast.anyone else have this problem? is it just my phone?would like to hear from other owners about this little bug. but overall the best phone ive owned. ps.make sure the network activates the gprs and mms services on the phones as i had to ring up and ask (doh!!)
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Sharp GX20 Links