Unboxing the Toshiba Portege G900

What would you give for a WM6 QWERTY with a 3-inch screen touting an 800 x 480 pixel resolution? Well, reader Kim Nyberg forked over a €635/$860 premium to Expansys for the Toshiba Portege G900 and has the unboxing pics to prove it. And you thought $599 was expensive. Oh, did we mention it's tri-band HSDPA with WiFi?

Gallery: Unboxing the Toshiba Portege G900

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[uShak @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:26AM]

I can has in America?

[mthrndr @ Jul 2nd 2007 11:38AM]

you no can has. no for you.

[kludge @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:35AM]

I dont think it is a "Tri-bands HSDPA". To be more precise, it is "Tri-bands GSM" and "Single-band HSDPA (2100 MHz)".

Any review? Especially about the screen :)

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:37AM]

$749 here:

http://www.welectronics.com/gsm/Toshiba/TOSHIBA-G900.html

Just placed my order :D

[Jon @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:42AM]

$860 is a bargain considering this is a sim-free device (which means no contract to lock you into) and a lovely 800x480 display, more than doubling the pixel count on the Iphone.

[boe @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:47AM]

That's more than 4 times the resolution of my HTC Mogul!!!

How is the the BT stack on it - I think there may be an issue with WM6 BT stack that causes people receiving calls from WM6 devices using BT headsets to get crappy reception after some cache fills on long calls seems intermittant for a LOT of people on the Mogul - not sure if it is MS or HTC's fault -

http://www.htcwiki.com/page/HTC+Mogul

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:59AM]

Pretty sure this has the Toshiba BT stack on it. It's pretty decent and more stable than the MS stack on HTC devices.

[boe @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:18AM]

Scooby - thanks for the reply - if you don't mind please post an update after you've used it a week -I'm curiuos if any of your callers complain about the BT quality - I got a lot of questions asking if I'm using a speakerphone - never had that with the 6700 - tried four different BT headsets so far on the 6800 - so far no luck.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:49AM]

Wait a second, that's not an iPhone!!

[jilie @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:51AM]

it's worth!

[saq @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:00AM]

Oh HTC, I've been wanting a larger PDA ever since you introduced the Wizard formfactor, but I do love that keyboard so. Anyone have full reported dimensions on this thing? If this guy is significantly thinner than my Hermes I might have to give it a whirl.

[Mike @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:13AM]

Dimensions (mm) 119 x 61 x 21.5

[Nando @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:02AM]

Nice first picture of a box w/ red tape.

[triple x @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:09AM]

please take a photo of its thickness!
would be nice if theres another phone for size comparison.

[Jason Brown @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:12AM]

ouch don't ever buy at expansys they overcharge way too much.

[2shae @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:13AM]

Get a review up soon, ive wanted one of these for ages!!

[Larry Bloom @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:15AM]

you might want to remove it block the picture with the usn on it!

[eEZER @ Jul 2nd 2007 10:39AM]

Dimensions (mm): 119 x 61 x 21.5
Weight (g):196

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 2nd 2007 11:02AM]

That is some coolness right there.

[bob cobb @ Jul 2nd 2007 11:22AM]

not bad. Kinda looks like there are too many buttons on it, and the camera lens looks kinda crazy.

[Russell @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:28PM]

But does it run OS X?

[Draconix @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:37PM]

No, and thats a massive plus!!

[just a resident cynic @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:18PM]

Though the iphone runs OS X, the fact that you cant actually install things on to it and otherwise use it in as free a way as you can use the OS on your mac renders the concept (and your comment) pointless. OS X on the iphone is like OS X on the desktop but only being able to use safari and anything you cant do from there you cant do full stop.... which then begs the question:-

"What good is having a desktop OS on a phone if you cant use it like a desktop OS"?

imagine the possibility of media players that can play whatever format you want
imagine the possibility of say a bittorrent client on the phone
imagine the possibility of software on the phone that made it so you could just drag and drop media onto it and it would be accessible

in terms of hardware apple have most definatly got a solid product on their hands, but in regards to all their talk about how revolutionary it is to have their OS on a phone.... please don't get swallowed up by the hype.

Ah, if only the Portege came with more memory built in or took SDHC cards,
If only....

[ming @ Jul 2nd 2007 11:34AM]

The tri-band GSM does not include 850 GSM. Does that mean I cannot use it on AT&T/Cingular network?

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 2nd 2007 11:35AM]

Correct :)

If T-mobile had and guts, they'd get this on their network today.

[Bill @ Jul 3rd 2007 1:44PM]

According to this:

http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=us&net=be

There is plenty of 1900 Cingular coverage.

[TheLostSwede @ Jul 2nd 2007 11:55AM]

Review up today here:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devices/review/2007/07/02/Toshiba-Port-g-G900/p1

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 2nd 2007 5:55PM]

That isn't a review. It is a collection of stock images with pieced together snippets off the web.

[Aaron @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:03PM]

800 x 480 in a 3 inch screen? Holy crap dude, that is sharp. So what kinds of stuff can be viewed on that lovely screen?

[Jon @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:16PM]

Widescreen videos, surfing the web, etc. And here I thought I was spoilt with my 3.8" 640x480 Universal...

