Sharp is releasing a new smartphone in Japan intended to nullify the impact of the arrival of RIM's Blackberry over there in the autumn.
The new phone features a slide-out qwerty keyboard for e-mail writing and similar tasks, putting it in direct competition with the Blackberry. While Blackberrys have grown to be loved (and simultaneously loathed) across the west, some aren't so sure that RIM's little gem will make a massive impact in Japan.
According to Reuters, Sharp's Junko Nakagawa said at a press conference that their "product is the Japanese BlackBerry" and that they "don't yet consider it our competitor in the Japanese market". Confident words from the firm, there.
Of course, part of the problem is that Smartphones aren't actually a raving success over in Japan. Existing handsets are so advanced in their capabilities, compares to what we have over here, that many don't see the need for smartphones.
When the Blackberry hits Japan it'll be available with NTT DoCoMo, but Reuters say the device is believed not to have an OS that supports displaying Japanese symbols yet. Still, Japan's PDA market is growing, so perhaps the Blackberry will eventually take off over there.
