Pocket PC e310: The Toshiba Strike Force! [Archive]

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Jason Dunn

07-31-2002, 06:45 PM

<a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/consumer/02q3/020731/index.html">http://www.tomshardware.com/consumer/02q3/020731/index.html</a> Still considering purchasing the Toshiba e310? <a href="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?siteid=39648844&bfpage=search_box&bfmid=19187551&Operator=2&linkin_id=2054462&keyword=Toshiba e310 Pocket PC">(search for the lowest price)</a> It continues to get great reviews, the latest being from the highly-respected Tom's Hardware Guide web site. And hey, they agree with me about it being a nice-looking device! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/thr-e310.jpg" /> "A year after the release of the e570 and shortly before that of the much-awaited e740, a PDA running at 400 MHz and equipped with an ATI video chip, Toshiba has enlarged its family of handheld computers and found a new look. The e310, all dressed up in silver, has something of the Handspring Vizor Edge. Like it, it has a metal casing and its best points are its extreme slimness of 12mm and light weight of just 140 grams. Not only does the e310 seem to be the most aesthetically pleasing Pocket PC currently available, it is also one of the cheapest. At $399 (599 euros), it doesn't just compete with the low-priced HP and Packard Bell Pocket PCs, but with the Palm and Sony color Palm OS 4-based organizers, too."

Sslixtis

07-31-2002, 06:56 PM

Toshiba has certainly put the pressure on Palm. Between this sleek little unit consistently being priced between $329-$399, and the Audiovox(Toshiba) Maestro at around $299, Tthey have brought the PPC to the lower end of the Handheld market with a flourish. 8)

Fed up

07-31-2002, 07:39 PM

I bought one of these for my wife who is an organization freak and she couldn't be happier (neither could I :wink: ) *

*Disclaimer: Result of this less than scientific (though very rewarding :D ) experiment should not be constued as a guarantee that you will acheive the same results.

Xyress

07-31-2002, 07:40 PM

I'd been so happy with my EM-500 that I think I missed this little gem - why am I tempted to buy a 206mhz machine? The buttons sound like they could be pretty good for gaming (which is a high priority for me).

I'll probably end up waiting for an XScale device, but if I didn't have a PocketPC, I think I might be all over the E-310.

Foo Fighter

07-31-2002, 07:44 PM

...and the Audiovox(Toshiba) Maestro at around $299...

This has been brought up many times before. The Maestro is dead...discontinued...kapput...deceased...no longer in production.

The e310 is an excellent value. It would be the perfect Pocket PC for me, except for the mediocre audio and ClearType. And I'm waiting for more PPCs with transflective LCDs and built-in wireless.

heov

07-31-2002, 07:57 PM

"...The e310, all dressed up in silver, has something of the Handspring Vizor Edge. Like it, it has a metal casing and its best points are its extreme slimness of 12mm and light weight of just 140 grams..."

It DOES NOT have a metal casing, it just looks like metal (please correct me if I'm wrong though)

Also, they spelled visor wrong.

Foo Fighter

07-31-2002, 08:14 PM

It DOES NOT have a metal casing, it just looks like metal (please correct me if I'm wrong though)

It is a metal case. If not, it sure as hell fooled me. 8O

Sven Johannsen

07-31-2002, 08:19 PM

At $399 (599 euros), it doesn't just compete with the low-priced HP and Packard Bell Pocket PCs, ....

And what PPC does Packard Bell make? The iPackard perhaps?

palmsolo

07-31-2002, 09:02 PM

Foo Fighter,

I played around with one at Best Buy yesterday and I thought it was metal also. Could have fooled me though because I also thought parts of my Jornada 568 were metal since they sure sound like it when banged against my teeth.

The e310 would be a great device to replace my wife's 548, but she really needs a flip cover to carry it in her purse and doesn't want the added bulk of a case. Has anyone seen one for the e310? I love the small form factor since that was a great advantage of the Palm m500 series. It looks like Palm is slowly losing some of their advantages and if Dell reaches the mainstream then we could see an explosion in the Pocket PC community. Way to go Dell and Toshiba!

batsai

07-31-2002, 09:05 PM

The e310 is an excellent value. It would be the perfect Pocket PC for me, except for the mediocre audio and ClearType. And I'm waiting for more PPCs with transflective LCDs and built-in wireless.

I agree that the built in speaker is not nearly as powerful as the iPaq's, but hey, the device is thinner and Toshiba had to make some compromises. Through the headphone jack, the sound quality is excellent.

Foo Fighter

07-31-2002, 09:05 PM

I also thought parts of my Jornada 568 were metal since they sure sound like it when banged against my teeth.

What are you doing...eating the thing? :P

heov

07-31-2002, 09:12 PM

Can somebody confirm that this is metal? I was almost certain that it wasn't. And if so, can you give me your source and what type of metal it is? (Aluminum, Magnesium, etc.)

