Background and Identification
Sharp Corporation is a Japanese corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Since 2016, Sharp has been majority-owned by Foxconn Group, a Taiwan-based company. Sharp has manufactured LCD panels, solar panels, mobile phones, audio-visual entertainment equipment, cash registers, microwave ovens, video projectors, Multi-Function Printing Devices, CMOS and CCD sensors, and flash memory.
In November 2000, the first commercial camera phone was produced by Sharp for the Japanese market. More recent Sharp products include the ViewCam, the Ultra-Lite notebook PC, the Zaurus personal digital assistant, Sidekick 3, and the AQUOS flat-screen television. Sharp’s phone line has included feature phones and smartphones.
The term “feature phone” refers to phones that retain physical buttons and controls as opposed to having a touchscreen interface. Feature phones have simple user interfaces, unlike the complicated Android or iOS operating systems we see in smartphones. Even though the phrase “feature phone” today has a somewhat negative connotation, “feature phone” used to refer to high-end phones that included features beyond just texting and calling. Oh, how times change. Feature phones are often smaller and thicker than modern smartphones. They have physical buttons with small displays.
Sharp has produced a long line of smartphones under the “Aquos” name. Sharp Aquos smartphones include the name “Aquos” in capital letters in the center of their rear backing. Sharp smartphones that are not under the Aquos name generally include the name “Sharp” in capital letters in the center of their rear backing.