Manufacturer bundles into the fray with two Pocket PCs in one day: both feature impressive specifications, and one sports the first Pocket PC VGA display.
Toshiba today unveiled the two new devices in its Pocket PC range: the e400 and e800 series, also known as the e405 and e805 in an effort to confuse consumers: the '05s' will be sold through retail channels, while the '00s' will be issued by Toshiba directly.
The e400 is clearly aimed at the Hewlett-Packard h1940 iPAQ, with size as a priority: the device weighs just 137 g. Inside its dark blue shell - a departure for Toshiba from its usual visual style - the e400 features a 300 MHz Intel PXA261 processor and 64 MB of RAM, along with 32 MB of flash memory for storage.
 | The e400 showcases a new design
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For expansion, the unit has an SDIO-capable expansion slot, as well as an industry-standard IR port. The e400 is equipped with a 3.5" 16-bit transflective display and runs Windows Mobile 2003 with some Toshiba additions, including Text-to-Speech and Voice Command utilities.
The e800, on the other hand, is intended to replace the venerable e550g, which up until now was the only Pocket PC to feature a 4" display. The e800 also holds a transflective 4" display inside its sleek blue shell, although here we find the first major innovation: it runs at VGA resolution, 640 x 480, as well as the standard QVGA. This is a first for a Pocket PC, although apparently only four applications can take advantage of the increased resolution: Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket Internet Explorer and Inbox.
 | The e800 brings a VGA display to the table
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The e800 has impressive specs in other departments, too: a choice of WiFi or Bluetooth versions kicks off the list, with both variants containing a 400 MHz Intel PXA263 processor, 128 MB of RAM with 32 MB of flash memory. SDIO and CF slots complete the picture. Toshiba have also chosen to include a 2MB ATI Imageon 3220 graphics controller for improved video performance. The unit runs Windows Mobile 2003, with the same extra apps as grace the e400. All of this makes the e800 a little heavier than its brother, however: it weighs in at 195 g.
Toshiba are bundling the e800-series with VoIP software, enabling a network connection to be used for voice calls, potentially reducing the cost of traditional telephone bills.
Today's announcement was completed by the unveiling of a new accessory for the e800 series - the optional Toshiba Presentation Pack, which allows users to conduct a presentation directly from the PDA. Priced at $99 USD, the Picture View Presentation Pack includes an RGB port to connect to a monitor or projector and a USB port for devices such as a full-size keyboard or numeric keypad.
Toshiba state that the two units are available immediately, with the e400 series priced at $299 USD, while the e800 series is to be priced at $599 USD.
Additional hi-res images of the Toshiba e400 and e800 series Pocket PCs are available on the following pages.
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