Less than twenty-four hours ago we were waiting to see the TG01 unveiled (albeit already knowing what was coming); now Orange’s latest exclusive is on our desk waiting for its full SlashGear review. At first glance, this smartphone is a whole heap of superlatives: biggest touchscreen, thinnest Windows Mobile device, first to market with Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon CPU; check out our video unboxing and UI overview after the cut
Unboxing video after the cut
As you’ve probably seen, Orange launched the Toshiba TG01 today, and SlashGear went along to the launch event 31 floors above the city of London. There’s not much about this smartphone we didn’t already know – after all, we were also there in February when it officially debuted – but today was an opportunity to play with the Orange branded version and the latest firmware. Read on for our first impressions, plus a hands-on gallery, video demo, and comparison shots with what up until now has been the Windows Mobile heavyweight, HTC’s Touch HD.
Hands-on video demo after the cut
We’re not sure whether Orange have scooped Toshiba in advance of their event later on today, or this is all carefully planned, but the carrier has announced it will exclusively be offering the Toshiba TG01 from July 10th. Already on sale with Orange France, the UK version of the handset will be priced from free with a £39.15 ($63) 24-month contract with unlimited on-device browsing.
Video demo from Orange after the cut
Google have revealed the hardware partners that they are currently working with on their freshly-announced Chrome OS. The search giant has named Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, HP, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Toshiba as all helping to design and build devices that will run the new platform, which has been described as the Chrome browser with a new windowing system, on top of a Linux kernel.
Given that we’re going to the official UK launch event on July 9th, it comes as little surprise to see Toshiba’s TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone appear on the site of carrier Orange UK. Listed as “coming soon”, the 4.1-inch touchscreen has no pricing or specific availability given, but we’d expect all that to change by the end of next week.
It’s been almost five months since Toshiba first revealed their TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone, and now the company has invited us back to London on Thursday July 9th for what we’re assuming is the handset’s official release. Set to go on sale in Germany and Japan imminently, the TG01 has a vast 4.1-inch WVGA 800 x 480 touchscreen, 3G UMTS/HSPA, WiFi, A-GPS and Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon chipset running the show.
Toshiba’s TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone is almost ready to launch in Germany, and a few more details regarding the slimline handset are emerging. Not only have O2 and Toshiba partnered with Nimbuzz to put their cross-platform social networking app on the TG01, but USB Host support has been confirmed.
Toshiba announced updates to their Portable Hard Drive line today that now offers the devices greater security and backup functions, improving ease of use and adding features for both beginners and those seeking greater customization.
The surprise is perhaps diminished thanks to their joining the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) back in December 2008, but according to Taiwanese industry sources Toshiba are currently developing an Android-based cellphone. No details regarding the smartphone have been disclosed, and Toshiba themselves are yet to publicly announce any Android intentions.
One possibility, however, is that Toshiba are considering a Qualcomm Snapdragon based Android device. The company’s TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone already uses the Snapdragon chipset, and Qualcomm themselves demonstrated Android running on a reference prototype back at CES in January. Such a handset could have significantly improved AV capabilities, with various Snapdragon processors supporting anything from integrated WWAN and GPS to high-definition support, mobile digital TV, HSPA+ and WiFi.
We’ve known Toshiba’s mini NB205 netbook was headed to the US since the beginning of the month, and the first units seem to be arriving. LaptopMag’s well-work test bench is one of the earliest recipients, and while the N280-based NB205 may be behind the curve when it comes to reaching the market, according to reviewer Joanna Stern it “rises above the competition”.
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