Product Requirements:
Device:
Windows PC 98, 2000, ME, XP or later
Does it ever drive you nuts that the perfect PDA is just beyond your reach?
It’s like the proverbial brass ring that you can almost touch, but never quite
grab. Let’s face it, a PDA enthusiast’s life is full of trade offs. To get some things that you
like, you have to live with some things that you don’t. For the past 5 months,
my main PDA has been the
HP 2215 iPAQ.
Although its small size and 2 memory card slots, will probably keep this model on my all time fave
list for a long time to come, I found myself dreaming about my next
main PDA only a month after having purchased it. The new PDA would have a bigger screen, more memory and built in WiFi, etc,
etc, etc…
When the Toshiba e805 (the e800 is
identical to the e805 except that it does not include the ArcSoft PhotoBase
software) was announced
with its 4 inch display and special hi-res mode, I was very
interested. But once I saw the body style, button layout and learned that the
hi-res mode was only available in certain applications, my interest soon
departed. That is until Lisa Gade of PDA
Buyer’s Guide showed me her e805 at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I was so impressed, that I
ordered one as soon as I returned home from the show. Are the trade offs that
I’ve had to live with for this device going to keep it as my main PDA, or will I
be dreaming of the next big thing within a few months? Read on to find out…
Hardware Specifications
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® Pocket PC 2003 Premium
Processor: Intel® PXA263 processor 400MHz
Memory: 128MB SDRAM memory, 32MB CMOS Flash ROM, 32MB NAND Memory (Flash ROM
Disk) Application memory
Display: 4.0” TFT Transreflective Color display (240 x 320 portrait resolution
w/64K colors), ATI Graphics Controller w/2MB internal video memory
Expansion: 1-SD (Secure Digital) card slot (3.3V), 1-Type I/II CF Card Slot
(3.3V)
Stereo headphone/Microphone port (Stereo; 4 ring jack 3.5mm).
Infrared port (115kbps)
Integrated Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b)
Cradle Connector Port (USB Client, USB Host, Serial)
Battery: Rechargeable 3.7V x 1320 mAh Lithium-Ion user swappable battery
AC Power: AC Input: 100~240 Vac, 50/60 Hz; AC Output Voltage: 5V/3A
Dimensions: (L x W x H) 5.30 x 3.00 x 0.60 in. (134.62 x 76.2 x 15.24 mm)
Weight: 6.8 oz (192.78 g)
What’s In The Box
Toshiba e805 Pocket PC
Stylus
AC Adapter/Power Cable
USB Cradle
Warranty Card
Quick Start User’s Guide
Quick Start Card
Safety Instructions
EULA (End Users License Agreement)
Companion CD (ActiveSync, Outlook 2002, various third party apps)
ArtSoft PhotoBase CD
Like most new PDAs, the first thing I really notice once I have it in
hand, is the overall styling of the device. The e805 is big, chunky and
relatively corporate looking. Having used the HP2215 for many months, I wasn’t
sure how easy it was going to be to adjust to the size of this model. In hand
the e805 feels very solid and substantial. But even with the added weight and size,
I found the device to be comfortable to hold and use for extended periods of
time because the width of the device really isn’t any different than the HP2215.
The difference is in the length.
Applying the now standard squeeze / creak test, the Toshiba passed with
flying colors. No flexing or cracking here folks!
Top to bottom: PalmOne Tungsten T, HP 2215 iPAQ, Toshiba e805
The casing is a combination of deep blue, black and silver colored plastic.
The main body is deep blue with a hint of a metallic fleck to it. Although I
like the color, the plastic itself is slick and extremely prone to finger
prints, which drives me nuts. I find myself constantly polishing the unsightly smudges on
the back side of the PDA with my shirt or a tissue.
The majority of the front side is taken up with the humongous 4 inch display.
More about it in a bit… Under the display are the application and navigation
buttons. Arranged in a rectangular pattern, the application buttons form a U
around the square navigation pad. While in the center is a small select button. All of
the buttons appear to be made of silver plastic and have excellent tactile
feedback. Gamers will be excited to learn that the 4 way nav pad can be
converted into an 8 way pad via a software switch. The only down side to this
feature is the fact that these buttons are really not optimized for arcade style game play.
They are too flat and close together, which makes pressing them quickly a little
difficult sometimes. For game play, I
really prefer my HP2215’s small round nav pad to the Toshiba’s.
