Toshiba unleashes the TG01 - the uber-smartphone to rule them all

Making a large step from a regular WinMo PocketPC to a heavily armored MID (Mobile Internet Device), Toshiba today launched the TG01 PocketPC. Packed with a 4.1" WVGA screen and measuring only 9.9 mm, the Toshiba TG01 certainly sounds like an impressive device, if not revolutionary.

The Toshiba TG01 is the first device in the world to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform, which is powered by a 1GHz mobile CPU and hosts GSM, HSPDA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity all on one chipset. The CPU has dynamic speed control and Toshiba and Qualcomm claim it'll go for a whole day without recharging.

   
Toshiba TG01 in black

There's no short way to describe all the features of the Toshiba TG01 so please bear with us. First off, it's the huge display - a 4.1-inch large touchscreen display has a WVGA resolution (800 x 480 pixels) and it's certainly the biggest one we've seen on a GSM mobile phone.

   
Toshiba TG01 in white

The Toshiba TG01 also packs unprecedented size for its hardware capabilities - it's only 9.9 millimeters thick. The device is obviously quite wide and tall but that's mostly because of the display as there are hardly any hardware buttons to take up place - even the receiver keys have become part of the user interface present throughout the whole UI.

   
Toshiba TG01 live pics

The connectivity section of the Toshiba TG01 includes HSPA and Wi-Fi plus a GPS receiver with A-GPS functionality. The internal storage is "only" 512 MB but you get a microSDHC card slot with support for up to 32GB.

The TG01 also comes with support for DivX video, and finally, the Toshiba TG01 makes use of a built-in 3.2 megapixel camera.

   
Toshiba TG01 live pics

The OS chosen to power the Toshiba TG01 is Windows Mobile 6.1 but as you will see from the following video Toshiba have added their own 3D thumb-optimized user interface on top of it

Toshiba have also supplied the TG01 with Internet Explorer Mobile 6 with full support for Flash. To aid web navigation a virtual track pad will appear on the screen to help with complex pages.

Further enhancing the UI are the shake controls that can be used to answer and end calls or return to the homescreen (screen auto rotation is available too).

Here's the Toshiba TG01 in action recorded at its launch event today in London (taken by MobileChoiceUK.com):

 

Toshiba will make the TG01 available in Europe this summer through exclusive operator deals though they are tight-lipped about which operators and pricing. Two colors have been shown so far – black and white.