The Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) TG01’s slim profile, huge touchscreen display, and powerful Snapdragon silicon make it a Windows Mobile smartphone to be reckoned with. Barely unveiled, the Toshiba TG01 has already climbed to the top of our must-watch list. In fact, the TG01 could very well tread on turf carved out by the iPhone and iPhone 3G.

Toshiba has today posted their own official video of the Toshiba TG01 in all its hihg-end glory. We’ve already seen the Toshiba TG01 doing its multimedia-thing on video, but there’s nothing like an official Toshiba TG01 video straight from Toshiba themselves.

The video above doesn’t really tell us anything new about the Toshiba TG01. We already knew it came in at an impressively thin 9.9mm. We knew about the custom Windows Mobile 6.1 UI overlay. The Snapdragon internals running a 1Ghz CPU isn’t a surprise. Still, it’s nice to see the sleek handset in high-quality video.

Qualcomm has finally made it to market with its heralded system-on-chip Snapdragon chipset. The Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) TG01 has just been announced as the iPhone-trumping Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone packing a 1Ghz Snapdragon QSD2850 in an impressively slim and stylishly curved 9.9mm-thick package. The Toshiba TG01 features a 4.1-inch WVGA resistive (pressure-sensitive) touchscreen display with 800 x 480 resolution that should give even the monster-display on the HTC Touch HD. And, with a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM radio, 3G (HSPA) data connectivity, WiFi, microSDHC card slot (up to 32GB) and A-GPS rounding out the feature set, the Toshiba TG01 proves to be a real powerhouse of a smartphone.

The Toshiba TG01’s Snapdragon chipset, with a dual-core processor that crams a 1Ghz ARM core next to a 600Mhz DSP core, should make quick work of near-HD video encoding and playback. The display features the color matching, dynamic gamma correction and LCD backlight control technologies that we’re used to seeing in Toshiba’s HDTVs, lending to the TG01’s multimedia prowess.

The TG01 employs a customized GUI (graphical user interface) that rides atop Windows Mobile 6.1 much like HTC’s TouchFLO 3D UI. The TG01’s home-brew UI is intended for one-handed use and relies heavily on the same sideways-sliding finger inputs that have been so popular with the iPhone OS and HTC TouchFLO 3D UI. Unfortunately, the resistive touchscreen gets low marks from Slashgear for its gaming potential, or lack thereof.

The Toshiba TG01 should give Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) some serious competition for the multimedia throne that the iPhone has so deftly captured. The blazing 1Ghz processor complemented with 600Mhz of dedicated DSP processing power endows the TG01 with laptop-like computing power that will likely have the folks in Cupertino rethinking their iPhone strategy.

We’ll be looking forward to getting some face-time with the Toshiba TG01 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, stay tuned!

Take a look at the video for a look at the Toshiba TG01’s GUI in action.

[Via: Slashgear]

If SanDisk can do it, so can Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF). As a matter of fact, today the Japanese company announced that they will start producing 16GB microSDHC cards in January 2009.

At the same time, Toshiba announced new SDHC cards of 8GB and 16GB, with production of these set to start in December of this year.

All of the new SDHC memory cards comply with the SD memory standard version 2.00, while the SDHC cards announced support class 6 ultra fast read/write speed, delivering a maximum write speed of 20MB per second.

Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Toshiba G450 – a diminutive little device that is multi-functional – which is a bit of an understatement!

The G450 works as a USB memory stick, an mp3 player, a mobile broadband modem, and a phone! Of these, might I suggest that the primary uses would be the modem, followed by the phone (as a backup). Not that the mp3 player is bad per se, just that virtually everyone has one already.

So, how does it all work? Well, unboxing is quick process, where you need to insert the battery, and then add an appropriate SIM (which by the way should have unlimited 3G access associated with it, or at least a high-ish monthly allowance). After charging for a while, you are ready to go!

The G450 is larger than your average modem-only USB dongle, as there is a dual rotary-layout keypad on one side – plus a screen. The two-line display could have been a disaster, but Toshiba has made good use of the available screen estate, and once you work out the power switch/rocker and volume rocker are the navigation keys, things are really quite simple.

I set up the device as a modem first of all, because that’s the primary use I would have for this product. Unfortunately I ran in to some errors whilst installing the software, which is a shame – but I should mention that I believe these to be related to my PC, because on trying a second PC, things went without issue. At this point I should also note the installation files are drawn from on-board the device, meaning CDs etc are not needed – a nice touch.

When I got the modem up and running, I connected to O2 (NYSE: TEF)’s network, at a very respectable 2.7Mbps. I browsed the InterWeb, and did a VPN dial-up, all of which the G450 handled admirably. The status monitor SW on the PC reported back and allowed a manual disconnect, which is exactly the kind of minimal interference I would want from any management software. The G450 PC software also runs in the system tray as a process (on Windows PCs) which is kind of useful given you might be using the dongle extensively.

As for the phone capability, it’s pretty decent – I checked out some texting (manageable, although they key layout hurt my head!), and also did a couple of calls. As a backup phone, this device is superb, due to it’s small size and good battery life. Oh, and on the note of battery life, the G450 charges each time it is connected to the PC – another excellent design cue.

Overall then, this device is excellent – I was impressed that it serves the main function I would want, along with providing a backup in case my phone fails for whatever reason. I didn’t really use the memory function of the device, since apparently it doesn’t have too much capacity (160Mb) – and mp3 player was redundant for me since I having Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) providing my on-the-move music! By the way, formats handled for the music player actually extend to MP3, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+.

For those of you out there not wanting to go for an operator specific dongle, and wanting something well-engineered, I’d recommend this device – it’s out in the UK for about £140, which I think is very reasonable considering it’s multiple functionalities.

