As a former Handspring Visor Prism user (and a Palm OS enthusiast), I was a little more than hesitant to switch to a Pocket PC with the inferior Pocket Windows OS. After using the dazzling, new Toshiba E310 Pocket PC for about a week now, however, I have been converted, and will never go back to my clunky Visor Prism. The E310 satisifes all my PDA needs and is lightweight enough to carry in my pocket.
Pros:
1) The E310 is very lightweight yet feels sturdy.
2) The E310 has the one of the best color screens I have seen on a PDA. It is very bright and easy to read in any lighting. Where the Visor Prism's screen washes out in daylight making it barely readable, the screen of the E310 is readable in a brightly lit room or outside in the sunlight.
3) Data syncs easily with Outlook 2002 (included on the CD) as well as with Word and Excel.
4) The included MS Reader and Media Player allows me to read books easily and listen to MP3's which I have stored on a 64 mg SD or MMC card (not included). The headphone jack converts the E310 into a very nice MP3 player with excellent sound. (With the Visor Prism, I had to buy a separate Minijam MP3 module which made the Prism heavier and more clumsy looking.)
Cons:
1) The E310 utilizes the Pocket PC Windows OS which I still feel is inferior to Palm OS. There is no way to close a program without going to settings.
2) The colors of pictures (jpegs) loaded onto the E310 don't seem as sharp or crisp as those viewed on the Visor Prism.
3) Headphones and SD or MMC cards must be purchased separately and there is no expansion except for 1 SD slot.
4) Wireless possibilities seem limited right now as there is no expansion slot for a wireless modem (Toshiba does have a Bluetooth card, however, that will enable you to wirelessly connect to your cellphone for internet and email access.)
On the whole, I was quite impressed with the E310. I love using it and feel it is the best PDA i have owned up to this point. Toshiba has successfully integrated form with function. Although I felt that I would never give up on the Palm OS, I have quickly acclamated to the new OS.
Because of my job and my personal interest, I've had my share of PDAs. I'm not kidding, but I've owned (or currently own) the following PDAs since 1994: HP 100LX, HP 200LX, HP 320LX, Palm Pilot 1000, 5000, Palm Professional, Palm III, Palm V, Palm IIIc, 2xPalm VII, Palm m100, iPAQ 3630, and now the Toshiba e310.
I started out with a DOS based handheld, then switched over to Palm-OS based PDA for about 5 years. For the past 2 years, I've been using the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC. It has been working well for me, but I've always disliked the iPAQ 3600and 3800-series for several reasons:
1. It's rather large and heavy, when compared to most Palm-based PDAs.
2. (3600-only) It has no expansion capability except for adding the sleeve, which makes the unit even larger. (3800 has SD built-in).
3. The notorious problem of dust getting under the screen, which is lit by the side-light
4. The screen is bright, but has always been somewhat "milky", or cloudy.
5. The infamous stylus latch is always broken
So it's blessing in diguise that my wife broke the screen of my iPAQ a few weeks ago. It gave me an opportunity to re-evaluate the current Pocket PC market. After researching, I purchased the Toshiba e310 and have been using it for about two weeks.
To put it simply, I love the Toshiba e310. I would venture to say that it's the best PDA I've ever owned. It's not perfect, but it's the best PDA for me at least.
Before I purchased the e310, I looked for a iPAQ/e310 comparison review, but couldn't find it anywhere. Since there are many great general Pro/Con comparisons here at epinions as well as other sites, I'll focus on how this unit compares with the Compaq 3600/3800 series for those who is thinking about switching.
1. Size, weight, and form-factor: The Toshiba e310 is very thin. It's currently the thinest and lightest Pocket PC on the market. At 4.9 oz, it weights the same as a Palm m515 and the Clie 615 (both color). After carrying the iPAQ 3600 for 2 years, this is a very welcomed change.
