Long-time readers will know I’ve been a fan of Windows Mobile since I got the Sony Ericsson X1. Recent WinMo phones have shown exactly what was needed to make that OS properly live up to its potential. Specifically, you need a big screen, and a chuffin’ fast processor. You need the big screen to make all the drop down menus and thingies easier to use; and the processor to make it more stable, so it doesn’t die on its botty every 38 seconds, like Windows Mobile of old.
The X1 had both, and so did the HTC Touch HD, but they’re both outdone by the upcoming Toshiba TG01, which with an epic 4.1 inch screen and 1GHz processor is already being called (usually, admittedly, by me) the ultimate Windows Mobile phone.
And now, thanks to IntoMobile, we may have our first, ever so tentative hint of when we might actually see the Toshiba TG01 on shelves. Allegedly, the WinMo superphone is going to be headed to Spain and Japan, in their words, “between June and July”. I wasn’t aware of a month between June and July, so we’ll be charitable and assume they meant in either June or July. Either that, or we’re in an episode of The Simpsons, and it’ll be arriving in Smarch.
Now, of course, they’re overseas releases, but surely it’s not unreasonable to assume we in the UK’d be getting the Toshiba TG01 around the same time, or not long after? Here’s hoping, since I’m gagging to have a play with one!
In fact, there’s only one thing I don’t like about it. I love the huge screen, I love the super-duper-wuper fast processor, and I love the fact it’s only 9.9mm thick. But what I don’t like is the interface. I can see why they’ve done the whole stripy thing, and yes, it probably is very easy to use… but I just don’t like not being able to put your own wallpaper on there, and so on.
Thankfully, though, this is Windows Mobile, and that means it’ll run the SPB Mobile Shell (which I’ve now got on my X1, and which I will be reviewing very, very soon), and that’s a good thing, because the SPB Shell… well, I won’t spoil the surprise, I’ll let you read the upcoming review, to find out how good it is.
But just to whet your appetites, I’ve knocked up a comparison pic of what the Toshiba TG01 might look like with it on, next to what my X1 does look like with it on…
Yes, the widget-y frontscreen does look very Android-ish, with that big analogue clock having more than a hint of the HTC Magic. But how good is it? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see. Suffice to say, if you use Windows Mobile, this is one review you don’t want to miss…
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