Review: Sharp FX
The FX is a cross between the Sharp-made SideKicks and the Motorola-made SideKick Slide. It loses the trick, swing open screen that the SideKicks had, and instead uses a slider form to reveal the QWERTY keyboard underneath. Anyone who's ever held any sort of SideKick will immediately see the family resemblance. Too bad that includes the SideKick's faults, too.
Take the phone's size, for example. The length and width are fine, but the FX's depth makes it a bulky handset. It's also heavy. The sides and back are covered with a soft-touch paint job, which helps it feel smooth in your hand, but that doesn't take away from the girth. Fit and finish were also less fine than I'd like. The slider was very loose, and I noticed a lot of play in the top half of the phone. Loose parts don't inspire much confidence.
There are three physical buttons on the front of the FX, all placed below the display. There are Send, Back/Menu, and End/Power keys. All three have good travel and feedback, and are offset from the surrounding surface so that it is easy enough to find them.
The left side houses a volume toggle, microUSB port and 3.5mm headset jack. The volume toggle feels good and works well. I had no problems with the hatch covering the microUSB port. A 3.5mm headset jack is always nice to have.
On the right, you'll find the lock key and dedicated camera button. Both have excellent travel and feedback.
To get at the keyboard, slide open the FX and you'll find keys tucked in between two high shoulders on either side. Depending on how big your thumbs are and your own personal typing style, these shoulders may get in the way. I found them to be only slightly annoying, but not a deal-breaker.
The keyboard itself is comprised of four rows. Each key is shaped like a miniature mound and they each stand out enough to make them easy to find and use. The period and comma get their own keys, as does ".com." It's too bad that the FX doesn't throw a dedicated "www" or "@" key in the mix as well. You have to use the shift key to get at the "@" symbol. The keyboard also includes direction keys for on-screen navigation, though with the touch display, I barely made use of them other than for editing text.
The microSD port is buried under the battery cover, but thankfully not the battery itself. The back plate snaps off easily.
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Sharp FX
