Toshiba Portege G500 Review
Toshiba is a great name in electronics, but isn’t big player on the cellphone market, at least not yet. The manufacturer has a few phones which has been offered on the Asian market, but hasn’t had much success in either Europe or North America, where the situation is very different. It won’t be overstatement if we say that Japanese and South Korean phones have nothing in common with the ones we are using, and that their market is different than the one here.
In February, the manufacturer clearly stated its ambition to take a piece of the European market, by introducing the newly created smartphones from the Portege series, a brand name of one of the portable computer lines. This way Toshiba uses one of the lines many customers are accustomed to, to advertise its phones as pocket-computers with phone capabilities built-in. The first two announced models have similar idea behind them, but are targeted to slightly different groups: both use Windows Mobile but the one is a version for non-touch screens, while the other is bigger and have touch-sensitive display.
The phone we are currently reviewing is the G500, which is the smaller model. It has pocket size, but the advanced functionality of a Windows Mobile Smarphone. Its key features include WiFi support, HSDPA 3G data, large QVGA display and fingerprint sensor.
The retail box includes the phone itself, a charger with detachable cable, stereo headset and miniUSB cable for PC synchronization.
In February, the manufacturer clearly stated its ambition to take a piece of the European market, by introducing the newly created smartphones from the Portege series, a brand name of one of the portable computer lines. This way Toshiba uses one of the lines many customers are accustomed to, to advertise its phones as pocket-computers with phone capabilities built-in. The first two announced models have similar idea behind them, but are targeted to slightly different groups: both use Windows Mobile but the one is a version for non-touch screens, while the other is bigger and have touch-sensitive display.
The phone we are currently reviewing is the G500, which is the smaller model. It has pocket size, but the advanced functionality of a Windows Mobile Smarphone. Its key features include WiFi support, HSDPA 3G data, large QVGA display and fingerprint sensor.
The retail box includes the phone itself, a charger with detachable cable, stereo headset and miniUSB cable for PC synchronization.
PhoneArena's Toshiba Portege G500 Video Review:
The G500 definitely has the appearance of a business-targeted model, made in gray and black color scheme. It has decent size, when we don’t count the thickness of almost one inch (22.9mm) which makes it looks just old-school, being twice thicker than modern regular phones, and even smartphones, like the i-mate SPL for example. The Vox is also a slider but has a QWERTY and still is 22% thinner at 0.7” (17.7mm).
Being in slider form-factor, it must be opened most of the time in order to be used, but this is not really pleasant operation: the only place where you can conveniently put your finger is the display, which will get stained very easily. There is a spring-mechanism to assist this, but it gets activated only when the slide is almost at end when the slide is opened or closed and is not very helpful. Although it is fat, G500 stays nicely in the hand thanks to the small length and width and the rounded curves. In the pocket, it is easily felt also thanks to the weight of 4.8 oz (135 grams) and we would have preferred to wear it in a leather case attached to the belt.
On the front surface are located from top to bottom: the speaker with LED (left) and front (VGA) camera (right), PORTEGE branding, 2.3” QVGA display, TOSHIBA logo, navigation keys and numeric keyboard (bottom slider). This is a standard arrangement for a phone and the only strange thing is the LED which is hidden in the black glossy surface and looks as a sensor, as it is inactive most of the time.
The 2.3 inches size of the display is a good achievement considering the phone’s size. It isn’t the best screen on the market but does its job. The resolution is the standard one (240x320) which you will find in almost all modern higher-end phones. The colors have slightly yellow nuance, especially the white which isn’t clear white. The display cannot be compared to those of modern Nokia which have more saturated colors and live image. This one is not good for bright direct light, in which reading it will be hard.
Below, but on the same slider, are 6 small navigation keys and the 5-way d-pad in the middle. These are the two software keys, home and back and answer/reject. The home and back keys are smaller, being less important. The three rows are situated at different height, and you can easily feel them by touching, although there is no space left between. The 5-way d-pad is also easy to feel and the small size doesn’t reflect on its usability, which is excellent.
The block with the numeric keys also lacks space between the rows and columns, but the relief here is less noticeable, still the keys are slightly raised in the bottom part. The size is average but they press easy and with strong tactile feedback. The backlight of the whole keyboard is in dirty white and is not very bright.
The phone has 4 more keys, but they are on the sides. On the right is the large and raised in the ends volume rocker and the small but very easy to feel camera shortcut. On the top is small circular power key. As a whole, the G500’s keyboard has very good relief and its keys are easily felt without looking at them, which is a great plus.
On the top there is a hole for attaching a strap, on the left is the 2.5mm stereo jack, covered with plastic and on the bottom, also hidden, is the miniUSB port for cable/charger connectivity.
