Toshiba TG01

Mobile Ultrasound using Toshiba TG01

August 25, 2009 | By Surur

Want a use for that massive 4.1 inch screen on the Toshiba TG01? This video below shows the device using its excellent USB Host mode and the MobileUS ultrasound software, which apparently allows one to use industry-standard ultrasound probes on your Windows Mobile phone.

Now I am a bit stumped on exactly what you would use this for, but possibly if you want to keep an eye on your gallstones or maybe your next offspring this may be the perfect utility for you. The MobileUS software can amazingly be freely downloaded here.

Thanks Wishmaster for the tip.

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Toshiba TG01 video review

August 14, 2009 | By Surur

PhoneArena has published their detailed review of the Toshiba TG01.

Their ultimate conclusion was:

It´s obvious that brute force is not a guarantee for product quality even if this happens to be a high-end smartphone. Yes, 3D games run smoothly on the 1GHz Snapdragon chipset and watching movies on the huge 4.1-inch screen feels awesome, but these are pretty much all advantages of the phone. We cannot turn a blind eye on the discomfort we felt while using the handset due to its bulky size. It´s simply unfit for use with one hand and the level of personalization is superficial and doesn’t deliver anything really new. Throw the mediocre snapshot and the outright bad in-call quality into the deal and we have to admit we wouldn’t go for the TG01 ourselves. Still, if you feel irresistibly attracted by its gigantic screen and ultra-fast processor and ultimately, you decide to get yourself the TG01, just consider installing some other personalization pack for Windows Mobile, say Spb Shell.

When it comes to decent overall size, we need to draw the line somewhere and we do think Toshiba has crossed it with the TG01. We would have liked to see something a tad smaller, more functional and appealing to look at. We do hope the next device by the manufacturer is less bulky and made with more attention to details.

Read the full review here.

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Another Toshiba TG01 review

July 24, 2009 | By Surur

Coolsmartphone has published their full review of the TG01, and suffice to say they are not very happy.

Their conclusion was:

Everything good about this phone comes from third-party apps and the hardware Toshiba have on tap. The homescreen is good, CorePlayer is great, the Orange Maps system is great, the PhotoBase application is great. The hardware is fantastic too, but Windows Mobile 6.1 feels old now and it’s just not covered up enough. The experience ends up being a little disjointed and I kinda wish that 6.5 was on-board with perhaps a Toshiba GUI which soaks itself into the OS deeper. The phone spec is simply excellent, but a great spec and a delivery to market isn’t everything.

What gets me is that this phone and this entire review would be so different if I’d put an illegal ROM onto it from the likes of xda-developers.com. The 6.1 OS just pops it’s head into things too much and the out-of-box experience isn’t great. The tilt sensor should be disabled or have it’s sensitivity adjusted, the OS should be hidden more or updated and there should be some real call / drop keys on the front – if only so I can tell which way up the phone should go. After a few minutes you can suddenly make this phone much better. The addition of the PointUI interface for example will make this seem like a completely different phone.

The Toshiba TG01 is a thin handset with a gorgeous screen, lightening performance, excellent specs but suffers from a strange button implementation and an ageing OS which isn’t buried down far enough.

Read the full review, with another video and many photos and screenshots here.

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Super-sensitive motion sensor comes to the Toshiba TG01

July 22, 2009 | By Surur

Usuda Research Institute & Systems Corp in Japan has developed an accessory for the Toshiba TG01 which brings Wii Motion Plus-like technology to the device.

The module was uses a MEMS motion sensor and the company’s proprietary software technology. It is intended exclusively for the "T-01A," (Japan’s Toshiba TG01) one of the latest handsets released by NTT DoCoMo Inc.

The MEMS sensor does not only measure acceleration, but also angular velocity sensors, and in the demo video below allows a user to use his phone as a window upon a virtual world.

The TG01 has USB host functionality, and the module uses this interface to communicate with the TG01.

It can also be controlled by the T-01A’s touch screen and be used to view pictures taken by the TG01’s camera.

See 2 videos of the hardware/software combo in action after the break.

Continue reading →

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CDMA Toshiba TG01 passes through FCC

July 21, 2009 | By Surur

With the biggest GSM carrier in US having a committed relationship with the iPhone, it seems the best Windows Mobile devices are going to CDMA networks (usually Verizon) rather than AT&T.

It looks like the latest to join the list is the Toshiba TG01, which was just approved by the FCC with an EVDO modem in situ. Further good news if that WIFI is still in place, suggesting that the device will pass more or less unchanged to the CDMA side.

See the FCC documentation here.

