Toshiba e550G...get those drool buckets ready!

[Jason Dunn]

My friend Andrew, known on the boards here as the Master of Mayhem, has a very cool job. He buys really cool stuff and gets to play with it. I want his job. In the famous words of the Joker from the Batman movie, <i>"Where does he GET those WONDERFUL toys?"</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master-intro.jpg" /><br /><br />Andrew sent me some photos of some of the latest hardware he picked up - shown above is the Toshiba e550G and the PCMCIA sled for it. Let's see what else he found in his travels&lt;!><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master01.jpg" /><br /><br />The Toshiba e550G sitting atop an iPAQ 38xx. Looks perhaps a few mm thicker.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master02.jpg" /><br /><br />That's right - 2 gigs of SD memory. 8O <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master03.jpg" /><br /><br />This boy has the bragging rights - 3.5 gigs of storage in a single Pocket PC (2 gig PCMCIA Kingston hard drive, 1.0 gig CompactFlash, 512 meg SD). :D <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master04.jpg" /><br /><br />One of the most intriguing thing about the e550G - :!: it identifies the memory card by the type (PC card, SD card, CF card) instead of the generic and vague "Storage Card X". Notice the Japanese OS.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master05.jpg" /><br /><br />Side view - HTC Wallaby/Spaceneedle/02 XDA on top, Toshiba e550G in the middle, Compaq iPAQ 38xx on the bottom.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master06.jpg" /><br /><br />Top view - HTC Wallaby/Spaceneedle/02 XDA on top, Toshiba e550G in the middle, Compaq iPAQ 38xx on the bottom.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master07.jpg" /><br /><br />Bottom view - HTC Wallaby/Spaceneedle/02 XDA on top, Toshiba e550G in the middle, Compaq iPAQ 38xx on the bottom.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master08.jpg" /><br /><br />Look at the size of that screen on the e550G! From left to right: HTC Wallaby/Spaceneedle/02 XDA, Toshiba e550G, Compaq iPAQ 38xx.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master09.jpg" /><br /><br />Toshiba e550G and the PCMCIA sled. I'm unsure whether it has an integrated battery - I would assume so.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master10.jpg" /><br /><br />The e550G in the PCMCIA sled.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master11.jpg" /><br /><br />The e550G in the PCMCIA sled with a PCMCIA card inserted...<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/masterofmayhem/master12.jpg" /><br /><br />...and we discover that Andrew has the swanky new Aircard 555 from Sierra Wireless for CDMA 2000 high-speed data access.<br /><br />Now, don't you just want to be Andrew for a day? :wink:

[medic119]

Drool! This is the one I have been waiting on.
I can't wait till "Q4"!!!!

[nobody]

Look at the size of the screen! I want one!!

[Shapeshifter]

If nobody wants them, it looks like it wont be released in the US ;)

[mookie123]

.....uhhh........big screen........*mesmerized look*

PS. I still think we could get a VGA screen into a handheld. The Samsung's Nexio is a good step, but the ultimate would be anything with the new VGA transreflective screen made by Sharp. I think it's 3.7 inch or 4 inch VGA, very sharp pixels.

[Paragon]

Who the heck ever said "size doesn't matter"

One thing I did notice was in the picture showing the screens of the three devices, the IPaq is much more vibrant. It must be a 3900.

So which is it....size....or...quality?

Dave

[Xenosaiyan]

Well, it's always possible to import one. I've seen them at import PDA shops for about $679. I don't know if anyone wants one that bad though. :twisted:

[orinoco]

Do you have any more info on the import shops ? I'd like to get my hands on one right away !!! If you have any info, please post it here, or email me at [email protected]

Thanks,

Fernando

[Xenosaiyan]

Oh, sorry, I should've posted the site. :)
http://www.users-side.com/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamCat=9&txtsearchParamMan=6&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&iLevel=1

Edit: I just checked if it was in stock, it doesn't look like it is. :( You could backorder it to see if it comes in though.