2. Screen: While it's not as large, the color LCD on the e310 is visibly brighter and clearer than the iPAQ (I can still do a A/B comparison). It also doesn't have the nasty problem of dust getting trapped under the screen that iPAQ is notorious for.
3. Expandability: The e310 does come with a SD slot and there is no way to add a CF slot. After owning the iPAQ for 2 years and having all kinds of CF/PCMCIA accessories (wifi, wireless modem, memory card, GPS, etc), I can say with 100% certainty that I will not need anything other than memory expansion capability in a PDA. This may not be the case with you, so if you need to use CF accessories, look elsewhere. Currently there is only limited SDIO accessories available (memory and BlueTooth), but there will be more available in the future.
The iPAQ 3800-series also has a SD slot built into the PDA itself (not the 3600-series), and it has the capability to take CF and PCMCIA accessories with optional sleeves.
4. Battery Life: Somehow the little unit out lasts my iPAQ by quite a bit. I read a lot of ebooks on my PDA, so I usually have to recharge my iPAQ several times a day (say, 100% to 65% after a 1 hour, especially with a CF memory card installed). With the e310, I find it lasts a lot longer (say 100% to 85% after 1 hour, even with a SD memory card installed).
5. ...
Overall, I love e310's form-factor, screen, battery life, and price. I would highly recommend it to anybody who is looking for a Pocket PC.
(We'll save the Palm OS vs. Pocket PC debate for another day).
Buy Toshiba e310 Pocket PC Now
Toshiba makes its entry to the general market with the e-310 PDA. It is a good entry.
I say to the general market because the previous model the E-570 was only a limited release, however the 310 is a nifty little device at a good price.
A thin lightweight design and a low price gives it a good start. It comes with a built in voice recorder, 32m ram and a good chunck of useful microsoft software.
A one year limited warranty and 90 days free tech support are standard equiptment. The support is 24/7 and in addition to telephone support includes e-mail and chat support, they also have an advanced support group available M-F till 8 p.m. eastern.
It is a handy little device, it has one significant advantage over the 570. The hard reset on the 570 involved using the stylis and hitting the power button, on the 310 the hard reset is totally independant of the soft reset, (bottom of the device). Another good thing about this PDA is the Lithium Ion Battery that unlike others doesn't have a "memory" which can decrease the strength of the charge.
Little things to remember, The battery button needs to be to the left or the device won't charge, (to the right creates the hard reset) Don't hook up the device until both active sync and outlook 2002 are installed (the quick start card vs the manual is a little unclear here).
My favorite use of the device is as an extra internet connection at work, it has a better speaker than my PC and leaves me with one less window to keep open.
A good device for the price and a good first offering into the PDA market for the general public. Definately worth a look.
Read Best Reviews of Toshiba e310 Pocket PC Here
The biggest selling point of the e310 (besides its competitive price) is its thin factor. At .47 inches, this is the thinnest Pocket PC, and compares well with Palm-powered PDAs. It's also the lightest. The length, however, is the longest of all Pocket PC PDAs, and Toshiba disappoints us by not including a larger display than the same 3.5" LCD used by other Pocket PC 2002 PDAs.
The e310 looks pretty sleek, albeit a bit too large due to the elongated shape. But it's something you'd be proud to whip out on a subway or train and show it to the passengers next to you. The buttons, including the D-pad, are a bit too small for my taste, and the D-pad feels a bit flimsy. It's not clear whether the D-pad works in all 8 directions. One big letdown is the continued presence of the audio pop that comes up every time with a new track in Windows Media Player.
The screen is so-so. It has the same resolution and color depth as all Pocket PC devices, but does not look as good as the nice display on the iPaq. In fact, the frontlight is quite uneven, and there is a slight bluish tint. Some people say the colors also look "milky." I don't have good eyes for colors, so I can't comment on that. I do wish Toshiba made the screen better, at least on par with the iPaq.
