Shiny Review: Toshiba Portege G500 Smartphone
Hot on the heels of the laptop / tablet PC we reviews last month, we’ve taken a look at a smartphone from the same Portege range.
Replete with Windows Mobile 5, fingerprint security, WiFi and Bluetooth, there’s a lot of potential packed into this smartphone. It’s not the slimmest or most compact of sliding phones, but there’s a lot to recommend it nonetheless.
Anyone who’s read or seen my reviews will know that poor navigation is a huge bugbear of mine. Luckily that’s not a problem with this phone, as when shut the six simple buttons make it easy to perform basic functions, and when open the alphanumeric keypad is standard and accessible, with comfortably spaced, responsive buttons.
There are also plenty of handy features. It doesn’t feature Windows Mobile 6 (like the HTC we reviewed last week) but given that it’s only just hitting the market, I don’t necessarily think it should be rejected as being old technology just yet. Windows Mobile 5 certainly contains a lot of the applications you could want or expect including IM and Windows Media Player. Impressively, the phone comes with Opera browser pre-installed, so users are given a broader default range of options than with most Windows-toting phones.
The phone has the capacity to record video as well as taking stills on a respectable if not earth-shattering 2 megapixel camera. The now-common dedicated camera button on the side is always a welcome addition. The 2.3in screen means reasonably clear viewing and the battery life is very good.
The fingerprint security is probably a bit of a naff gimmick, but it does work if you choose to use it, and adds a James Bond dimension to the phone.
The only criticism I could make of the phone was its inexplicable thickness. It’s light and relatively small, but even thicker than my hardly slimline Orange SPV M700. If a phone will be a full 2cm thick, I’d expect it to have a QWERTY keyboard tucked away or similar. The battery case was also a tad flimsy, but since it snapped into place firmly I wouldn’t expect to have any worries on that score.
All in all, a solid, respectable and above all usable offering from Toshiba. If you fancy a closer look, watch this space for our video review.
Toshiba Portege
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