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Cons:
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Unfortunately, much of the navigation in the phone depends on the multi-purpose 'M' button, which frequently fails to fulfill its intended purpose - and the user interface also consistently requires too many clicks to perform even the simplest tasks. It does benefit the user in gaining an overview of the phone functions, but that advantage is lost by the amount of time spent actually getting to where you want to be.
The Service
Vodafone live! is very similar to the i-mode service that e-plus offers in Germany. Still, it is an evolution, not a revolution since what Vodafone does is to take its WAP pages, add color, billing for third parties and a few other features. Of course, things are more complex than how they were just described, but Vodafone live! is still just a small step up from today's harsh reality. On a positive note, Vodafone has done very well with presenting the customer with an integrated view of the live! roster of services.
 | Billing is all good and well, but not when it gets in the way of finding out what services one would like to subscribe to
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As part of the live! service, Vodafone has also created something called MeinVodafone (or MyVodafone, in English), which is can be reached through a live! subscriber's phone and through a browser on his or hers computer. MeinVodafone gives users access to previously downloaded applications and ring tones, as well as to a few other services such as Vodafone’s Instant Messaging application. The IM tool is accessible via the live! service, WAP and an ordinary web browser, as well as through a PC client - but it's a proprietary solution, which only allows you to chat with other Vodafone users.
With the three phones they offer, including the Sharp GX-10, the Panasonic GD-87 and the Nokia 7650, the overall package is good. Users get SMS and MMS, as well as an e-mail client with some of the phones, and in addition all current phones offer GPRS and great color displays. The services portal is impressive, and gives users access to a number of content streams.
There are, however, some initial problems. Although MMS messages can be sent off to e-mail addresses, replying to these does not work currently - which is quite important, as the entire concept of messaging is based on interactivity. Another gripe is that although introducing the concept of billing to content services is a healthy move, there needs to be some free content available to entice users. On the live! portal, we were unable to find one single content source that could be accessed without having to buy a monthly subscription first - which is something you won't even encounter in the real world.
What Vodafone has strived to make easily available, though, is ringtones and images - although they're a bit pricey. Gamers might rather want to spend that money on any number of games, selling for just below 4 EURs a pop. Downloading these proved to be very easy and worked like a charm, resulting in both applications and ringtones appearing in the MyDownloads folder on MeinVodafone.
Availability
The Sharp GX-10, bundled with the Vodafone live! service available is available through Vodafone in Germany for 199 EUR (includes a 24-month contract). Prices in other countries where Vodafone offers live! vary.
Conclusion
The combination of the Sharp GX-10 and Vodafone live! is a great package. It's not quite where it ought to be yet, but the low price of 222 EURs weighs up for some disadvantages and overall gives you amazing bang for the buck. It's a fun phone. It's a fun service. Just remember; it's not for business people. And to top it all off, Vodafone in Germany is at the time of review giving away a number of free MMS messages per month as a special introductory offer - making it even more fun.
- What's positive: Well-rounded phone/service combination, great display, integrated camera, color live! service, nice price
- What's negative: Phone menu inconsistencies, no e-mail client, images only transferable per MMS, poor keypad, lacking content preview
Overall: 
Price and availability
The will start selling for TBA () in November 1999.
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