Jason Dunn

07-31-2002, 09:15 PM

I'm 99% sure it's not metal, but I don't have one here so I can't prove it...

brntcrsp

07-31-2002, 09:21 PM

The e310 would be a great device to replace my wife's 548, but she really needs a flip cover to carry it in her purse and doesn't want the added bulk of a case.

There actually is a flip case for the e310, made by an independant enthusiast. The designer loved the form factor of the e310, so he didn't want to sacrifice that for a flip cover. His product was very interesting indeed. I saw a post for it somewhere. I'll dig up the details and post as soon as I can find them.

edit: Bingo! http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?threadid=51951

Jimmy Dodd

07-31-2002, 09:51 PM

gmelfissg

07-31-2002, 10:09 PM

The audiovox maestro is maybe out of production but still available at COMPUSA at 299$, just go to their website and look at a store near you and stop your non-sense.
:evil:

Foo Fighter

07-31-2002, 10:22 PM

..and stop your non-sense.
:evil:

What non-sense? Pointing out that a product is discontinued?

Paul Martin

07-31-2002, 10:22 PM

I just bought a Jornada 567 a few weeks ago after looking for a Pocket PC for a LOOONG time! I did consider the Toshiba but the main deciding factor for me was the SD card. I really wanted a CF since most of the accessories I might want are CF-only. Even if an SD version did come out, it would probably be more expensive and my pocketbook demands bottom-feeding! :wink:

Foo Fighter

07-31-2002, 10:40 PM

...but still available at COMPUSA at 299$, just go to their website and look at a store near you

That doesn't make any difference. It only means there are a bunch of Maestros still circulating in the retail channel. This is very common after a product line is closed. They don't just evaporate.

Ask CompUSA if they can order more. Bet they'll say no.

gmelfissg

07-31-2002, 10:47 PM

Foo Fighter

07-31-2002, 10:55 PM

tell me foofighter are you one of those persons who own an ipaq by any chances !!!

Nope.

What do you have against the mestro, it is a great machine wich by the way as less bug then all of the other ppc's.

Uh..I have nothing against the Maestro. That isn't the point. I just find it futile to use a discontinued product in a price comparison as you did. It's like bragging about how hot your ex-girlfriend is. Beating a dead horse.

jdhill

07-31-2002, 11:00 PM

tell me foofighter are you one of those persons who own an ipaq by any chances !!! What do you have against the mestro, it is a great machine wich by the way as less bug then all of the other ppc's.

It might be dead but it is still alive as i still use it and i will do so until something better arives (other than IPAQ), probably Toshiba. :P
Gmelfissg,

You're out of line. The Maestro is indeed a great PC. I bought one for my wife at $299. However, the fact is the model has been discontinued. It was discontinued becuase it was not jumping off the shelves at the original price of $499. That's all that Foo said. You need to drop the attitude.

taxus

08-01-2002, 12:05 AM

The e310 case IS metal. It looks like aluminium, it sounds like aluminium when I tap it, it IS aluminium.

And besides, Toshiba says so here (http://www.toshiba.ca/web/specifications.grp?lg=en&section=1&group=22&product=450&part=370). ;)

Before I ever knew about the e310, I was a Palm fanatic (since 1997). Never considered PocketPCs for a second.

It took me only a week to fall completely to the Dark Side when I heard about the e310's existence. :D

Of course, I was looking for a new PDA, and considering the m515. The e310 may "only" have 32MB, and have average features, but compared to a Palm, it's a winner.

Up til now, two things really stopped me from considering PocketPCs: price and size.

The e310 actually cost me less than a Palm m515 would have cost (retail prices are simila): I would have had to buy a CDN$70 travel kit (charger), but with the e310 I don't need one. AND I can buy a battery extender pack that charges the e310 using AA batteries for only US$10.

Now if I could only find Toshiba accessories (screen overlays, USB cable) in Canada. I can't find them anywhere. (Shipping fees from the US are too expensive.)

Jason Dunn

08-01-2002, 12:07 AM

The e310 case IS metal. It looks like aluminium, it sounds like aluminium when I tap it, it IS aluminium. And besides, Toshiba says so...

Aha! I stand corrected then - good to know!

taxus

08-01-2002, 12:13 AM

The e310 is an excellent value. It would be the perfect Pocket PC for me, except for the mediocre audio and ClearType.

The audio is not bad at all with good headphones. Not extraordinary, but adequate.

ClearType... well I agree it's not good enough to be active at all times, so I disabled it, but I'm quite comfortable with it reading ebooks (PalmReader supports it).

I've been reading ebooks on a 160x160 monochrome screen for 4 years. Even the crappy ClearType implementation on the e310 is a huge improvement.

gmelfissg

08-01-2002, 12:20 AM

you are right, the maestro shouldn't be used for price compares because it is been discontinued. The e310 is the new king of small price pda. Hopefully maestro will release the e550g has rumored at the end of november and at a price of $299. we'll see.

Giuseppe Melfi

JonnoB

08-01-2002, 02:13 AM