Check out Toshiba’s webpage on the G450 here.

Thanks very much to Sharon at Toshiba for the loan of the G450!

Get me at a bargain price!

My fave online retailer, Expansys has some cracking deals on Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) Mobile devices this Friday. These deals are available on Friday the 31st of October 2008 between 11am and 4pm, but they are GOOD – saving between £55 and £130!

My preferred choice is their great little 3G-memory-mp3 player-modem, the G450 – and for an offer price of £99.99, who is arguing!

If you want to take a look at the offers in more detail, follow the link here.

Toshiba is really pushing their direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology recently. Coming off of their DMFC demonstration at CTIA Las Vegas 2008, Toshiba brought their liquid methanol-based fuel cells at CEATAC. Using liquid methanol, Toshiba’s DMFC power packs convert energy-packed carbohydrates into freely flowing electrons capable of powering your device for about twice as long as a similar sized battery pack – leaving behind water and air as its by-products.

The Toshiba DMFC fuel cells in their prototype mobile phones were capable of powering the handset for six hours, compared to just three or four hours of up-time with a traditional battery pack. A Toshiba rep stated that a 50 mL bottle of liquid methanol should be good for 15 refills, which means that about 3.3 mL of liquid methanol is enough to power the phone for twice as long as comparable batteries.

The direct liquid methanol fuel cell technology shows promise now, just as it did earlier this year in Las Vegas. Toshiba expected to see their DMFC technology go live by the end of this year or early next year – but it’s looking like an early-2009 debut of the DMFC technology is more likely.

[Via: PCWorld]

When does a Windows Mobile 6.0-powered smartphone with a WVGA display sporting the highest pixel density of any VGA smartphone on market? When the list of cons far outweighs what little benefit you could hope to get from a gloriously crisp WVGA display, that’s when.

The Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) Protege G910 is apparently just such a smartphone. PocketNow scored a Toshiba Protege G910 of their very own and they put it through the ringer. The end result? A smartphone with more potential than punch.

The WVGA display is basically as good as it gets in the mobile world, the full QWERTY keyboard offers delectable tactile response, and the assortment of aGPS, WiFi, and HSDPA make for a seriously competent handset. Add to that a dose of OLED, and you’ve got the makings of an incredible Windows Mobile 6.0 smartphone.

That is, until you consider the laggy performance, the lack of USB 2.0 support, a laggy keyboard, lack of WM6.1 (unacceptable at this point in the mobile space), and cheap materials. Add to that the sub-par camera, huge size, almost useless fingerprint security, too-dim display, and the minuscule external OLED display, and you’ve got the makings for one of the biggest disappointments of 2008.

I had a chance to handle the Protege G910 at MWC 2008 Barcelona, and it does indeed feel bulky. The display is nice, and the keyboard felt quite responsive. But, as the saying goes, “you can’t win the race on heart and good intentions alone.” Okay, I just made that up.

Head on over to PocketNow to check out their full review of the fantastically disappointing Toshiba Protege G910.

Check out the unboxing video below.
[Via: PocketNow]

Images from PocketNow 

There’s a trend among Windows Mobile smartphone makers – everyone and their mama is making custom user interfaces that sit on top of the Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s mobile OS. We’ve seen HTC and Gigabyte doing it, and Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) will rollout its own UI with the Xperia launch.

Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) doesn’t want to miss the boat, but they don’t have their own solution. Hence, they’re licensing Spb Software’s apps to enhance the user experience on its Portégé G810 smartphone. The end result is the newly created Toshiba Touch UI which combines Spb Mobile Shell, a customized version of Spb Full Screen Keyboard, the Spb Pocket Plus smart scrolling component, and other Windows Mobile customization enhancements.

As a fan of Spb Software’s apps, I’ve no doubts the G810’s UI look stunning. However, it’s the QVGA and not VGA screen that’s a deal breaker for me for the Portégé G810. I just don’t get why Toshiba hasn’t used a better screen…

According to Akihabara, Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF)’s iPhone-fightin’ Portégé G810 will be released on June 20th. In terms of specs, the all-touchscreen device is pretty much identical to the HTC Diamond, but fails to deliver the VGA resolution on its 2.8-inch display — it uses QVGA (240×320 pixels), instead. There’s also WiFi, GPS (and A-GPS support), Bluetooth, FM radio, HSDPA/HSUPA, and a microSD memory expansion slot. Windows Mobile 6.1 with some custom UI on top of it is running the show.

I’m not too excited about the Portégé G810. Devices like the Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) XPERIA, HTC Diamond/Touch Pro, Samsung i900 Omnia, some Gigabyte nad E-ten’s models have raised the bar in the Windows Mobile world. QVGA is not enough, any more.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

Toshiba’s presence at CTIA Las Vegas 2008 was almost non-existence. Their booth was tiny, they didn’t have much to show, and their booth reps didn’t speak an English. All in all, the Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) booth experience was dismal.

But, that doesn’t mean that Toshiba didn’t have anything cool to show. On display at their booth was the company’s methanol fuel cell technology. The “Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cell” is basically a liquid-methanol-powered fuel cell that strips electrons from the Methanol as it leaks out as air. The stripped electrons are used to power the device.

Toshiba was displaying a prototype handset and a portable battery charger fitted with the Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cell technology. The booth rep was able to say that the technology was slated to go live late this year or next year – seemingly the only bit of English he was trained to use.

The fuel cells can be re-filled with liquid methanol that comes packaged in squeezable plastic bottles. It’s an interesting alternative energy source for handsets, but the viability of toting around extra stores of methanol is questionable. Still, an a “greener” age, we can’t wait for Toshiba to launch their Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cell technology.