Toshiba Pocket Pc E740 Wifi

Toshiba took up production of pocket computers not so long ago, but theonset loots promising. The company launched three models, each being aunique solution in its area. For example, the Toshiba e310 was the lightestand most compact handheld based on the Pocket PC 2002 (at present, thebaton is taken by the Asus MyPal A600). The middle model is Toshiba e570.And the e740 is the most functional. The latter incorporates all cutting-edgefeatures. It certainly is stuffed with all standard functions typical ofthe PocketPC 2002; like the Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX and Siemens SX45,it comes with two card readers for CompactFlash type I/II and MMC/SD. Butthe most interesting component of the Toshiba e740 is a built-in moduleof wireless data transfer IEEE 802.11b (aka Wi-Fi). There is also a versionof the e740 with a BlueTooth module or even without any communication means(except an IR port). But today we are dealing with the American versionof the e740 (with Wi-Fi). Appearance and controlsThe casing is made entirely of aluminum alloy. The buttons are plastic. On the whole, the computer has a high-quality look which is able to help its owner in most queer situations. Its austere look excellently suits a businessman. Its lacks a futuristic design, like for example, the iPaq 3800/3900 has, or a roundish shape of the Pocket LOOX. But tastes differ. I have no complains about the casing, but there is something I don't like about the buttons. A side dictaphone button and a power button, located in the upper right-hand corner, are made of low-quality plastic. Thus, it's not so often you are able to turn on/off the computer and enable the dictaphone quickly. Hot keys situated right under the screen and joystick look good, though the joystick is too small, like that of the LOOX.

toshiba pocket pc e740 wifi

Compared with other Pocket PC 2002 based models, the Toshiba e740 isnot light or slim. Its upper part integrates two extension slots (in theLOOX a CompactFlash slot is above and a SD/MMC one is on the left panel).MultiMedia cards can be ejected easily - by pressing. To fish out a CompactFlashcard you must press a special small lever (to the reader's left), likein some digital cameras (Casio QV-4000) and most notebooks with PCMCIAslots. When the card is taken out, this lever remains out. You must usea stylus (not a finger) to push it back into the case so that it gets fixedthere. The stylus is not an ideal match for this case: it's not so easy toput it into its "pocket" and draw out. Besides, it looks too childish,as if it was taken from a child's meccano. However, this pointer fits thehand perfectly and it's easy to use. As compared to the stylus of the CasioE-125, this one is not just a stick but a normal accessory of the PDA. In operation the computer looks ordinary. Images are always well seen:a bit worse in the sun and a little better in the shadow. It's inferiorto the iPaq 3900 and Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX, but the Toshiba's solutionmeets the needs of an average user. The only drawback of the screen isthat it's brighter in the center than on the top. Unfortunately, you can'twork without backlight at all: even at its lowest level there is some light,though when the backlight goes after (after the certain time) image arewell seen even in a sombre room. Thus, it's possible to work without thebacklight, but this function is not implemented here. I wish it were becauseit could prolong the run-down time by a couple of hours. There are two LEDs above the screen. One goes on when the battery ischarged up, and the other when the Wi-Fi module is used. However, theyare both orange, and it's easy to confuse them. The charger allows you to either charge the e740 in the cradle or plugit directly into the e740 for charging without the cradle. Unfortunately,the cable used to connect the PDA and a desktop PC can't be separated fromthe cradle. In this respect, the Pocket LOOX has the most convenient designof the charger, USB cable and cradle: all of them can be used separately. There are two switches apart from connectors for a desktop PC and powersupply unit. One of them is meant for the Wi-Fi module, and the other forpower cutoff. They look very similar to each other, though they are markeddifferently. The letters are so minute that we confused these switchestwice. As you know, if you switch off a battery, memory cleans up. Well,it certainly is unpleasant when instead of turning on a WiFi module youaccidently implement hard reset when you are going to test a newly installedprogram for operation with a LAN. In the Fujitsu Siemens' PDA, where thehard reset is implemented the same way, this switch is under a shutterwhich protects it from accidental data loss. If you remember, the LOOX sports an excellent light sensor. Well, theToshiba e740 lacks it. It's excusable for old Palms which can "overwork"lots of PocketPCs, either with backlight or without, especially monochromemodels. But when every minute is accounted for (in a mobile device), suchan approach of Toshiba is not clear. I know that many users just fix backlightand forget about it, but we have to test PDAs from head to foot and towork with an auto backlight if possible. Nevertheless, a light sensor isnot an unnecessary component. It's very helpful, for example, when youare in a moving car. When you get into a tunnel, a blinking screen mightirritate you, but you don't always feel a desire or have a possibilityto adjust it manually. However, there is one thing that looks better in the e740 than in theLOOX. It's a cover :-). The Siemens's model comes with quite a poor one.Toshiba seems to have spent much more money on it. It's made of leather(maybe leatherette). Besides, the front part of the cover is hard insidewhich protects from accidental pressing on the buttons, though sometimesit did took place. One more thing the e740 outshines its competitor in is a replaceablebattery. It can take you just a couple of seconds to take it off. It'scrucial if you have no time or possibility to charge the device up at leastonce a day. However, in this case you can get an additional battery madeas a jacket in case of the iPaq. The run-down time prolongs by 12-15 hours,but we couldn't test it. The tested sample worked not much with the standardbattery. We played mpeg files from the CompactFlash card, transferred datavia Wi-Fi from time to time (the overall traffic was about 2-2.5 MB), andset the backlight to maximum - this torture was endured during 1 hour 40minutes, and WMA files were played with the screen off during 3 hours.On the other hand, this sample takes few time to charge up. 30-40 minuteswere enough for it to show a 100% level. I think it's a bug of the batterycharging sensor which doesn't allow it to finish charging up. Like the Pocket LOOX, iPaq 3900 and Asus MyPal A600, the Toshiba e740features a new processor from Intel - XScale clocked at 400 MHz. Comparedto the preproduction version of the LOOX, the Toshiba's solution is muchmore efficient and stable. If we compare it with production versions ofother XScale based models, we will find the speed gain minimal. Moreover,in some applications the iPaq 3800 works noticeably faster (for example,when looking through a large list of files in the File Explorer). Besides,in the synthetic tests the XScale based PDAs are not speedier than theStrongARM based ones running at 206 MHz. But it doesn't concern the AsusMyPal A600 which is being tested now in our lab. ConclusionWell, as far as the appearance and controls of the e740 are concerned, we must say that the new PDA looks sound. And it's easy to use. The only thing that disappoints me is a lacking Action button and a poor implementation of the Power button. It looked as if it didn't work every time we used it. Nonetheless, after two weeks of working with it the Toshiba e740 left a very pleasant impression. 041b061a72