Embossed in the casing plastic on the outside of each application button, is
a specific media function graphic such as play/pause, previous, next and stop.
The built in Windows Media player has been setup to automatically map the
buttons to these functions. To the left of the button layout is the charger /
alarm status LED. This LED glows amber while charging in the cradle and then
turns green when charging is complete. It also flashes amber for alarms. On the
opposite side of the buttons is the speaker grill. Maximum speaker volume is
just ok. However, I have found that it is adequate enough to allow the e805 to function as an alarm clock if
it is on the night stand near your bed.
On the left side of the e805, we find a large record button, a spring loaded
jog dial, hold button and the IR port. The record button is recessed so that you
won’t accidentally activate it when just picking up the device. I actually have mapped the record button to the
Today app, because I hate using the teeny weenie power button to power on the
device. Jog dial lovers will be happy to that see that Toshiba did not remove it as
most Pocket PC models seem to be doing lately. This jog dial is spring loaded
and can be pressed in as a select in some applications. The hold button when
activated will keep the PDA from acknowledging all button presses except for the
Power button.
The right side of the PDA has a small reset hole that the included stylus tip
can fit into.
Speaking of the stylus, it’s located at the top of the e805 along with the
earphone jack, power button, SD slot, CF slot, CF spring loaded eject button and
WiFi status LED.
The stylus which has an aluminum barrel, is the collapsible variety. Even
when fully extended, it’s pretty small. I have been using it mainly as a reset
switch poker than for a stylus, because it really isn’t comfortable at all to
use as a stylus.
Sound quality through the earphone jack is fantastic. It blows my
iPod out of
the water… which really annoys me to no end. I found myself hearing things I’d
never noticed before when I tested listening to the same exact MP3 file on both
my iPod and the e805. Volume levels are more than adequate. I tend to not want
to blow my eardrums up, so even setting the system volume at 40% and Windows
Media player’s volume to 33% was perfect. Advanced sound controls can be
adjusted through software to adjust the left and right earphone volume levels,
as well as bass and treble levels. If only this PDA had a 20gb hard drive
<pout>!
The power button is small, stiff and sits flush with the casing. As I mentioned above, I ended up
re-mapping the record button to the Today app so that I could use it to power on
the PDA quickly.
Like my HP2215, the e805 has dual memory card slots. Yay! You have access to
both an SD (SDIO capable) and a CF Type I/II slot. I love the freedom of keeping one
slot as just a memory card slot, and the other free to be either additional
memory, or for a GPS, Bluetooth card, etc. With the built in WiFi though, I’ve
been using both slots for memory cards.
The bottom of the device has an AC jack, battery switch, WiFi
power switch and sync port. The AC adapter that ships with the PDA can plug into
the cradle or directly into the PDA, making it convenient when you need to bring
a method of charging with you on a trip.
The battery switch has a rubber door over it to protect against accidental
tampering. Flipping the switch under that door will perform a hard reset on your
device. This is way easier to do than to remember what wacky button combination
to press.
I found the addition of a hardware WiFi switch to be a little unusual. I
don’t use WiFi all that often, so I do use the switch to turn it on and off. I
figure maybe it somehow helps save battery life disabling it that way. You can
turn the radio off though through software if you desire.
Speaking of WiFi, I found the e805’s built in wireless radio to feel faster
at surfing than the several SD and CF WiFi cards that I’ve used with other
Pocket PCs in the past. Surfing with this device is a blast!
The sync port is your typically proprietary connector. It looks like an iPAQ
connector, but it’s not. Toshiba has given the e805 USB host capability. This
means you can use various USB peripherals such as mice, keyboards and some
storage devices with this PDA. You will need to purchase Toshiba’s $20 adapter
which plugs into the sync port, and any special drivers required for the
peripherals that you wish to use.
The cradle that ships with the e805 is pretty cool. For one thing, the back
rest can be adjusted if you happen to have the higher capacity battery
installed. The base is heavy enough so that you can pretty much insert and
remove the PDA with just one hand. But the coolest thing about this cradle is a
totally useless feature… the base glows blue when the PDA is inserted. I’m a
sucker for cool little touches like that!
