Sharp 904SH, Toshiba 911T both unlocked but far from perfect

For those who remember the all-awesome Sharp 903 launched years ago, we all miss the sweet 3.2MP CCD camera with 2x optical zoom. Since it was able to be unlocked at that time, we expected all Sharp phones to be unlockable as well… Wrong! Those who had paid $500 for the unusable Sharp 904SH started re-selling them at $250 on ebay because there had been no luck at all in getting the phone to work outside Japan.

Good news is that the Sharp 904SH has finally been unlocked, using a method similar (HyperSIM) to the first iPhones, i.e. your SIM would require some alteration in order to work with the phone. How? Commercial secret.

So far people have managed to get the 904SH to make/receive calls, send/receive SMS, and use the rest of the non-phone functions (with the exception of electronic money and GPS). No luck yet with sending MMS, using APGS or getting online. Just in case you’re still lusting for that 3.2MP CCD module and sweet 2.4″ VGA screen (yes, VGA), bring $520 and your SIM card to Hong Kong to get one.

As for the Toshiba 911T, the 3.0″ WVGA screen is even more awesome… but the phone will only work on 2.1Ghz WCDMA networks (North American bands are not supported), so it is out of question if the place you live is not well covered. The most important features such as One-Seg DMB, A-GPS and electronic money will not work outside Japan. Good thing is that you would not need to have your SIM card altered (viz 904SH), so if you are still interested, wire $400 to a Hong Kong swing. —Sam Chan