Cellphones

Sharp’s AQUOS SH-06D will most probably never leave the Land of The Rising Sun. That doesn’t stop us, however, from lusting after its 4.5-inch. This 720p display also manages 3D, spread across a slinky 10mm frame that houses NTT DoCoMo’s recently launched NOTTV streaming broadcast system. The device arrives in pink, white and blue options — all provided with a matching dock and built-in aerial. Like several eastern phones with the ability to tune into live TV broadcasts, the AQUOS SH-06D has its own extendable antenna built into the side. The device, despite its largely plastic build felt solid in our hand, although the minuscule power and volume buttons proved difficult to manipulate at times. The screen technology is still a closely guarded secret, but it aims to bring both 3D functionality alongside a crisp HD display performance during two-dimensional antics. Viewing angles are great — a welcome trend we’ve seen on plenty of handsets at this year’s MWC — but the heavily customized Android 2.3 skin took away some of that sheen. Applications are stowed away into several drop-down menus that took some getting used to — regardless of any language barrier. Sharp hasn’t revealed any plans to join its Japanese competitors in the frenzied global smartphone market, but some import options wouldn’t go amiss. See why in our hands-on right after the break.