Toshiba TG01 Windows Phone with Desktop Performance ?
July 7, 2009 by Remo Knops
Filed under Windows Phones
Yesterday I was checking the Microsoft Windows Mobile Training website to see if there were any new courses available. A new “course” about the Toshiba TG01 Windows Phone was added, which reminded me of some great video’s of games and other 3D-animations back at MWC 2009.
Toshiba has an interactive website in 6 (!!) different languages, which let you discover the unique- and key-features on the Toshiba TG01. Furthermore yu can download a specificationlist of this powerhouse, and an overview of the available Toshiba TG01 accessoiries is shown. Let’s have a quick overview on the unique features of this Windows Phone !
Cinematic Screen in a Breathtaking Device
“The Toshiba TG01 has dramatic good looks, and is breathtakingly thin at only 9.9 mm. It features a remarkable 4.1-inch cinematic screen, which includes Toshiba REGZA flat-screen TV technology for a phenomenal movie watching experience. The engine that powers this stunning device is a super fast Qualcomm QSD8250 1 GHz processor, which means its performance matches its looks.” [ref01]
I thought that the HTC Snap reviewed here was a very thin device with its 11.9 mm thinkness, however the Toshiba TG01 is almost 2 mm. thinner. I think this results in a very cool design, because the Toshiba TG01 features a very large 4.1″ WVGA screen, with the above mentioned Toshiba REGZA technology.
Remarkably is also the fresh new userinterface on the Toshiba TG01. Additional pictures and a video published on Engadget Mobile provide additional insights into this userinterface and additional features on the Toshiba TG01.
Very cool that flat-screen TV techonology is also applied in mobile devices now, but this is probably one of the reasons that the games and annimations run very smooth. Remarkably is also the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which runs at a clockspeed of 1 GHz (!!). This seems to bring an almost desktop-like performance to a Windows Phone.
Gesture Operation
“When you’ve got your hands full, the TG01’s motion sensor will read your gestures and respond. This means you can shake the phone to take a call, or tilt it left and right to flick between open applications or move through web pages.” [ref01]
When we saw the introduction of motion sensors for the first time on the Apple iPhone, it is also common on Windows Phones and remark the game Teeter game on several HTC devices. Matthew Miller wrote a nice article about this game.
However Toshiba introduced new applications of the motion sensors, taking a phone call of move through webpages. I don’t know if it’s functional in practice, but it’s definitly great that manufacturers are taking different approaches and applications to use technology in other ways.
High-Speed Mobile Internet Just Like Your PC
“The TG01 with Internet Explorer Mobile 6 delivers full Flash support for a true mobile internet experience. Incorporating Internet Explorer technology from the PC, the TG01 lets you browse, pan and zoom across your favourite web pages, just like on your home PC. Access all your social networks and instant messaging, as well.” [ref01]
During the keynote of Microsoft during MWC 2009, a new version of the Internet Explorer for Windows Mobile announced. And because the Toshiba TG01 features a large 4.1″ WVGA screen, the device is perfectly suited as a multimedia and connected device.
This new browser is based on Internet Explorer 6 for Windows and let’s you therefor complete more transactions on the web than ever before.
Article update
Arne Hess from the::unwired has published some articles with video’s as well as pictures about the Toshiba TG01. Furthermore has Leigh Geary from coolsmartphone published an article that Orange will offer the Toshiba TG01, based on an Orange press release !
Overall wrap up
Let me first thank the team behind the Windows Mobile Training website for adding a “course” about the Toshiba TG01 to the training programs. If you want to broaden your knowledge about Microsoft Windows Mobile, you can simply register with your Windows Live ID.
I think that this device will be a great multimedia device, with a gorgeous WVGA screen and blazing performance with the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1 GHz. If you remind the great games and animations from the introduction I think this device will open up new opportunities. I think this device could also be perfectly suited as a kind of “ebook reader”, and reminds a little of the HP iPAQ HX4700.
While the Toshiba TG01 might be designed in the line of device a-la the HTC Touch HD, Toshiba really put some great and unique features into the product, as well as some cool improvements on the user interface. Please check also a size comparison on mobilitysite of the Toshiba TG01 and the Apple iPhone !
It’s good that other manufacturers bring devices to the mobile market, to give the end user choice in terms of performance or formfactor, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this device and get a look and feel of the graphics and speed !