Being in slider form-factor, it must be opened most of the time in order to be used, but this is not really pleasant operation: the only place where you can conveniently put your finger is the display, which will get stained very easily. There is a spring-mechanism to assist this, but it gets activated only when the slide is almost at end when the slide is opened or closed and is not very helpful. Although it is fat, G500 stays nicely in the hand thanks to the small length and width and the rounded curves. In the pocket, it is easily felt also thanks to the weight of 4.8 oz (135 grams) and we would have preferred to wear it in a leather case attached to the belt.
On the front surface are located from top to bottom: the speaker with LED (left) and front (VGA) camera (right), PORTEGE branding, 2.3” QVGA display, TOSHIBA logo, navigation keys and numeric keyboard (bottom slider). This is a standard arrangement for a phone and the only strange thing is the LED which is hidden in the black glossy surface and looks as a sensor, as it is inactive most of the time.
The 2.3 inches size of the display is a good achievement considering the phone’s size. It isn’t the best screen on the market but does its job. The resolution is the standard one (240x320) which you will find in almost all modern higher-end phones. The colors have slightly yellow nuance, especially the white which isn’t clear white. The display cannot be compared to those of modern Nokia which have more saturated colors and live image. This one is not good for bright direct light, in which reading it will be hard.
Below, but on the same slider, are 6 small navigation keys and the 5-way d-pad in the middle. These are the two software keys, home and back and answer/reject. The home and back keys are smaller, being less important. The three rows are situated at different height, and you can easily feel them by touching, although there is no space left between. The 5-way d-pad is also easy to feel and the small size doesn’t reflect on its usability, which is excellent.
The block with the numeric keys also lacks space between the rows and columns, but the relief here is less noticeable, still the keys are slightly raised in the bottom part. The size is average but they press easy and with strong tactile feedback. The backlight of the whole keyboard is in dirty white and is not very bright.
The phone has 4 more keys, but they are on the sides. On the right is the large and raised in the ends volume rocker and the small but very easy to feel camera shortcut. On the top is small circular power key. As a whole, the G500’s keyboard has very good relief and its keys are easily felt without looking at them, which is a great plus.
On the top there is a hole for attaching a strap, on the left is the 2.5mm stereo jack, covered with plastic and on the bottom, also hidden, is the miniUSB port for cable/charger connectivity.
Interface:
Toshiba G500 is a standard Windows Mobile 5 and its software is identical to other phones using this OS. We won’t review the software itself, and if you are you not familiar with it, please read the review of the i-mate Smartflip or the Pantech PN-820. It is strange that the WM5 is used and not version 6, which has only positive changes. Probably a later upgrade will fix this. We will show only the unique things of the software, not the common features.
The G500 doesn’t support voice commands, but has a fingerprint sensor that can be set to perform an action, based on the finger one uses. This way you can attach shortcuts to your fingers, making up to 10 shortcuts in total. The sensor is located on the back of the upper slider in a concave area in order to easily feel where to put and slide your finger.
Due to the way this sensor works, there is no way to enter “wrong command”. If you slide your (for example) right thumb, it will either perform the command attached to it or do nothing. There is no way the sensor will perform the command for the middle finger for example. If the phone doesn’t react to the sliding finger, then you probably do not do it as you should. We often experienced this, which also is a reason for turning the phone around, to touch the sensor more accurately.
The biggest drawback of the whole finger-controlling mechanism is that the application with the “commands” must be started, before you use the sensor – otherwise the phone won’t detect the touch and will not perform the action.
The system can also be used to lock your phone, as this is a pretty secure method without the need to remember pass codes or phrases.
While we are not really sure the fingerprint-shortcut system is convenient and would save time, there is one thing the sensor could be used for which will help – it is a scroll. Open a menu or anything that has a scroll in it and when you slide your finger through the sensor it will act as a scroll.
As almost all other phones on the market nowadays, the Portege G500 comes with built-in digital camera. The lens is located on the back in a circular window, where also the flash is hidden. Due to this location, the camera can be used with both opened and closed slider. It starts for whole 5 seconds after the (shortcut) button is pressed which is very slow, and shows interface in either portrait or landscape orientation. It can be rotated according to your taste, but in both cases the text menu coming through the right soft key will be oriented for portrait usage. The options allow you to choose the white balance (environment) setting or apply color effects. There are 3 levels of compression (quality) and 5 resolutions (sizes) for the pictures, with the biggest being 1600x1200 pixels or total of 2 Megapixels.
3 seconds are needed to save a picture of the highest possible quality which is way better result than the start. The quality of the images is what is expected from that type of camera – the detail is average, the colors are correctly reproduced and the exposure is correct most of the time, but if the light is too bright, some parts of the image will be burned. Indoors the quality decreases and best results will be obtained in bright room. The phone has a flash, but like almost all LED flashes is completely useless.
Toshiba G500 is a standard Windows Mobile 5 and its software is identical to other phones using this OS. We won’t review the software itself, and if you are you not familiar with it, please read the review of the i-mate Smartflip or the Pantech PN-820. It is strange that the WM5 is used and not version 6, which has only positive changes. Probably a later upgrade will fix this. We will show only the unique things of the software, not the common features.