The e310 comes with a non-user replaceable LiIon battery that lasts about 4 hours with the frontlight set to "medium bright" and an SD card loaded. Without the SD card the battery life seems to almost double -but since the e310 comes with only 32MB of internal RAM (which Pocket PC 2002 OS uses for both running programs and storing files), an SD is a must-have if you want to store digital music and other multimedia content. It would have been nice for Toshiba to include a CF slot; but given the thin factor, that would have been too much to ask for. (It would also have shortened the battery life.)
Unlike the previous Toshiba, the e310 has a jog dial on the side. I never found the jog dial quite useful, because, let's face it, there isn't much you can do with just one hand, without using the stylus. But I guess some people like it.
The e310 is a sophisticated device and I have only touched on some of its major features. There's a lot more to explore, and let me emphasize that I do like it's thinness and light weight and generally pleasing styling. If you don't need to wait for the upcoming Xscale Pocket PCs (which will be out any time now), the e310 is a definitely worthy of a look.
Want Toshiba e310 Pocket PC Discount?
I'm a long time PDA user (starting with the original Sharp Wizards in the early '90s) and have been using a Casio E-100 (running WinCE) for several years. While still fond of my trusty old E-100, I found it was just too heavy to lug around in my pocket so I finally decided to upgrade to a new PDA running the latest PocketPC OS. I looked at the HP and Compaq units...then I saw the Toshiba e310 and was instantly impressed by its small size and light weight. Yipee! I could finally carry around my PDA without looking as if there was a brick in my pocket.
The price of this slick little unit is an added bonus nearly [price] less than most other PocketPC units so I bought one and it's been my daily companion ever since. Here are a few of my observations after about 2 months use:
PROS:
1) Lightweight Being able to inconspicuously carry your PDA with you everywhere is the whole point of having a PDA, and the e310 is easily the smallest PocketPC available at the moment.
2) Solid Construction With an aluminum body, the e310 feels very well built. There is no flexing or fiddly plastic bits, though the stylus is rather small and fits loosely in the silo.
3) SD Expansion slot Yes, a CF card would have been ideal, but no doubt size constraints forced Toshiba to use an SD card instead. However, it does make adding memory easy and inexpensive (though I've yet to fill the onboard 32KB).
4) PocketPC 2002 Microsoft has really refined the OS and the e310 is both fast and easy to use. There is also plenty of high quality third party software available on the 'net. (My favorites are ListPro, eWallet, and WIS Bar.)
5) Syncing with your PC ActiveSync works flawlessly over a USB port, and you can choose to sync with Outlook, Money, and selected files (such as Word and Excel files or other supported apps).
CONS:
1) LCD display Dimmer and less contrasty than my Casio E-100, but a big advantage is that the e310 is readable in sunlight, so this is a fair compromise.
2) Wireless connectivity The e310 is not an ideal choice if you must have wireless access since only Bluetooth is available on the SD format.
I highly recommend the e310 to anyone looking for a powerful, versatile, and fun PDA that is easy on your pocket AND your pocketbook.
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I wanted to take my camera equipment with me on an Ozark canoe float weekend, but needed a sturdy waterproof case to protect it against bumps and (especially) water. I ordered this case, and have been completely satisfied. I had no trouble customizing the foam padding to accommodate my Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi, a 100mm macro lens, a 18-55mm zoom lens, a 75-300mm zoom lens, a couple of spare batteries, two watches, and my car keys for this trip! The fully loaded case floated high in the water when I tested it. The latches took a fair amount of effort to open and close, but this was actually pretty reassuring when risking expensive equipment on the water. It opened and closed easily enough for me to manage while sitting in a canoe on a moving river without losing my paddle or my fishing rod. All of my camera equipment stayed dry and undamaged after spending two full days on the river. Had my canoe overturned, I have no doubt that my equipment would have been fine. That said, I should have bought the orange or yellow version rather than the black one as it would have been easier to find had I had such an accident.
