Toshiba TG01

Overview: Already labelled as a ‘iPhone Slayer’ this
Windows Mobile device has the style, the functionality, and the aesthetics to vie for
the title of most coveted smartphone on the market. And it’s only just been
announced

The Rundown:

If I had to choose one defining feature of
Toshiba’s TG01 it would be a single word answer: hype. Here’s just a glimpse at
some of the headlines following the device’s announcement at Mobile World
Congress:

“Toshiba’s TG01 Challenges iPhone 3G” –
Information Week

“Toshiba’s iPhone-slayer: TG01 touchscreen
smartphone debuts” – ZDNet Blog

“Toshiba TG01 unveiled: Faster, slimmer,
better screen than iPhone” – Eletricpig

But you just can’t out do a mother’s praise:

The TG01 will “revolutionise the mobile
entertainment world” – Toshiba

Well, only time will tell if the TG01 will
live up to its publicity, it’s hard not to get excited. First off it has a
whopping 4.1 inch screen that displays as an impressive 800×480 resolution. I
remember when that was the max setting for my old CRT monitor. Times they are
a’changing. The TG01 also sports a resistive, rather than capacitive, touch
screen and will be shipping with a stylus. But this is about the only area that
Toshiba doesn’t at least attempt to outdo Apple.

Take for instance the apparent lack of an
accelerometer. Rather than emulate something the iPhone has become quite
ubiquitous for (think of all those tilt-gaming commercials you’ve seen lately),
Toshiba is going down a different path with the G-sensor. This nifty bit of
engineering has nothing to do with bedroom antics and everything to do with
bringing gestures to your hand (okay, maybe those two things are a little too
similar). By setting up a central ‘pivot’ point the G-sensor then senses
vertical and horizontal tilting along that axis, allowing for gesture controls
such as wrists flicks to answer and hang-up the phone.

Moving right along, the 1GHz Snapdragon
chipset ensures the TG01 has the edge on the iPhone 3G in the processor
department. It’s also thinner than the iPhone (9.9mm vs. iPhone’s 12.3mm) and
it has the coveted expandable memory (whereas in Apple land memory is the
primary currency).

Are you hyped yet? Well, one quick way to
deflate hype is with an inflated price and no details were released on that
front. Another way to alleviate hype? It ain’t due until summer…and that’s just
the Europe launch!

The Specs:

Outside:

• Dimensions: 130 x 71 x 9.9 mm
• Display: 4.1-inch 800×480 VGA
• Resistive touchscreen
• LED Backlight
• Stylus

Inside:

• Platform: Windows Mobile 6.1

• Processor: 1GHz Snapdragon chipset

• Camera: 3.2 megapixel

• Accelerometer: G-sensor

• Connectivity: microUSB, HSDPA 3G, AGPS or
  GPS, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetoot
• Memory: microSD (512mb standard, expandable
  to 32GB)
• Headphone Socket: No.
• On-screen keyboard

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Steve | My Bio & Articles

Steve is a self-confessed gadget addict with a soft spot for all green gizmos. He has a BA in English Literature and is currently completing his MA in Communication and Rhetoric.