The G500 doesn’t support voice commands, but has a fingerprint sensor that can be set to perform an action, based on the finger one uses. This way you can attach shortcuts to your fingers, making up to 10 shortcuts in total. The sensor is located on the back of the upper slider in a concave area in order to easily feel where to put and slide your finger.
Due to the way this sensor works, there is no way to enter “wrong command”. If you slide your (for example) right thumb, it will either perform the command attached to it or do nothing. There is no way the sensor will perform the command for the middle finger for example. If the phone doesn’t react to the sliding finger, then you probably do not do it as you should. We often experienced this, which also is a reason for turning the phone around, to touch the sensor more accurately.
The biggest drawback of the whole finger-controlling mechanism is that the application with the “commands” must be started, before you use the sensor – otherwise the phone won’t detect the touch and will not perform the action.
The system can also be used to lock your phone, as this is a pretty secure method without the need to remember pass codes or phrases.
While we are not really sure the fingerprint-shortcut system is convenient and would save time, there is one thing the sensor could be used for which will help – it is a scroll. Open a menu or anything that has a scroll in it and when you slide your finger through the sensor it will act as a scroll.
As almost all other phones on the market nowadays, the Portege G500 comes with built-in digital camera. The lens is located on the back in a circular window, where also the flash is hidden. Due to this location, the camera can be used with both opened and closed slider. It starts for whole 5 seconds after the (shortcut) button is pressed which is very slow, and shows interface in either portrait or landscape orientation. It can be rotated according to your taste, but in both cases the text menu coming through the right soft key will be oriented for portrait usage. The options allow you to choose the white balance (environment) setting or apply color effects. There are 3 levels of compression (quality) and 5 resolutions (sizes) for the pictures, with the biggest being 1600x1200 pixels or total of 2 Megapixels.
3 seconds are needed to save a picture of the highest possible quality which is way better result than the start. The quality of the images is what is expected from that type of camera – the detail is average, the colors are correctly reproduced and the exposure is correct most of the time, but if the light is too bright, some parts of the image will be burned. Indoors the quality decreases and best results will be obtained in bright room. The phone has a flash, but like almost all LED flashes is completely useless.
Performance:
Although it is a smartphone with Windows Mobile, G500 must perform well as a phone in order to have high ratings. We test the signal reception, actual battery times and call quality.
The signal reception is below the average which doesn’t make us happy. Scoring 4 out of 10 the G500 like its bigger brother the G900 is not the phone for areas with weak signal.
We were not able to test the battery times as the review unit had stability issues and restarted itself every few minutes. We discussed this with Toshiba and they assured us that this was just a bad unit and they have not received any complaints about this. Please be aware that the G900 unit also had stability issues, and according to posted on Expansys UK, the firmware will soon be available to alleviate this issue.
The voice quality during a conversation is fine, but there is a lot more to be desired. The incoming sound is very weak, making impossible to hear your partner in noisy environment. When it is silent around you, the voice is clear and the voices are realistic.
The other party hears you much stronger, with volume above the average level. The microphone makes your voice sound little metallic and sharp, which is not pleasant.
Conclusion:
The G500 is a cute phone but a fat one. It is definitely not the smallest smartphone on the market, which is a disadvantage considering its functionality. Rather well-packed, it is a shame that Toshiba has used WM5 instead of version 6, which is way better. If you can live with these drawbacks, the Portege G500 will offer you high-speed data, Wi-Fi, fast processor and functionality of a WM smartphone.
Although it is a smartphone with Windows Mobile, G500 must perform well as a phone in order to have high ratings. We test the signal reception, actual battery times and call quality.
The signal reception is below the average which doesn’t make us happy. Scoring 4 out of 10 the G500 like its bigger brother the G900 is not the phone for areas with weak signal.
We were not able to test the battery times as the review unit had stability issues and restarted itself every few minutes. We discussed this with Toshiba and they assured us that this was just a bad unit and they have not received any complaints about this. Please be aware that the G900 unit also had stability issues, and according to posted on Expansys UK, the firmware will soon be available to alleviate this issue.
The voice quality during a conversation is fine, but there is a lot more to be desired. The incoming sound is very weak, making impossible to hear your partner in noisy environment. When it is silent around you, the voice is clear and the voices are realistic.
The other party hears you much stronger, with volume above the average level. The microphone makes your voice sound little metallic and sharp, which is not pleasant.
Conclusion:
The G500 is a cute phone but a fat one. It is definitely not the smallest smartphone on the market, which is a disadvantage considering its functionality. Rather well-packed, it is a shame that Toshiba has used WM5 instead of version 6, which is way better. If you can live with these drawbacks, the Portege G500 will offer you high-speed data, Wi-Fi, fast processor and functionality of a WM smartphone.
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