02-14-2003, 08:29 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Toshiba to Launch $199 Pocket PC in March
In case Steve's great deal isn't good enough, check this out -- Dell might actually be undercut themselves!
"Toshiba, opening the door for sub-US$400 Pocket PCs last June, will launch a new Pocket PC priced at US$199 next month, believing the aggressively priced handheld device could help boost PDA sales and better compete with rivals Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard (HP), which have launched similar models with higher price tags."
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02-14-2003, 08:43 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 234
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So PocketPC's can reach even $100
Well this just shows that PocketPC's could reach $100 for black and white models with some effort. If colour PPCs can reach $200 then it should be possible. They could use an older 200MHz ARM (or even newer lower speed ARMs) with no sound and other frills and B&W screens with 24 MB of RAM or something. That could bring things in the $100-150 range. Imagine what the Palm camp could do when this happens. PPC's would have finally beat them in the last category left - low price and entry level models. In fact wasn't Samsung's B&W model just something like this? This may well be the best thing to increase Pocket PC market share. We might just see a huge increase in demand. But for Toshiba last year I would have never bought a PocketPC and known how much better than the piddly Palm I had before. It was Toshiba's $300 price (with rebate) that made me buy PocketPC. This is a good thing (tm).
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02-14-2003, 08:44 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 426
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Re: Toshiba to Launch $199 Pocket PC in March
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
... believing the aggressively priced handheld device could help boost PDA sales and better compete with rivals Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard (HP), which have launched similar models with higher price tags."
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Just a quick correction; Dell launched the Basic Axim X5 for $199 after rebate, so Toshiba's reported price would not be lower than Dell's. :wink:
Their offering double the memory though! I wonder how it'll match up against the Dell otherwise (dual slots, great screen, etc.)
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02-14-2003, 08:46 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 593
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Re: So PocketPC's can reach even $100
Lets hope they keep a similar body style, at least let it use the same cradles, stylus and possibly same case as either the e33x or e740.
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02-14-2003, 08:49 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 217
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Re: So PocketPC's can reach even $100
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Originally Posted by ShivShanks
Well this just shows that PocketPC's could reach $100 for black and white models with some effort. If colour PPCs can reach $200 then it should be possible. They could use an older 200MHz ARM (or even newer lower speed ARMs) with no sound and other frills and B&W screens with 24 MB of RAM or something.
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Microsoft has a minimum set of hardware requirements for Pocket PC 2002 but still it may be possible. RAM would have to be at least 32MB and there would have to be at least a stereo headphone jack even if no external speaker I beleive.
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02-14-2003, 08:59 PM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Great. Tosh really make good PPCs (ocasionally :wink
Bring em on! 
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02-14-2003, 09:03 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 658
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Heck, have Linux preinstalled on a sucker like that, since Microsoft requires that much hardware for the PocketPC OS to be installed.
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02-14-2003, 09:10 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Re: Toshiba to Launch $199 Pocket PC in March
Quote:
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Originally Posted by MPSmith
Just a quick correction; Dell launched the Basic Axim X5 for $199 after rebate, so Toshiba's reported price would not be lower than Dell's. :wink:
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Except: (a) this may be without rebate; and (b) as you mention, it's double the memory. However, you are losing the Transflective display...
--janak
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02-14-2003, 09:18 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 725
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It would be nice to see Toshiba pull out of their current slump. The problem is the screen, Toshiba (IMHO) does not have the best screens in the world.
The way I could see them winning here is to throw an integrated screen cover onto the 335 form factor. That for $199 would put Toshiba back on the map lousy screen or not.
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02-14-2003, 09:19 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 426
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Janak:
No argument from me!
As you know, it's hard to make comparisons to the Dell when we know so little about it. But knowing Toshiba, one can make an educated guess about what it'll look like. IMO, they'll need to break away from the rest of their line to compete with Dell and HP.
Who knows what they'll do, but its unlikely that their new PDA will be a complete departure from their other products. It's more likely it won't even have all the features of its predecessors. And that would be bad.
I honestly hope it blows the Dell away, all the better for the industry! We've got to get more people interested in PPC's!
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