ToshIba TG01 Available Today From Orange
After coming so close to getting the exclusive to the Palm Pre, before 02 pipped them at the last minute, Orange have their own exclusive launch today of the Toshiba TG01.
While we don’t think the Toshiba TG01 will have the Orange website crashing because of the overwhelming demand, or people queuing round the block to get their hands on one, it’s still a nice phone and has a lot to offer.
The phone has been described as the first to fill the gap between the mobile phone and the notebook. The phone’s 4.1 inch QVGA screen is a real selling point; it uses Toshiba’s REGZA technology form Toshiba TV’s that has enhanced image processing software to give clearer crisper images. Whether that is reason enough for thinking it is a serious rival to the iPhone, we’re not too sure.
Although the large screen can be seen as a selling point, the Toshiba TG01 offers other nice features. It has the fastest processor in the industry -Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor- allowing users to have multiple applications open at any given time, without affecting the speed of performance.
The TG01 is also host to a truly powerful battery, which according to the Orange website can run all applications for a whole day on a single charge.
A pretty unique feature of the Toshiba device is the “G sensor” which is located right in the centre of the phone. The G sensor allows movement to influence the phone. For instance if the phone is ringing, you can answer it by shaking the phone. This movement sensor is also ideal for viewing things like Google Street view because of its ability for full rotation in 3D.
On board GPS, MicroSDHC expansion, 3.2megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi and HSDPA connectivity ensure the phone comes with everything users expect from high end handsets these days.
The phone has the capability to give the user four times more storage than the Palm Pre. There’s just 512MB of onboard memory, but this can be bumped up with an extra 32GB compared to the maximum 8GB the Pre offers.
Compared to the Palm Pre the Toshiba TG 01 compares more than favourably. But we think it’s a bit unfair to compare this device to either the Apple iPhone or the Palm Pre.
Sure there are some similarities in all three devices, but the Toshiba TG01 is a brilliant device on its own merits and should be judged on that.
There’s not been the same media hype surrounding this phone as the Palm Pre or iPhone but it’s attractive enough and with Orange giving it away free-if you sign up for 24 months and pay £39.95 per month- it’s a package well worth considering. The Orange 24 month price plan also includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, Orange Maps as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing, so the only downside looks to be the long contract you have to sign.
Orange has managed to bring a pretty competitive package to the table and that could be enough to attract the large number of potential buyers the handset deserves to have.
