Rating: 
Summary: Its great and reliable, but has some design flaws
Review: I was hesitant to purchase this product because of some unfavorable reviews even though I thought it best suited my needs. However, I plunged in and bought it and so far, I am very happy with it. I synchronize it with my work computer and it has been very reliable. I haven't yet used the wireless internet connection so I can't comment on that. I know there is a recall, but only on certain serial numbers and they have fixed the problem now which, I believe was loss of information if the battery wore down. The only negative thing I can say is the record button is a pain since it is located on the top left side of the device. Every time I take it out of the case I accidently push this button and make a recording which is annoying. However, except for this I am quite satisfied and its with me everywhere I go.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Machine
Review: Powerful and light and slim. I recommend it highly because of its expandability and extraordinary resources.I had an e310. There is no need to upgrade to the e740 unless you want more internal memory or a CF reader. Just buy a 256 SD card instead (I had done this, as well). I upgraded because I wanted to be able to plug in socket cf cards, etc. If you have the extra cash -- I would, therefore, start with this. I used to own electronic organizers and learned to hate them. I refused to buy a palm. Nevertheless -- when I saw that I could run my identical calendar programs, email, word processor, etc. -- that has made all the difference. I can set my calendar remotely, work on documents (limitedly . . . but) remotely, and I rarely get bored because of the games when stuck somewhere and do not have something pressing to do. Compaq and ther models seems too bulky for me. The built-in LAN system is a BIG edge for this model. CAVEATS: 1) battery cannot last long. It is a trade off for power and lightness. You can upgrade to a bigger battery, but I have not done this because I prefer to keep my ephimeral work horse in a coat or pants pocket while I forget about it until needed. 2) Even though CF and SD slots are a huge advantage, the market makes more stuff for Palm and Compaq. It's not a significant problem because you can find what you need. You will just have to look for it instead of having pop up adds constantly showing what you can add to a Palm, etc. In sum, it has made my life easier and taken stress off of me. I have NEVER regretted my decision to buy the 310 or the 740.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY, VERY, VERY, BAD DEVICE...AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Review: I received this device for xmas and it never really worked great. Slow, bad sound, too many freezes to beleive. the wireless was nice to have, but the resolution on the screen kinda (...), so web browsing is a pain. Finally, the pocketpc device hard reset itself (...) and the next day died completely, after 3 weeks of use! Activesync is TERRIBLE. Constant dropping and reestablishment of the usb connection. Pocket Outlook was pretty bad too. Overall a terrible experience with Toshiba hardware and Microsoft software. Avoid at all costs...take a look at the Treo, that's where I'm going.
Rating:
Summary: A great PDA
Review: Toshiba e740
*****
I received my Toshiba e740 for Christmas, and must say that I'm quite impressed. Operating System: The Pocket PC 2002 OS is much better than it's previous incarnation (Pocket PC 2000). Some notable improvements are in Memory Management and general interface. I can pretty much have as many programs as I want without any slowing down. The "Today" screen is now "skin-able", as is Media Player. While the UI is improved, as has the core, much improvement is still needed. The "task-bar", l feel is a waste of the screen, taking up waaaaaay too much of the 320 x 240 screen. The Zaurus' OS (Linux Embedded) has a much smoother feel as far as the main interface goes. I would like an integrated task manager built in. I've tried many 3rd party programs, but they just didn't cut it, and since nobody writes programs for the Pocket PC OS better than Microsoft, I'd like to see a task switch built in. The file explorer application doesn't show hidden files, and a registry editor is not included (although a very good one put out by PHM is available for free). The support for clear-type fonts is a plus, and the available fonts are better than that of the Sharp Zaurus or Palm OS devices. A new input method has been utilized, called "Transcriber". It's wonderful. I can't say enough good things about it. If you use your PDA a lot for taking notes or writing essays, you need this. Transcriber recognizes even the most sloppy of handwriting. 