Review: Toshiba Pocket PC e805
Feb. 12 -- Toshiba's earlier e-series personal digital assistants, or PDAs, had some ground-breaking features — the e740 was the first to integrate 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networking, for example.
The new Toshiba Pocket PC e800 series retains the 802.11b capability and adds a raft of other impressive features. But the highlight is the 4.0-inch (diagonal) TFT display that lets you work with certain applications at 480-by-640 pixels.
This high-resolution mode is terrific for viewing Microsoft Office files and images. Using the RGB port that comes with a $100 Toshiba Presentation Pack, you can connect the PDA to an external monitor or projector and show VGA or SVGA screens.
Our test model, an e805 ($600 street), is the same as the e800, but includes ArcSoft's PhotoBase software for editing and managing digital images. This PDA is a clear winner for corporate road warriors and those who depend heavily on productivity applications.
The e805 measures 5.3 by 3.0 by 0.6 inches (HWD) — about the size of a large HP iPAQ — but it's fairly light (6.8 ounces), considering all it packs. The 400-MHz Intel PXA 263 processor is backed by an impressive amount of internal memory including 128MB of SDRAM, 32MB of ROM, and 32MB of NAND Flash ROM — nonvolatile memory that's dedicated for use as backup storage.
The unit has CompactFlash (CF) II and SDIO expansion slots, a useful but rare combination currently found in only one Dell Axim and a few HPs. The built-in wireless networking already proved capable in earlier Toshiba PDAs, and the included Toshiba ConfigFree software makes it easy to use.
An Impressive View
An ATI video controller with its own 2MB of memory drives the graphics. Switching from the normal 240-by-320 resolution to the cool high-res mode is simple: You just choose "Screen Resolution" from the Start Menu, and the PDA restarts in the new mode.
Four included ClearVue applications from Wesstek let you work in high-res mode: ClearVue Document handles Microsoft Word files, Worksheet lets you manipulate Excel spreadsheets, Presentation works with PowerPoint presentations, and Image is, of course, for viewing images.
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