New consumer Toshiba Pocket PC in Q2 2002

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?bw.021202/220430289">http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?bw.021202/220430289</a><br /><br />Toshiba announced today that it will make available a new Pocket PC, built around the new 400 MHz Intel PXA250 XScale processor. Apparently, their plans are to have them available already in Q2 2002.<br /><br />The new Toshiba Pocket PC is said to have "integrated wireless functionality and dual expansion slots". An interesting remark at the end of the article is: "Toshiba also plans to offer a PDA solution targeted to the consumer marketplace in Q'2, 2002." Up until now, Toshiba has stayed away from the retail channel. This remark indicates clearly that we will most likely see them in stores this summer/fall.

[Dave Conger]

All I have to say is sweeeeeeeeet.

Ok, well that isn't all, but if Toshiba can really keep this device in the same form factor, with XScale, with wireless, keeping the dual slots, and have it out to consumers in Q2 like they are saying they will, that will be really great. I think that would be saying a lot about Toshiba as a company if they can really accomplish all that.

[Jason Dunn]

Ohhhh baby! 8)

This is the unit that should have the Sierra Wireless CDMA2000 chipset in it...if Toshiba adds a removable battery, or a bigger one (they would have to), I'm all over this...

[michael]

I'm soooo glad I just sold my iPaq while it was still worth something :)

[spg]

This looks like it will be a very cool device. May have to buy a few new devices in the next few months!

[normaldude]

Awesome! Assuming battery life and size are ok, this will probably be my new PocketPC :D

[jeffmckean]

I buy. When can I get? :-)

[James]

hmm...this might be the year I end up buying 3 or 4 devices....

[st63z]

Nice to see PPC manufacturers not waiting for Talisker before taking the XScale plunge. Also can't wait for other manufacturers' XScale announcements to start rolling in...

I guess waiting 'till March for NEC's delayed MobilePro P300 doesn't make much sense anymore...

[yvilla]

I agree with st63z. Didn't budge from my E-125, because I'm waiting for this. But I'll be looking for Casio to come out with it's version--hopefully with the replaceable battery and USB host. :!:

[HR]

This is maybe the 4th story I am reading about a new wireless PPC. It looks like this is a repeat of the non-wireless Palm-PPC dynamics, this time in the wireless arena. It goes like that: Palm companies bring first products to market (Treo, i705). The products do the intended job, but are kind of primitive. PPC follows suit with far superior technology.

[Dave Conger]

I just hope they follow through on making it available in the consumer marketplace.

[Daniel]

The new Toshiba will be one of many. I'm waiting for a PPC manufacturer to say this:
XScale 400mHz
GPRS/1xRTT or better
SD + CFII
12hrs battery - replaceable
Bluetooth

Oh and maybe 128MB RAM/64MB ROM. Low power solutions are good but given my personal useage features are more important. The new set of devices that are coming out this year should break the market up a little too, although this might not be a good thing for some of us. Web pads will come out, probably later in the year.
2002 should be very interesting (isn't there a Chinese saying that sounds something like that?). :)

Daniel

[Kirk Stephens]

Wow, very impressive specifications!!! I am glad that I decided to upgrade my iPAQ H3670 rather than buy a new Pocket PC 2002 device. New devices around the corner.

[Daniel]

Yeah, I've been frantically trying to convince people not to buy anything top of the range for the last few months because of XScale and wireless advances. I stopped a couple but lost one, you can't win them all!

daniel

[Dave Conger]

128MB RAM/64MB ROM.

Mmmmm, 64mb ROM??? I guess I understand it if you have the tools to write to the ROM as perminant storage, but I really hope this 64mb isn't to accomidate the next generation Pocket PC OS! Well, if the OS is really good I guess that would be ok, but hopefully MS won't have the next gen be to inflated.

[James]

Usually the ROM has been half the onboard RAM, but I agree, hopefully it's not because they plan to use all that. Going from 32MB to 64MB is a bit ridiculous!

[spg]

Yikes, I always thought the Pocket PC OS was quite big in size. But if they do plan to use all that it better have like TTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSS much improvement. 8O

[James]

If it's that bloody big, then I'm gonna be thinking twice about buying new devices. An embedded OS shouldn't need as much ROM as my mother's computer (well...one of 'em anyway) has RAM. Especially not since that means they're adding features and not fixing everything that's already broke!

[Dave Conger]

128mb onboard is all I will need...I don't really care about the ROM so much, but I feel like a 64mb OS would run slow. You would definatly have to alot 16+mb to running programs and such, probably not one of the greatest things.

n some ways, I would almost be open to the idea of two editions of a Pocket PC OS. For instance a Pocket PC Standard and Pocket PC Professional (like XP Home v.s. Pro). One for a more advanced user or developer and one for more "the general public." I would be nice to get Standard and you could flash Pro for free (or a guess a small fee, $10...you did spend $500 on their product) if you wanted the extra features. The Pro would cost you more memory cause it would have more but for normal users the standard would have everything they would need and would run in a decent size space.

[James]

128mb onboard is all I will need...I don't really care about the ROM so much, but I feel like a 64mb OS would run slow. You would definatly have to alot 16+mb to running programs and such, probably not one of the greatest things.


Put a gig or so of onboard RAM so I could dump my entire collection of books and travel music without a sleeve, gimme a CF slot in the non-sleeve iPaq form-factor, builtin 802.11a, GSM/GPRS....all, of course, wishful thinking :)

[Dave Conger]

Put a gig or so of onboard RAM so I could dump my entire collection of books and travel music without a sleeve, gimme a CF slot in the non-sleeve iPaq form-factor, builtin 802.11a, GSM/GPRS....all, of course, wishful thinking :)


Oh James, I just emailed Compaq about a product similar to that. They said they would be happy to build them for us, but they are going to cost $20,000 a piece.

So now I can't decide between that, or a gold plated cell phone...hmmmm :wink:

[James]

Oh James, I just emailed Compaq about a product similar to that. They said they would be happy to build them for us, but they are going to cost $20,000 a piece.

So now I can't decide between that, or a gold plated cell phone...hmmmm :wink:


We just have to convince them that that is what the entire PDA market views as the best PDA :)

[Dave Conger]

We just have to convince them that that is what the entire PDA market views as the best PDA :)


Well, if you want one of these 20,000 PDA's...just send Compaq 5,000 for the pre-order and wait a couple years. Rrrrrrrrrrright

[James]

Actually, Compaq'll probably be out of business before they got them to market...

[Dave Conger]

Hey, don't say that! But that was kinda the point....a pre-release that will never make it. I could see Palm doing that with the m515...more "its just around the corner" emails.

[James]

Hey, don't say that! But that was kinda the point....a pre-release that will never make it. I could see Palm doing that with the m515...more "its just around the corner" emails.


We're gonna see the death (or drop out) of at least one of the PC manufacturing "greats" this year...it's just a question of which one will "win" the race...