First look: Toshiba's TG01 multimedia smartphone

Toshiba says it will unveil a new TG01 Windows Mobile-based cell phone later this month that will sport the firm's TV technology, a touchscreen, and a sleek design. Will it compete with Apple's iPhone? See for yourself.

Device profile

The first thing you notice about the Toshiba TG01 is its size -- and, sorry, fellas, but sometimes that does count. The TG01 is a mere 0.39 inch (9.9mm) thick, compared to the iPhone’s 0.48-inch depth (12.3mm). The T-Mobile G1 Android phone, for comparison, measures 0.6 inch (17.1mm) in thickness.

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Even with its slimmer profile, the TG01 boasts one big screen. Its VGA touchscreen display is 4.1 inches wide with 800-by-480 resolution. The iPhone’s screen has a resolution of 480 by 320.

Under the hood

Toshiba’s TG01 is the first mobile phone to run on Qualcomm’s 1GHz T- Snapdragon QSD8250 chip set. Qualcomm claims its Snapdragon hardware makes the phone run noticeably faster than any other mobile device around right now. The chip also has something called "dynamic speed control," which is designed to more effectively manage power and prolong battery life.

The TG01 comes with limited internal memory (specific amount not yet disclosed), but the phone offers a microSD card for expansions up to 32GB. As far as connections, the TG01 supports GPS, Wi-Fi, and HSDPA 3G connectivity.

Using the phone

Toshiba’s TG01 operates with an iPhone-esque keypad. Its rumored to have an optional virtual trackpad on its screen, as well as an accelerometer-replacement called a “G-sensor,” believed to create a central axis around which you can tilt the phone.

One of the most interesting features of the TG01 is a shake-to-answer option, said to allow you to simply shake the device to answer or disconnect a call. Shaken, you say? My, oh my. Bond would jump out of his Aston Martin at the thought.

The phone, not surprisingly, contains a camera, though specifics have not yet been announced. The TG01 is also expected to come with a stylus. Next: A modified Windows Mobile with full Flash support.

The software

The TG01 will run on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 with a new graphical interface. The “shake” function is expected to have usages spread throughout the system -- in addition to the aforementioned answer-and-disconnect feature, for example, the TG01 is expected to also allow you to shake to return to the device’s home screen.

Perhaps most notably for Apple, the TG01 will have integrated Flash support -- something the iPhone has consistently taken a beating for excluding. The inclusion of Flash in the TG01 means you’ll be able to navigate to any Flash-based Web site and watch videos that might not be available in a non-Flash interface.