(Telecompaper) Japanese mobile operator Softbank has partnered with compatriot firm Sharp to deliver low-cost smartphones in Japan and the US, The Wall Street Journal reports. The first smartphone developed by the two firms is dubbed the Sharp Aquos Crystal and will be offered in the US market by mobile carrier Sprint, owned by Softbank. Sharp said that the 5-inch Aquos Crystal will be released in Japan on 29 August and then later in the US market. The device runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system and features a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 8 GB of internal storage.