On the back of the e805 is the removable battery. The
built in 1320 mAh Lithium-Ion battery is huge (capacity-wise) when compared to
the 900mAh battery that my HP2215 has (a higher capacity battery is available
which is thicker and protrudes out of the back of the device). Despite the fact
that the e805 has a huge screen, and a fast processor, the battery did a very
good job of powering the PDA through all of my daily tasks. To give you an idea
of how the battery performs, here a sample usage pattern:
| Battery Level | Time Used | Activity | Screen Brightness Level / Volume Level thru built-in speaker or headphones |
| 100% | 10:45am – 11:00am (15min) | Media Player Playing MP3s thru speaker | 75% / 50% |
| 91% | 11:00am – 11:30am (30min) | Media Player Playing MP3s thru speaker | screen off / headphones 50% |
| 11:30am – 11:45am (145min) | Powered off / out of cradle | n/a | |
| 88% | 2:00pm – 2:30pm (30min) | Image Viewer slideshow pulling images from CF card |
75% / 50% |
| 2:30pm – 3:30pm (60min) | Powered off / out of cradle | n/a | |
| 77% | 3:30pm – 5:15pm (105min) | Reading with PalmReader | 75% / 50% |
| 5:15pm – 9:15pm (240min) | Powered off / out of cradle | 75% / 50% | |
| 42% | 9:15pm – 9:30pm (15min) | A little of this and a little of that | 75% / 50% |
| 9:30pm – 11:00am (810min) | Powered off / out of cradle | 75% / 50% | |
| 32% | 11:00am – 11:08am (8min) | WiFi surfing | 75% / 50% |
| 25% | 11:08am | 1st low battery warning | 75% / 50% |
| 11:08am – 11:44am (36min) | Reading with PalmReader | 75% / 50% | |
| 9% | 11:44am | 2nd low battery warning | 75% / 50% |
| 11:44am | End of test | n/a | |
| Total usage time 3hrs 59mins / Total powered off time 20hrs 55mins |
|||
A variety of settings can be tweaked to wring as much juice out of the
battery as possible.
Besides having 128mb of RAM, built in WiFi, and 2 memory card slots, probably
the main feature that will draw people to this PDA is its 4 inch (diagonal)
display.
| Screen size comparison | |
| 3800 series iPAQ | 3.10 x 2.34in (78.8 x 59.5mm) |
| 1910 series iPAQ | 2.86 x 2.16in (72.7 x 54.8mm) |
| 2215 series iPAQ | 2.88 x 2.18in (73.2 x 55.5mm) |
| Toshiba e805 | 3.24 x 2.43in (82.30 x 61.72mm) |
While this isn’t the first Pocket PC to sport a 4inch screen (the Toshiba Genio
e550 also had one) this is
the first Pocket PC to offer VGA (640 x 480) resolution! Well, let’s back up a
smidge… The e805 isn’t exactly 640 x 480… at least not out of the box. Out
of the box, you get the VGA display in just the ClearVue suite of applications.
Disappointing to say the least. Fortunately, the developer community has come up with
a way around this limitation by releasing 2 freeware resolution switchers. These
programs allow you to switch from QVGA (quarter VGA 240 x 320) to VGA for all applications
— sorta. I’ve been using ResFix
1.0d, but have recently paid for the 2.0 version which also allows you to rotate
the screen in landscape mode. If you’re an e805 owner, you MUST get this
application!
In regular 240 x 320 mode, everything is BIG and wonderfully bright. People
with eye sight problems will really like this PDA. But if your eyes are good,
you’ll definitely love this PDA. Switching to VGA mode is like upgrading your
old 15 inch monitor to a 19 inch model. You’ll wonder how you ever managed
without it! It’s amazing how much additional information
that you can view at one time.
To give you an idea of just how much of a difference screen size / resolution
can make, check out the with VGA and without VGA images below. You have to click
on the thumbnails to see the full size screen captures.
Today page
PalmReader
Notes
Pocket Explorer viewing the same webpage
Pocket Explorer viewing the same webpage
Not all applications totally support VGA mode. When you run these apps, they
will only display in the upper left corner of the screen. They still work fine,
but just don’t look that great. This is especially true of almost all of the
games that I tried on the e805.
I can’t forget to talk about the color quality of the display. It is
excellent… at least to my eyes. Below are the e805 and HP2215 displaying the
same image at full brightness. The picture was taken with out a flash.
