Sharp PW-SB1 Review

Think days of electronic diaries are gone? Well, Sharp still believes there is a decent market for the digital diaries, and today they have launched PW-SB1. It boasts a LCD display that can be rotated 360 degrees, and can be used as slate tablet by turning the keyboard on the back. Priced at 40,000 yen (~ USD 384), it features a higher resolution display compared to its predecessors and much more roomy keyboard.

Sharp PW-SB1 review specs

Here are its Sharp PW-SB1 specs at a glance

Display    5.2-inch color
Number of dots    800 × 480 dots
Power    Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Operating time    About 50 hours
Extension    microSD, USB, Blaine library
Body size (including protrusions)    152.4 × 96.5 × 18.8mm (height x  width × depth)
Weight    About 295 grams (including batteries)

Sharp PW-SB1 specs

This is how it looks like when it is in tablet mode. In this mode, the keys of keyboard are disabled to avoid unwanted input.

It comes with a PDF viewer, Adobe Reader LE 2.5 to be exact. The Sharp PW-SB1 handled big PDF files just fine.

Sharp PW-SB1 Review

Calculator app is also included. Tax consumption mode is also there. Voice recoding app comes pre installed on it. It is not very feature rich but records sounds well.

Sharp PW-SB1 Review Verdict

While this Sharp digital diary tries to make electronic diaries relevant again, it stands no chance against modern tablets or even cheap Chinese tablets. Its proprietary operating system coupled with not-so-comfortable portrait mode prevents us in recommending it to an average Joe or a businessman. Its 5.2 inch display packs WVGA resolution, which is so 2008. Smatphones these days pack full HD resolution while remaining incredibly pocketable form factors.

[via pcwatch]