[johncruise]

One of the most intriguing thing about the e550G - :!: it identifies the memory card by the type (PC card, SD card, CF card) instead of the generic and vague "Storage Card X".

I thought this was common to all pocket pc (2002 series). Our E-200 do the same thing. How about Jornada? I know iPaq doesn't since my officemate has one.

[JonnoB]

The screen is absolutely beautiful! I think the biggest improvement is not necessarily the size, but the bezel being so narrow. If the same was done with 3.5" and 3.8" screens, we would have much narrower devices and they would be better as a result as well.

If an English OS were available, I would import one yesterday.

[Master O'Mayhem]

The one thing that i have found weird is that you have to put the PC Cards in backwards ie. facing away from you... more pics to come .... ;)

[Dave Conger]

Is the screen transreflective? That could be a slight drawback if it isn't...

[ThomasC22]

The screen is absolutely beautiful! I think the biggest improvement is not necessarily the size, but the bezel being so narrow. If the same was done with 3.5" and 3.8" screens, we would have much narrower devices and they would be better as a result as well.

If an English OS were available, I would import one yesterday.

Ahh but see the size very well may be the problem. As was pointed out to me (by Wes of PDABuzz no less, sadness...) because PPCs all have the same rez. things are going to look awefully fuzzy on that big a screen.

Now I could be wrong, we'll just have to see, but think about it...would you really buy a 21" monitor for a computer that couldn't display over 640x480?

[Charles Pickrell]

Is the screen transreflective? That could be a slight drawback if it isn't...

Yes, the e550G is using a Toshiba transflective screen. No sidelight just a backlight!

P.S. Guys I think you can buy this from Toshiba Japan from this URL. It is the first checkbox at the top of the screen. You might want to keep a babelfish window open to help you translate.

https://genio-e.toshiba-tops.co.jp/index_j.htm

I think Audiovox also said they would be releasing an English version of this device in the USA later this year.

[JonnoB]

Ahh but see the size very well may be the problem. As was pointed out to me (by Wes of PDABuzz no less, sadness...) because PPCs all have the same rez. things are going to look awefully fuzzy on that big a screen.

Now I could be wrong, we'll just have to see, but think about it...would you really buy a 21" monitor for a computer that couldn't display over 640x480?

I have a 13.3" laptop display at 1025x768. The pixel resolution is about the same. I would love to see higher resolutions, but having a larger screen with larger pixels is no big deal. This device is the same width as the others, it just uses the wasted bezel space for screen. If the iPaq and others at 3.8" or even the 3.5" displays adopted the same mentality, we would get narrower (and much better) devices.

[Charles Pickrell]

I used to own a Newton 2100 PDA and let me tell you having a larger screen makes it much easier to do handwriting recognition on, especially for Transcriber/Calligrapher. While I'm sure that just having a larger sized 240x320 pixel display doesn't look as good as a nice tight screen such as in the Jornada series. I do have to admit that trying to write out sentences on my little 3" screen is a real pain. I also really like the case design of this Toshiba. I think it is very stylish. I'd love to have one.

[farnold]

Well, it's always possible to import one. I've seen them at import PDA shops for about $679. I don't know if anyone wants one that bad though. :twisted:

As long as you're happy with a Japanese OS...

[kinged]

The size of the PCMCIA sleeve turns me off. I think I will stick with the ipaq PCMCIA sleeve for now.

[Dave Conger]

I think Audiovox also said they would be releasing an English version of this device in the USA later this year.

Yes, that is the rumor at least.

[Sslixtis]

As for the Audiovox Rumor, it is supposed to be Q4 and will be marketed as the Audiovox e550G. Apparently the Genio name has already been taken in the US. No spec. lists available yet but lets hope they don't downgrade the memory like the Maestro 8O . Cheers

[Dave Conger]

No spec. lists available yet but lets hope they don't downgrade the memory like the Maestro 8O . Cheers

They will only downgrade it if Toshiba is releasing a US version like they did with the e570/Maestro. I think the downgrade is actually setup by Toshbia, and is not a choice by Audiovox.