Left to right: Toshiba e805, HP2215
The HP2215, which I thought had a great display, looks washed out when
compared to the Toshiba. The Toshiba is so bright, that it still looks great at
only 50% brightness. I should also mention that my e805 is devoid of any dead
pixels.
The e805 has an ATI Graphics Controller with 2MB internal video memory. This
special controller allows the e805 to display graphics much faster than Pocket
PCs without the controller. Viewing video using such apps as Pocket TV is really
a joy!
As far as overall system speed, I’d have to say that the e805 feels a little
slower than my HP2215. I find that odd when the processor in the HP2215 isn’t as
powerful as the one in the e805. That said, I find a bit of a lag here and there
when turning the unit on, or launching apps using the application buttons. I’ve
also found that my e805 suffers terribly from the infamous alarm problem. I
don’t depend on it to alert me to appointments, as it typically will not turn on
when one sounds. It’s an annoying problem which plagues may Pocket PC models…
Although it never seemed to be a problem on my HP2215.
Software Specs
Out of the box, the e805 has 126.79mb of free RAM and 32mb of
non-volatile Flash storage.
Software Included In ROM
Pocket Outlook – This is your PIM (Personal Information Manager) Suite of
applications. You get Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Notes, and Inbox. All of
these applications will sync directly to Outlook on your desktop PC.
Pocket Internet Explorer – Web browser.
Pocket Word, Pocket Excel – View and edit Word / Excel documents.
Block Recognizer – Graffiti clone input method. If you have a Palm OS PDA
and know Graffiti, then you’ll be right at home with this input method.
File Explorer, Calculator, Solitaire
Voice Recorder – Nice interface for the
voice recorder.
Jawbreaker – New bubble popping game.
Backup – Utility for Backup/Restore to Main Memory, Memory Card, or File
Store. Can be set to backup at predetermined times automatically.
ClearVue™
Suite – A stand-alone Microsoft® Office file and image viewer for your
Microsoft® Windows Mobile™ 2003 Pocket PC. ClearVue Suite opens and views native
Microsoft Office 97, 2000 and 2002 PowerPoint, Excel and Word files, as well as
JPG, PNG and Windows bitmap (BMP) images. Keep in mind that this is only a
viewer. You can not edit Word, Excel or PowerPoint files with it.
Windows Media Player 9 for Pocket PC – Listen to digital music and watch
movies.
Microsoft Reader for Pocket PC – Read electronic books.
MSN Messenger – Chat with your buddies, just like on your PC.
Pocket MSN
Terminal Services Client – Connect to a Windows XP Professional system to see
and control everything as if you were sitting in front of it.
World Clock –
View time in 3 different cities at the same time. Also allows you to set 3
alarms based on selected cities.
Home – So so program launcher application with tabs.
Toshiba ConfigFree™ Software – Nice set of tools to diagnose problems with
your WiFi setup. I love the little WiFi sniffer type application.
VoIP Software – allows users to place phone calls over a high speed wireless
LAN.
Additional software included on CD(s):
Outlook 2002 – Popular desktop PIM.
ActiveSync 3.7 – Application that syncs
Outlook info to your Pocket PC.
TOSHIBA Text to Speech for Pocket PC – Synthesizes voice, and reads out emails,
text files and text data on the clipboard. Text to Speech consists of three
applications, Mail Speech, Text Speech and Speech Settings (requires 5.879 mb).
This is a fun application to play with. You should hear how it butchers my last
name when it reads it. ;o)
Voice Command – Supposedly allows you to operate your Pocket PC "hands free" without
tapping or pressing buttons. Includes three components, Global Command, User
Command, Command for each application (requires 1.299 mb). This is a fun
application to play with, but I was unable to get the "hands free" part of it to
work. It seemed like I had to always press the assigned activation button before
speaking my command. The cool thing is that you don’t have to train it for your
voice. The not so cool thing is that the help file isn’t very helpful.
ClearVue Application Suite User Manual
ATI Presentation Pack – Includes the IA Presenter and IA Screen Mirror modules.
The IA Presenter allows you to take your Microsoft PowerPoint slides and run a
presentation from your Pocket PC. The IA Screen Mirror projects the contents of
your Pocket PC’s LCD screen onto an external projector or monitor.
Wireless Projector Utility – Use this application to send the images from the
Pocket PC’s screen or presentation slide or an image file to wireless projector,
and display on the screen.