Via Engadget.com

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Qualcomm calls the Toshiba TG01 the first Smartbook

July 18, 2009 | By Surur

In an interview with Mobinnaute Jean-Varaldi, Senior Director of Marketing and Business Development at Qualcomm called the Tosbia TG01 the first of their new class of Qualcomm defined devices, the Smartbook.

Says Varaldi:

“This platform is mounted between the mobile world and the computer world. It team a new category of products that we call "SmartBook"…. The last equipped Toshiba TG01 SnapDragon is actually one of the first devices marketed with this technology… The idea is to bring the power of a Notebook but to have a device connected to internet permanently as a Smartphone. He stays always on so no need to restart his machine to receive her emails. It is possible to read and receive real-time via Push technology.”

Talking about the category in general, he said:

“They may arise in various forms and there will be several segments (Gaming, Multimedia, network, Office, email etc.). We will see the high and low range in sizes ranging from 7 to 11 inches screen. 15 players are working actively on this platform to offer innovative products. After the TG01 others will be marketed end 2009 early 2010. “

Regarding the OS these devices will run on, this did not seem to be very important to Qualcomm.

“The more often it will be hidden. Manufacturers will offer more their interface as in smartphones. Multiple constructors are under development. They belong to 3 categories manufacturers: Telecoms (Samsung, HTC, etc.), information technology (Acer, HP, Toshiba,…) and the ODM’s(Foxconn, Compal,…). “

He notes a price target of 500-600 Euro, which is far from encouraging in terms of mass adoption of the platform. Despite being significantly more expensive than a netbook, Viraldi feels the chipset will form a serious challenge to Intel’s Atom range, due to the blurring of functionality and features between the very different devices, and the inherent advantages Qualcomm has as a smartphone maker in achieving good connectivity and battery life.

Read the full Mobinnate interview here.

Do you think the Toshiba TG01 is a smartbook? Let us know in the comments.

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Should the Toshiba TG01 have waited for WM 6.5?

July 17, 2009 | By Surur

Phonedog.com has a brief hands-on with the Toshiba TG01 running Windows Mobile 6.5 and likes it quite a lot. This is unfortunately at odds with the Windows Mobile 6.1 experience reviewers have been reporting.

The question therefore arises whether Toshiba would be doing much better of they had waited 2 months to release the device the OS already in place.

Let us know your view in the comments below.

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Toshiba TG01 video software tour

July 15, 2009 | By Surur

Coolsmartphone has continued their review of the Toshiba TG01, and in this video gives a detailed review of the software. Unfortunately most of the video seem to be about issues with the device itself, with the “G-Sensor slowly driving Gears mad” but at least the media features seem to work pretty well.

Gears conclude the device would do much better with some HTC software on it, and I don’t think most of us will disagree.

Oops! German Toshiba TG01 ships with a virus – sales halted

July 15, 2009 | By Surur

The TG01 is not having a terribly good time of it recently. First the device has not exactly seen rave reviews, now sales in Germany have been halted completely due to the device being shipped with a virus pre-installed.

It is not known if it is a Windows Mobile virus or (more likely) a desktop virus present on the machine doing the firmware flashing, but it apparently affects only a small number of devices. Toshiba is working on a fix.

Toshiba TG01 mini-video review

July 12, 2009 | By Surur

Coolsmartphone has published a hand-on video review of the TG01. Again the hardware is strikingly beautiful, and I suspect, like the Xperia X1, the hardcore Windows Mobile users will have great fun customizing this device.

See the video below:

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Toshiba TG01 to get Over the Air update to Windows Mobile 6.5?

July 10, 2009 | By Surur

So claims CNET UK, who attended the launch of the new Windows Mobile handset. In their own words:

Orange said it plans to roll out the next version of the OS, Windows Mobile 6.5, as a free over-the-air download when it’s released, which should improve things slightly.

While this is not the first we have heard of OTA updates, this is the first time it was explicitly stated that this would come to a Windows Mobile 6.1 device. We can only say it makes perfect sense, but all the same seems rather unlikely.

Read CNET’s impression of the TG01, which likely could benefit quite well from the update, here.

Via Phonimus.com

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Toshiba TG01 video does not inspire confidence

July 10, 2009 | By Surur

Slashgear was at the launch of the Toshiba TG01 and have recorded this brief hands-on video.

While the device looks amazing, and the UI even interesting, it is clear Toshiba’s implementation leaves much to be desired. The hardware however remains unbeatable and this may be the perfect device once one slap on TF3D 2.5.

See Slashgear’s gallery of pictures and read their first impressions here.

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Toshiba TG01 promotional video

July 9, 2009 | By Surur

Toshiba UK has put up this video of the Toshiba TG01, showing amongst other things the soft keyboard and virtual D-pad.

One disappointing feature is that poor lack of customization that’s apparent, with the dialler for example being completely unchanged.

See the video below:

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