Sharp Basio 2
Sharp has come up with a rather
unorthodox smartphone offering, likely limited to its home Japanese market.
Looking at the specsheet alone there's nothing all that spectacular about the
Basio 2 SHV36 (except perhaps its name) - a 5-inch 720p IGZO display,
Snapdragon 617 chipset with an octa-core CPU, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage
make for a run of the mill midranger.
After a glance at the photos though, it
immediately becomes evident that the Basio 2 is no ordinary smartphone. While
it does run Android 6.0 Marshmallow, its control arrangement has little in
common with the standard Back/Home/Recent setup. Okay, the Home button is
there, but you get Phone and E-mail buttons on its either side, all three of
them physical.
The two give quick access to the dialer
and call log, and emails and text messages, respectively, and also feature
built-in LEDs for notification. On top of that, literally, the bottom portion
of the display can be reserved for three shortcuts to frequently used contacts.
Another software feature is a built-in magnifier, and by now, it should've
gotten clearer who the Basio 2's target audience is.
The peculiarities continue on the back,
where the 13 MP camera is protected by a sliding cover - like in the good old
days. The LED flash is on the outside though, presumably to be used as a
flashlight when the camera is covered. Additionally, there's a physical shutter
button.
Another important feature is the
IP55/IP58 certification for protection from the elements. Those curious bits
aside, the phone comes with standard connectivity options, including Cat. 6
LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, and Bluetooth v4.2. The battery powering things is a 2,810 mAh
unit. The Sharp Basio 2 SHV36 will be available starting August 5 in three
colors - blue, red and gold.