Minesweeper, Reversi and Hearts games.
JETCET PRINT Pocket (Trial Version) – Printing solution for your Microsoft®
Windows Mobile™ 2003 Pocket PC.
ArcSoft PhotoBase – Only included with the e805, and not the e800, this is an image viewer that includes slide show features,
beaming features and very simple editing features.
Summary
It’s really hard not to love this device. A gorgeous display, tons of memory,
2 expansion slots, and built in WiFi make it a true power users PDA. To me it
feels more like a mini tablet PC than just a Pocket PC. I can see myself taking
this device along on a trip and leaving Mini-me at home. That said, the e805
isn’t without its faults… It is a bit large for my personal PDA tastes, and
can be a little sluggish here and there. The alarm problems (which are not the
fault of Toshiba) have been aggravating me, as well as the fact that not all
applications fill the wonderful VGA display. Even though I have my gripes, just
like I said in the first paragraph of this review, to get some things that you
like, you have to live with some things that you don’t. Right now, I’m dealing
with the trade offs and have made this device my main brain for the foreseeable
future.
Price: $599
Pros:
Great hi-res display
128mb of RAM
Built in WiFi
SD and CF card slots
Cons:
Hi-res mode only available in specific applications (unless you use a hack)
Feels sluggish at times
Crummy stylus
Case / Slip cover not included
Product Information
| Price: | 599.0 |
| Manufacturer: | Toshiba |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
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Nice review, Julie, as always. 🙂 I have an e805 and share many of the same sentiments as you.
Re the WiFi switch: I think it’s there so that you can make sure WiFi will be off when you’re on the airplane; otherwise, things like a soft reset will turn it back on.
Oh, and I think I’d go beyond your comments on the buttons. I find them quite mediocre for heavy use. I find myself using the jog dial a lot more than the dpad.
But… VGA is hard to beat. Did you try turning on ClearType? It’s absolutely mind-blowing. 😎
–janak
Great review. It’s almost like being there as you unpack the box. This looks like a really nice device. My main concern is battery life, which with a large, bright display, fast processor, and wi-fi, is understandably poor. Even with that 1320 mAh battery it looks like it was dropping about 1% per minute during surfing, and that’s the main thing I’m interested in. I was also surprised that it felt sluggish. I wonder if that’s to do with having 4X the pixels to process, or maybe some power saving features.
Oh well, like you said, the perfect PDA always seems just out of reach. Probably because the advances in technology boost our expectations so much the manufacturers can’t keep up. Now if we just had a fuel cell battery and a 80 gig CF card…:D
BigDaddyJ:
I’ve never been a jog dial user, but like you I tend to use it more than the D-pad while I’m reading e-books.
As for ClearType, you’re right, it looks awesome! 😀
reidme:
Yes, battery life is a concern, but I had my unit’s brightness cranked up pretty high during that test. There are several things you can do to stretch the juice… And there’s always the high capacity battery.
Hi Julie =)
nice review , now im confused if I should sell my T3 and get the new toshiba instead =)
by the way does the built in apps of the pocketpc OS work with the vga screen? apps like pocket excel, pocket word, pocket reader and MSN messenger? Thanks 🙂
I noticed that you had it up pretty high, but know that you usually like a bright screen anyways. The brightness seems to have more of an impact than processor speed in my own experience. Turning down the screen gives me more battery life than slowing down the processor, at least with the devices I’ve toyed with. Doing both together gives the best results, of course.
However, what’s the point in getting the latest gadget, then going backwards? Kind of like getting a Viper and installing a block of wood under the throttle 😉 It’s not like I’m on a safari somewhere, and I usually make it through even extreme days with power to spare. After spending a day with the processor turned down and being annoyed with performance, I cranked her up to normal ‘rip n run’ speed and went back to enjoying myself.
Julie, I had a question about ClearType in VGA mode. Can you make the display font smaller without changing the actual document font size? I have a couple of apps that do this, but the small is REAL small (magnifying glass, anyone?), and there only three zoom settings. An example is attached (excuse the lower res and ugly scroll bar!).
charlie:
Pocket Excel, Pocket Word, Pocket Explorer, and Microsoft Reader are all full screen in VGA mode. I don’t think MSN messenger is though, but I can’t test it completely because I can’t log in. It’s a proxy problem with my Direcway satellite system.
