Sharp
770SH McLaren Mercedes

In 2006 Vodafone resolved to exit the Japanese market and sell its assets to Softbank. This saw Softbank defocusing European influences on handset design making the decision to focus exclusively on its domestic market. As collaborations with the Vodafone Group came to an end, the 770SH was the last Japanese-inspired feature phone intended for Vodafone's European markets. On the outside, the 770SH resembled its 705SH Japanese cousin, but a closer inspection reveals a different external display, and a lower 1.3Mpx camera compared to the 2Mpx module with dual focus modes found on the 705SH. Vodafone's trump card was its McLaren Special Edition, which was made available exclusively for Europe. Only the 770SH and GX29 received the honour of a McLaren make-over, and they featured unique exterior and customised firmware, not unlike Vodafone's Ferrari edition seen on the 902SH and GX25. In terms of specs, the 770SH delivered relatively low-end capabilities of miniSD card support, a 1.3Mpx "no-frills" camera and basic MP3 and Video player. Information courtesy of Christian Legere, the author of The Flipside Story.