[captain @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:18PM]

A 330 hour standby time in 3G. That has got to be a typo. I can't keep E61 running for 2 days in WCDMA mode.

http://www.toshiba-europe.com/mobile/Mobile2Live.aspx?WCI=PageNavigate&WCE=&WCU=%3BLANG%3D1%3BPID%3D166%3BTYP%3D17%3BPNT%3D0%3BSEC%3D2

[TrueDis @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:21PM]

Yay blurry cameraphone photos! They give such a clear impression of that hi-res screen.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:32PM]

Hmmm... Also has USB host functionality. Sweetness.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:40PM]

Already for sale at $699 on Ebay! :D

[sevans @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:06PM]

Give me a US version and I'd buy it today but no US 3G and no 850mhz makes it a tough sell here. It definitely is NOT tri-band HSDPA. 2100mhz only.

[Mike @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:03PM]

I'm not quite sure why this keeps getting touted as a tri-band HSDPA handset. When the FCC pictures and whatnot were posted I read the tech specs in Toshiba's manual which clearly state it is GSM/EDGE 900/1800/1900 and HSDPA 2100. That's it. Unless Toshiba have now updated their specs, this is definitely not a phone that will be of much use to people in the USA.

[t-bone @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:27PM]

You said it yourself: 900/1800/1900 + HSDPA, thus tri-band HSDPA. Tri-band is not a modifier that is typically associated with HSDPA so I wasn't ever confused.

[Cameron @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:45PM]

whats yours all thoughts with this compared to the HTC kaiser. thats the real one ive been waiting for, im a At&t user, hurry before the iphone brainwashes me further.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:57PM]

Better screen resolution. Despite being the 5th generation HTC device, the Kaiser still uses a QVGA screen :(

[danny @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:59PM]

The Sony K-700, remember that phone? Didnt have an 850 band and my girlfriend used hers fine around NV, CA, NY with no problems for years on Cingular. http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_k700-692.php

Anyway I pre-ordered one from ExpansysUK and I'm PO'd that this person gets hers first! It was only $703 total for me but I didnt pay extra for crazy shipping. Wish I would have because then I'd have it today :...(

[Jim @ Jul 2nd 2007 2:40PM]

Looks like an HTC 8525 with a Camera lens on Steroids to me. Form factor sucks for trying to find a decent case to protect, and I bet that the Keyboard STILL doesn't allow you to control the backlight so it can be used in the dark.

[Graffitimonkie @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:03PM]

The extra $ on top of the price of an iPhone might be worth it seeing the value added benefits you receive from this device.

[Malkatraz @ Jul 2nd 2007 7:37PM]

I wish people would stop getting confused about this phone. On all evidence so far (FCC etc), it is single band HSDPA - 2100mhz. The Toshiba website says something along the lines of "...triband, HSDPA..." That little comma separating "triband" and "HSDPA" means something you know.

It is triband GSM, single band HSDPA.

[Big Win @ Jul 3rd 2007 7:37PM]

Will it work with verizon?

[Mehool @ Jul 4th 2007 2:21PM]

No, it's GSM only, Verizon uses CDMA technology

[Big Win @ Jul 5th 2007 6:50PM]

Cool, thanks!

[Z @ Jul 6th 2007 4:57AM]

I read the specs, and what a shame. What could've been a first class device ends up losing any chance to shine from obvious omissions:

- Who thinks of making a WM phone these days with only a tri-band GSM radio and one band of 3.5G? That's just completely idiotic.

- No GPS?

- 64MB of RAM?

- And only USB 1.1?

For $900 ???


They don't even mention anything about the processor.


This phone may have a nice VGA screen and biometric access, but what it lacks above in connectivity and memory makes it an absolute no-go, especially when considering the price.

Manufacturers have to understand that if they're going to develop do-it-all phones and charge $900 for them, they have to have EVERYTHING, or they can forget making any notable impact.

Why would I spend $900 for this when I can spend less and buy an HTC Kaiser when they arrive? Granted, the Kaiser doesn't have a VGA screen or biometric access, but it trumps this Toshiba in every repsect - the areas that truly matter.


A do-it-all phone has to have the following:

- Fast (Samsung 400MHz) proc
- 2.8" or larger touchscreen
- WM 6 Pro
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
- Tri-band HSDPA/HSUPA (hopefully we'll see quad-band here, too, when T-Mo's 3.5G networks go hot).
- Wifi b/g (and "n" if we can get it)
- BT 2.0+EDR with A2DP and AVRCP support
- SiRFstarIII GPS w/TMC/A-GPS functionality (and preferrably with SiRF Direct)
- 128MB of RAM/256MB of ROM
- 3mp Camera with autofocus, a BRIGHT flash, and video functionality
- microSD slot
- USB 2.0
- Scroll Wheel, 5-Way D-Pad, and dedicated Send/End/Soft-Menu buttons
- Slider Keyboard


Only after integrating everything above, would manufacturers get extra credit for including the following:

- VGA Screen
- FM Radio (but this could be automatically implemented with TMC functionality on the GPS side of things)
- Stereo speakers and/or mics
- Biometric access


Make a phone with all THAT above, and THEN they'll have something to sing about.

[Manni @ Jul 16th 2007 10:09AM]

You've just described the Eten X800, coming this summer (or M900 for integrated keyboard, Q4). It ticks ALL your boxes...