Toshiba Unveils High-End Pocket PC
The E740 will keep business travelers connected, with built-in wireless connectivity and more processing power.
Scarlet Pruitt, IDG News Service
Hoping to woo the high-end corporate market, Toshiba released a new Pocket PC with integrated wireless connectivity and stepped-up processing power Monday.
The Toshiba Pocket PC E740 is the company's third foray into the handheld market, and comes on the heels of the Pocket PC E310, which was released earlier this year. But unlike the E310, which was more of an organizer with expandability options aimed at the consumer market, the E740 was designed with an on-the-go corporate user in mind.
Priced at $599, the new Pocket PC comes with integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, and an Intel PXA250 chip with 400-MHz processing speed. The E310, by comparison, comes with an Intel StrongArm 206-MHz processor and is priced at $399.
The E740 also boasts 64MB of RAM and 32MB of ROM. It comes with two card slots, Secure Digital and CompactFlashII, and boasts a 3.5-inch 240-by-320-pixel color display. It also comes with an advanced lithium-ion battery to support the extra processing power.
The E740 operates on Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 operating system and weighs 6.3 ounces.
Keeping Connected
The new handheld is aimed toward corporate users who need to access and view data on the fly, according to Toshiba. In addition to the handheld's Wi-Fi capabilities, users can also purchase a Bluetooth SD Card for $149 for wireless connectivity.
"This is not really a data-creation device as much as it is a data-viewing device," says Carl Pinto, director of product marketing at Toshiba.
While still sleek in design, at 4.9 inches by 3.1 inches by 0.6 inches, the E740 allows users to view PowerPoint presentations on the screen, thanks to its bundled software. To show presentations on a projector or a monitor, users will need to purchase the Toshiba Expansion Pack for $99 more, however. The Expansion Pack integrates an RGB monitor port and a USB port that can connect the handheld to USB devices such as a full-size keyboard.
For multimedia purposes, the E740 comes with a speaker and microphone and a stereo headphone minijack.
The launch of the E740 is just part of the company's new focus on mobility, according to Pinto.
"This handheld is a further development in our entire range of mobility products," Pinto says. "Wireless is really becoming the standard of communication."
The E740 is currently available on ShopToshiba.com and through the company's traditional retail channels.