[The PocketTV Team]

> Yes, the e550G is using a Toshiba transflective screen. No sidelight just a backlight!

Not sure... My e550G has a reflective screen with a side light (in fact the light is along the bottom side of the display, not the right side as on the iPaq).

[dstrauss]

This one looks like a big hit. It does, however, seem to beg for a flip cover like the Jornada series, given the large screen size and the extremely thin bezel. Also, someone questioned the screen quality based upon the comparison with the iPaq 39xx, but when you look at the text closeup picture, it looks clear and clean to me.

[Charles Pickrell]

> Yes, the e550G is using a Toshiba transflective screen. No sidelight just a backlight!

Not sure... My e550G has a reflective screen with a side light (in fact the light is along the bottom side of the display, not the right side as on the iPaq).

Are you sure?

Mobigeeks:

"- 240x320x16-bit color 4" Transflective TFT Poly-Silicon display. "

All I can find at the Genio-e site is that is is a "low temperature polysilicon TFT liquid crystal" It doesn't talk about reflective or transflective technologies.

I found this press release from April 2000. Makes you wonder:

"Tokyo--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it will, this October, commercialize the world's first 4-inch color reflective low-temperature polysilicon thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid-crystal display (LCD) with 202 pixels per inch (PPI) VGA resolution. "

Does anybody have some sort of quote from Toshiba about exactly what type of screen is in this thing. I've been lead to believe it is transflective.

I remember an article on the web that showed the e550G being dissassebled (I think it was Japanese). Doesn anyhone have that URL anymore so we can look at the pictures?

[Charles Pickrell]

This pic from PocketPCPassion looks like a sidelight at the bottom. Hmm...

http://www.pocketpcpassion.com/toshiba/e550g/DSC00246.jpg

[The PocketTV Team]

> Are you sure?

yes I am.

However, note that what people commonly call "reflexive" LCD (i.e. iPaq 3600) are also technically called "transflective" LCD:

Originally posted by Duncan

LCD screens can be broken into two types:

Transmissive and Reflective.

Screens use up a lot of power - 2 to 5 watts. More than half of this is from the backlight used to light a screen. This transmitting of the light from behind the screen gives us 'transmissive' screens. Apart from the massive power drain this is very bad in strong light (such as outdoors). Light from the screen and light hitting the screen 'conflict' leading to a washed out effect (the same problem as watching TV on a bright sunny day).

One way to save power is to use ambient light (the light all around us) to help light the screen. Light passes through the LCD layers in the screen, hits a reflective underneath and bounces back. This is what is meant by a 'Reflective' LCD screen. It is very wasteful, however, as most of the light is lost before it can 'bounce'. iPAQs, Palms and other Pocket PCs use reflective screen technology.

But - that isn't the whole story. What happens when you want to see a screen in poor light? This is where the much abused term 'transreflective' comes in. Screens have been designed that have reflective layers below them that act like one way mirrors. They reflect backlight that comes in (just like reflective screens) but allow light from behind to transmit out (like transmissive screens).

Thus - TRANS(missive)REFLECTIVE.

But - again - that isn't the whole story! Of light coming in - not much makes it as far as the reflective layer. Of light going out - too much is reflected back and doesn't make it out! Not very efficient either way!

The iPAQ 3630 used an alternative form of transreflective screen - the light at the side is directed across AND down onto the screen (instead of from behind. Transeflective but in a different way - the light is transmitted down and then reflected rather than from behind. Here however the transmission of light is used to strengthen the reflected ambient light - the much applauded ambient light sensor on the iPAQ was there to help the iPAQ know how much help to give the screen!

