Toshiba, Sharp Plan to Market SmartPhones Overseas

Toshiba Corp and Sharp Corp are rekindling their desire to make inroads in the United States and Europe with their versions of smartphones – multi-featured, computer-like mobile phones.

Toshiba introduced a smart phone with large-screen LCD monitor and keyboard in Europe.

Sharp is considering doing the same in the United States.

Japanese phones have practically no presence in these markets at present.

The Japanese phone makers think they can grab a share in the high-end handset market because, well, Japan can do things

better and when people spend money, they want the best.

Toshiba has a handset that it sells for 70,000 yen that runs on Windows Mobile that it wants to sell to Europe.

Sharp has a 3G smartphone capable of exchanging videos and other data at high speed.

Problem is….America's infrastructure cannot yet keep up with what Japan's 3G phones can do.

Sharp already supplies T-Mobile 26 cellphones.

Would you buy a Japanese handset if they were available in your country?