Toshiba was relative latecomer to the handheld PC market, but it has quickly made up for lost time.
The tablet-style e740, Toshiba’s third Pocket PC release in 2002, is extremely easy to use, thanks to handy scroll button, and one-touch navigation buttons.
The battery life is impressive, with plenty of advanced warning – the e740 offers up to 72 hours data protection in the event of the main battery going flat. With its TFT colour high contrast, touch-screen display I was able to work under any light conditions, even bright sunlight.
In terms of functionality, in addition to Microsoft’s Pocket PC applications (Excel, Word, Outlook, Acrobat Reader, Instant Messenger, and Internet Explorer), the e740 has handy voice recorder to record ideas on the run. It also scores points for built-in wireless connectivity, allowing you to connect across the LAN, to other devices, or through the internet for email. Of course, when business is over, you can use your e740 to surf the net, play MP3 music or view videos.
A neat desk cradle doubles as USB connection and charging unit.
While attending meeting during the week, I used the stylus to jot down notes, which were then easily converted to text ready for editing and printing – much to the envy of other attendees.
The slim, feature-packed e740 is hard to fault. So much more than just digital diary, it is total mobile office productivity device that should quickly pay for itself in improved time management.
