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Orange Toshiba TG01 Review

This topic has 8 posts & 5 voices
Started 3 months ago by Chris Davies
Latest reply from Chris Davies

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Chris Davies
Moderator

With product announcements and launches often so far apart, there’s always the risk that another company will steal your thunder. Toshiba, though, have managed to pilot their TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone to market still wearing the “biggest screen” and “first Snapdragon” crowns. Problem is, in doing so they’ve arrived well in advance of Microsoft’s new mobile platform. Can the Toshiba TG01 still deliver enough to seize not only the Windows Mobile 6.1 top-spot, but push the iPhone off its pedestal? SlashGear has been finding out.

Orange Toshiba TG01 Review

Posted 3 months ago #
Vincent Nguyen
Moderator

I really-really thought MS was going to come through for Toshiba and let them launch the TG01 with 6.5.

Posted 3 months ago #
Chris Davies
Moderator

As did I. Unfortunately, buyers now face either living with WM6.1 for a few months until 6.5 launches, which – trust me – isn’t the most pleasant of prospects, or holding off from buying the TG01 until 6.5 comes as standard. That could backfire if a rival brings out a more interesting handset in the meantime.

Posted 3 months ago #
Dogmann
Member

Hi whilst i agree with most of your comments some of it i just can’t as my TG01 changes from Portrait to Landscape with no lag or delay at all in fact the only delay i ever experience is waking it from sleep as you say this requires pressing the power button for a good few seconds. I didn’t like either the Orange UI nor the Toshiba Stripes and instaed use SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 instaed and it runs both smoothly and fast and does an excellent job of not making me have to deal with the WM UI at all. Like you i don’t really like MIE6 at all so am using Opera Mobile 9.5 which is really nice and fast on the TG01. I also have set up CorePlayer as my default player and just don’t bother with the others at all, I’m not a long time user of WM and the last two devcies i tried where the TyTN 2 and the Xperia X1 on both of those the Os was slow and clunky and the UI was horrible and neither lasted with more than a couple of days. The TG01 on the other hand is a completely different user experience IMO it’s fast in all it does and I’m really happy with it. Yes i may of preferred a 3.5mm jack but in all honesty the hands free adapter doe make answering calls whilst listening to Muisc easier this way. From what I’ve seen of WM6.5 UI even if i upgrade i think i will continue using SPB Mobile Shell as just find it works so well the TG01 may not be a perfect device but then what is? But it the best device I’ve used so far and for me at this time and for me that’s all that counts.

Marc

Posted 3 months ago #
espemg7
Member

Thanks for the review. I have always loved Toshiba products and you did a heck of a break down for everyone of the pros and cons. Camera picture quality should be better though.
Keep up the good work!

Jake

Posted 3 months ago #
OneZen
Member

Very detailed Review.
Here are my main points on the handset I bought from Orange. First make sure you test in the shop before you buy. If you don’t that’s it no return policy. If you can’t read web pages using IE Mobile browser because the zoom function is zooming backwards. Tough. Its not a manufacturing fault. An Orange Manager I deal with brings his finger down to the bottom of my contract and states very authoritarily ‘is this your signature?’. So be warned. I appear to be stuck in a 2 year contract even after returning to the shop after 3 days. Is this relevant to your article. Absolutely. Will it be posted? We’ll see.
The resistive touchscreen requires the stylus a lot of the time especially browsing and in my case typing. I can’t get on with any of the keyboards as the extra pressure applied causes spillage to other characters. I’ve owned windows mobile phones for 6 years.
Browsing on youtube with ie will have the video displaying in a small box. The zoom function doesn’t zoom up so there you have it. Another browser does work but ie should handle it.
6.5 will address most of the issues. If browsing on the Internet is your thing then you’ll need a third party browser. I found Opera required a stylus to navigate with. The opera zoom is in a drilled down menu and doesn’t offer that lovely flicking effect you get with the iphone.
When you get a decent video playing on it its lovely. But the novelty will wear off soon when you see navigation is very clunky.
Agree with other poster that spbshell brings this phone to life. Especially front navigation.
I found the speaker on the phone really quiet. That is when making calls it requires a quiet place to hear on the other side. There is no wondering around town trying to talk on it. I only make calls in very quiet places now to hear the other person. I found the speaker on function didn’t make my voice clear enough to the orange operators. Test in shop appeared to be fine.

Posted 3 months ago #
Chris Davies
Moderator

Thanks for the feedback, I think it’s really important for would-be buyers to note Orange’s returns policy. Since we get our review units from their PR people, not from a store, we don’t get to see the terms & conditions buyers have to agree to.

Posted 3 months ago #
Chris Davies
Moderator

I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying it; I think my takeaway experience from using the TG01 was that perhaps Toshiba promised too much (or maybe we expected too much given the spec-sheet) to be able to deliver. For me, I would’ve preferred to see a delayed launch and Windows Mobile 6.5 as standard, but then of course they would have been pilloried for it taking such a long time between announcement and release.

Posted 3 months ago #

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