Seasons Greetings

Paul Nolan — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:41:45 +0000

Was it just the sleep deprivation, or did 2007 go by faster than 2006?

Toshiba G900: New Top Phone for Phojo

Paul Nolan — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:56:02 +0000

It’s been a frustrating year for new Windows Mobile hardware. The HTC Advantage looked so good on paper, then let us down with broken USB host support. The Cowon Q5W took forever to launch, and then they left out HSDPA and all the Bluetooth profiles except headphones, so you can only connect via WiFi. This leaves the Toshiba G900 as my new top recommendation. It has almost every single feature you could ask for in a phone, an 800×480 VGA screen, HSDPA for the fastest transmission speed available, WiFi, Bluetooth, and of most interest, one of the best USB Host support implementations I’ve seen. Not only is the Mini B->A adapter included in the box, unlike the Loox T830, you don’t need to change any software settings before plugging in the camera, it just works.

So what are the downsides? Well, for those of us in the US, it doesn’t support the frequencies AT&T uses for HSDPA, so you only get EDGE speeds. Given the popularity of the iPhone however, maybe EDGE is fast enough? Buy an iPhone for play, then take the SIM out and put it in the G900 for work. The other downside is that this is a Toshiba G900. Toshiba has an unfortunate reputation for building great hardware (the old Toshiba E800 had the first VGA screen way before HP came out with the iPAQ 4700), but dropping the ball when it comes to firmware. If you search for reviews or browse the Expansys forums, you’ll find a lot of criticism, as the first version of the G900 firmware had serious problems. Thankfully they fixed most of these problems, and the G900s are now shipped with the new firmware. Unfortunately, this is the only phone I can think of that has to be shipped back to Toshiba in the UK for a firmware update. Talk about putting your best foot forward, then shooting it. But, even with these reservations, the fact remains that the G900 is the best phone for running Phojo. What other phones are there with HSDPA and working USB Host support? The closest competitor would be the T830, which is a year older than the G900, and in every way inferior (only UMTS vs HSDPA, half the RAM, much smaller screen etc). Even when compared to a non-phone device, the G900’s VGA screen and 128MB of RAM put anything ever made by HP or Dell to shame. Add one to your Christmas list!

Review at the:unwired
MS Mobiles Video Preview
Purchase from Expansys with no contract for 404.95 UKP
Purchase from Expansys with phone contract for 209.95 UKP (other plans available)
Purchase from MobilePlanet for $729

The Pocket Phojo Blog » 2007 » December

Seasons Greetings

Toshiba G900: New Top Phone for Phojo