So - transreflective screens have been with us for a while - and it is really up to manufacturers whether they choose to call the current screens reflective or transreflective. Casio E105 owners will be pleased to know that their screens (not transreflective or reflective) really are the best for indoor conditions BTW!

So - why the fuss over a 'change' by HP to using transreflective screens if they have already been doing so and if the sidelit variety are better?

Simple - as the Sony screens have been proving - technology has moved on. Fully transreflective screens - lit from behind and so having the strengths of transmissive screens- but reflective as well - are now better, less wasteful with less light reflected back - and new battery tech allows more power to be used to transmit the light. Plus - with a few clever bits of tech - reflective technology (using ANY light present) can be used to strengthen the transmitted light.

At the same time the new screens are better at reflecting more of the ambient light back.

So -
We HAD transmissive screens - good indoors - crap outdoors.

We got transeflective screens that were not very good at their job (and were often called just 'reflective' anyway).

We gained a sidelit form of transreflective screen with the iPAQs that was better but still not good enough.

We are GOING to get new transreflective screens that are much better at their job - presumably in the new iPAQs and the Loox.

If you can see your screen clearly indoors and out it is using one form or other of transreflective technology.

If you can't see it at all well outside - it is transmissive technology.

If it is brilliant outside but dim and milky inside - you bought the wrong Pocket PC - sorry - I mean you have an older form of transeflective technology more often just called reflective.

Before any technical bods take issue - yes I know I've simplified it a bit - the situation is a little more complicated and there are many more than two types of LCD - but for the purposes of this discussion the above is more or less accurate.

Remember - you DID ask!

[Merlion]

We all know what are transmissive-type screens, like the HAST screens, so about the reflective types:

Duncan is correct, but to put it simply, transreflective screen is the oldest reflective-type screen, use by some Palm devices, then the early iPaqs came up with a better side-lit version that transmits light down then gets reflected. iPaq called this their 'reflective screen.' Now, mfrs came up with this new reflective-type screen technology that they called the 'transflective screen.' So, the way they've been billed in the market, the technology progession is: 'transreflective' -> 'reflective' -> 'transflective'. However, semantically, they all could be considered & called "reflective" or "transreflective" (as in transmissive-reflective) screens, because they all reflect & transmit light. Makes sense? :)

[Charles Pickrell]

Ok now that we have the transreflective, reflective, and transflective thing all ironed out, my question is does the Toshiba have a sidelight or a backlighting layer, or both? The new Sony NR Palm based PDA is transflective and backlit, not sidelit. I think that the new iPaq 3900 is backlit and not sidelit as well.

[The PocketTV Team]

Ok now that we have the transreflective, reflective, and transflective thing all ironed out, my question is does the Toshiba have a sidelight or a backlighting layer, or both? The new Sony NR Palm based PDA is transflective and backlit, not sidelit. I think that the new iPaq 3900 is backlit and not sidelit as well.

The e550G has a side-light located at the bottom of the screen.

The iPaq 3900 is backlit.

[Charles Pickrell]

Thanks!

[gdaswani]

M
Andrew sent me some photos of some of the latest hardware he picked up - shown above is the Toshiba e550G and the PCMCIA sled for it. Let's see what else he found in his travels&lt;!>


Has anyone tried it with other PCMCIA cards aside from the listed ones?

I'm having problems with mine, check the next post.

[gdaswani]

I received my PCCARD + Extended Battery today (ordered it from Japan).

It can't seem to detect the following PCCARDS

Orinoco Gold (latest drivers installed)
DLINK DWL-650 (latest drivers installed)
Belkin CF Bluetooth PDA + PC CARD Adapter
NE2000 PC CARD (built in drivers)..

Works just fine when memory type cards are used (Like the Toshiba PCMCIA 2 GB Card, 256 MB CF Card + PC CARD Adapter)..

I'll try and see if PC CARD modems work..


George

[Torsk]

I know that you can buy it with English OS on CompUSA.com, but they don’t export it.

So, If I live I Europe, were can I buy it??

[/quote]