Altema:
I tend to run my PDAs at full bore. To heck with the battery! 😉 Seriously, I didn’t buy this thing with my own moola just to make it run as slow as a 3yr old Pocket PC.
As for ClearType, in VGA, I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking… On the Pocket PC, there isn’t a system wide font size setting. Each application has its own settings. For example, in Microsoft Reader, there are 6 different font sizes that you can choose from. But in Pocket Word there are only 5.
Hi Julie,
Great review as always…I got one of these a few months ago and love it…
Sold my Zaurus C760 to get it..kind of miss it but for work e805 is more compatible… 🙂
Mark
Silicone Valley
I was referring to a ‘zoom’ feature within the applications, independent from any document font setting. Kind of like the zoom feature in MS Word. For example, Documents To Go has 16 font sizes ranging from 8 to 72, but you can also set the zoom to small, medium, or large without changing the actual fonts. WordSmith is similar in that you can pick any font size from 4 to 127, but still pick a “display” size which does not mess with the document font settings.
How about accessories, can I use the e740 series accessories or do I have to start over again and buy new accs?
drchow:
I don’t have access to an e740 to verify that the sync connectors are the same, but I did go to the Toshiba site and saw that the optional USB sync/charge cables for each have different part numbers.
So, it looks like upgrading to this PPC will require that you replace all the accessories.
That was one of the most intense and complete reviews I have ever read anywhere. Kudos to you for the amazing job, screengrabs and all. I’m blown away.
I was actually debating on getting the Toshiba or the new Clie TH55. In the end I went with the Clie the same reason I chose OS X over XP, just sheer simplicity. But that screen makes me drool. 🙂
I just replaced an IPAQ 4355 with the e800. The e800 is a vast improvement due to its beautiful, bright and relatively large sized display and generally good hardware design.
The minuses are: no integral Bluetooth ( We purchased a SD Bluetooth card, but it is a real pain. The card sticks out and is frequently ejected by accident and the software is unreliable), it should be possible to change to the heavy duty battery without also requiring a new back ( more expensive and changes the overall size of the computer); an essential component, the USB host cable is still unavailable, and the Toshiba 12 VDC power cable uses the USB connection with the result that it cannot concurrently be used for USB functions. (There are third party cables that use a barrel connector.)
Overall, by far the best of the curent PDAs.
Robbie
How does the E800 compare to the Asus 716? The one with intergrated WiFi and bluetooth.
I’m curious benchmark wise?
Regarding the comparison with the ASUS 716, I haven’t tried the 716, but both use the same 400MHz CPU and thus should have similar processing speeds. The e800 has a 4″ and the 716 a 3.5″ LCD. The 716 LCD is reported to be the same technology as that of the IPAQ 4000 series. If true, the e800 will have a brighter and higher resolution display. As noted, the larger display is highly desirable. The e800 also has 128 versus 64 MB RAM for the 716. I can’t comment on the construction details.
Robbie
Ok..another question…..
Anyone know how the E800’s screen compares to the Tapwave Zodiac’s?
Dave
Both devices have wonderfully bright screens. The Zodiac is 3.8 inches and has a maximum resolution of 480 x 320 while the e805 is 4 inches and can go as high as 640 x 480 (with a 3rd party hack).
Wonder which has a brighter screen or both pretty much are equal?
Since I have neither unit anymore, I would just guess that they are pretty much equal when at their full brightness setting.
Read your review, Julie, and bought an e800 😉 I am very happy with my e800 now. Was thinking about getting the HP4150 again after I lost it somewhere 🙁 cuz the 4150 is a very good PPC. It’s small in size with both WiFi and Bluetooth built-in. 4150 is of the best PDA I have used. Well but once I’ve got the big screen e800, I will never go back to small screen. It’s just too nice to surf on the Net with 640×480 resolution!
Now I am thinking about getting the Stowaway Wireless IR keyboard. Just wondering if you have tried it, Julie, or anyone can give me a brief review on it? Will other brands of IR keyboards work with the e800 if they support PC2003?
I am trying to replace my Laptop with the e800 so that I don’t have to carry my heavy Laptop all the time.
Thx.
Eric
I have the Stowaway wireless keyboard and actually used it with the e805 for awhile. I liked it quite a bit. The only ‘problem’ that I had with it was that it was somewhat difficult to open. Other than that, it is great.
oh I notice the IR port of the e800 is on the lower left side of the PDA. I have purchased the Resfix 2 hack but find out only be allowed to select the Counter-Clockwise Landscape option while in VGA mode. Will the IR port be at the “Bottom” of the PDA in the Landscape mode then not be able to use the IR Keyboard?
Or anyway to activate the Landscape Clockwise in VGA mode?
thx.
That might present a problem… I’m not sure if there are other programs to allow for opposite direction rotation. I guess you could some how prop the e800 up a few inches so that the IR beam could reflect under the PDA.
Also wondering if you using any software to customize your “Today” Screen in VGA mode, Julie?
I have been looking for a software to customize the “Today” screen in VGA mode and figured all the images I put on at a wallpaper will be “White-out”. The white color fonts on the Today can’t be seen clearly if the background has a white color image.
Any other software recommended to be use in VGA mode?
Resco File Explorer and its Photo Viewer are my favorites, also the Pocket Informant, Mapking, ICQ, MSN Messenger, and VNC for PPC works great in VGA mode.
Looking for a Calculator and a Media Player that works full screen VGA.
I actually no longer have the e805. I sold it and bought the Sony CLIE TH55 a few weeks ago.
You can use the regular media player in hi-res. There are skins available that are full screen. Look info on great e805 tips and software:
Pocket PC Tools e805 Forums
How on direct solar beams the screen looks?
It is difficult to read using Toshiba e800, even screen on direct solar beams?
P.S. Sorry for my bad english
The screen is OK in direct sun… It is readable, but not as easy as indoors.
MyVGA is a free alternative to ResFix which allows rotation in the “left-handed” landscape orientation which puts the IR port on the top side of the e800.
I use mine all the time with the Stowaway IR keyboard and it is a great duo. As Julie kindly pointed out earlier you can find a wealth of information including screen images of Today screen plugins on our VGA forums.
🙁
I purchased my e-805 a few months ago and now I am told it is obsolete. When I checked the Toshiba trade in web page, I was told it was worth $45.00 US.
Regretfully I paid a lot more for it than that. Is there anothe product to replace it?
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert L Krieger Jr.
New PocketPCs are always being released but that doesn’t make your Toshiba obsolete. Doesn’t it work just like it did when you bought it? The e800 is still the only VGA PockePC you can buy today. I don’t think I’d call it obsolete. 🙂
And yet another Toshiba model bites the dust in the prime of it’s life. See why everyone hates Toshiba now?
Robert: ASUS, and HP are releasing VGA models soon (HP probably this month or next). I am not sure of any other vendors such as Dell. I’d put my money of the ASUS. A very sleek sexy form factor (much like my lovely ipaq 1945), and packs a powerful punch. If it’s all it’s supposed to be, it may just replace my ipaq 1945, if the price is right (which it probably won’t be :()
And let’s not forget, there are rumors of Toshiba leaving Windows Mobile and jumping ship to PalmOS. Some rumors have Toshiba leaving the PDA market all together. So, if this happens (but remember at this point they’re rumors), what will become of your e800? Very likely with NO support, like many Clie’s will be in a year when their warranties run out.
If I may ask… why do you want to trade it in? All PDAs depreciate in value rapidly as new models constantly come out. Sonys, in particular, are notorious for this.
–janak
I think that’s debatable. While HP and Asus are on the verge of releasing new models, they’re still not out yet. My e805 rocks, and I have no desire to trade it for anything at this time.
As for the rumors, they’ve surfaced every six months or so, and haven’t panned out just yet. Whether they exit the business, they’ll be compelled to provide at least warranty service — it’s not like Toshiba’s going out of business.
–janak
It still works, I had spilled coffie on mine and had to send it in for repair. In the mean time I needed to purchase another one till I got mine back from the shop.
That was when I found out that they were obsolete from the store. Comp USA and Good Guys.
I did find a display model and purchased it. I was told that a newer model would be available in a few months which is why they discontinued the product. Ok, the Toshiba web site stated they had a trade in program for products and I bit. That’s when I found that THey would give me $45.00 for the units.
Bummer. 😡 If there is a better newer product available with the same features and one that is likely to be continued to be supported, I would like to know about it.
Thanks in advance.
Robert L Krieger Jr.
There’s not yet.