5 star program. Software: I'm a bit displeased with many different built-in software. Pocket Office in general, is a good program, although I prefer Hancom Word and Sheet on the Zaurus. Creating new documents on the Pocket PC is great, just about as good as the desktop version of Word. But syncing documents is terrible, with Word raping your formatting. It's horrendous. If you send a document to your PDA, it will remove all images, and most formatting. Excel is nice, syncing nearly perfect. The ATI Presenter included is a perfect emulation of Power Point. Windows Media player is nice, and the highlight is that streaming support. I've streamed ASX files over the internet and had perfect reception. You don't need a fast connection to view full frame rate, only about 49kbps. However, Windows Media player doesn't cut it for serious movie philes, so within 10 minutes of turning on, I had Pocket DivX and Pocket MPEG downloaded. Speaking of Internet connections, the thing that brings down the software pack is Internet Explorer. Surfing on it is a pain. Slow, clunky and crash-prone. I hate it. I miss Opera :( . Messenger is good, but it's not as good as Kmerlin or its desktop counterpart. Hardware: The Toshiba e740 is a landmark for hardware, possessing not only a Wi-Fi card, but an SD card and a CompactFlash. It's amazing. I can download huge files (120 mb) directly to my CompactFlash, without worry of RAM space. The Toshiba e740 feels very nice in hand. One caveat is that the record button is far to easy to push. You'll want to disable it. I also don't like that the only speaker-sound setting for headphones is "Loud" and "Really Freaking Loud". Battery life is great, even with Wi-Fi on. I usually get 7 hours off, 3 with it on. Wi-Fi and Internet: Wi-Fi is great. Out of all the Wi-Fi products in my house (2 22mbps Wi-Fi cards, 2 11mbps compact flash Wi-Fi cards, and 2 USB Wi-Fi stations), this one has the strongest signal. I get 38% strength at about 150 feet away, through stone and walls. Very good signal. Very easy to set up as well. Within 5 minutes, literally, I was on the net checking my email. Syncing: ActiveSync 3.5 leaves me with mixed feelings. Not quite as upfront as HotSync, not as simple and quick as IntelliSync, but still, a good syncing program. ActiveSync has many advanced features and is extremely customizable. But the fact that it's "Active" annoys me. It decides to sync when it wants, and go offline when it wants. The PIM apps included sync PERFECTLY with Outlook, much better than anything Palm or Zaurus has. Overall, the Toshiba e740 is perfect for being a "Personal Digital Assistant". Taking notes is great, surfing the Internet is tolerable, logging onto the network is superb. Media is a bonus, and it too performs nicely. I would recommend the Toshiba e740 for anyone who needs power with all the bells and whistles who doesn't mind sacrificing a little bit of "control-freakish-ness". Good for beginners and advanced users.
Rating:
Summary: Avoid this device
Review: 1) Slow - even with the more expensive processor
2) Unreliable ActiveSync software
3) Under recall
4) Poorly light screen with poor colour reproduction
5) Low quality speaker Overall, a seemingly great device on paper which is poor in reality
Rating:
Summary: Finally switched from Palm!
Review: My Palm IIIc was dropped and started working erratically so it was time to change. For the basic functions, this thing is pretty much plug and play, so you can be up and running right away. The screen is nice and bright, better than my old Palm, plus now I have sound! Weight is about the same. The wireless works well, except my settings don't seem to stick, but I haven't had time to pursue it. Sync via IR is handy when you don't want to connect the cradle, but of course it's slower. Kept turning on recorder by accident at first, but learned how to avoid it. Only real complaint is the jog button, seems a little too touchy for playing games, or maybe it's just me. :-) Lots of function for the price!
Rating:
Summary: Best device for me
Review: When shopping for a new PDA, I considered a broad range. Palm Tungsten T - Good screen, integrated Bluetooth so I can sync with my Mac, fast, and very compact. However, after using Palm OS, Pocket PC, and Linux over the last years, I prefer the flexibility of the other PDAs I tried. Sony Clie - Nice design, integrated keyboard, fast, nice screen. This almost swayed me to take the Palm OS route. The device has tremendous geek appeal. However, the weight (as compared to the e740), memory stick, and proprietary CF slot turned me off. iPaq 545x - Beautiful screen, integrated Bluetooth and WiFi. Lots of expansion options. No integrated CF slot, and expensive. Toshiba e740 - industrial design I like, integrated WiFi and SD. Reflective screen not as pretty as the iPaq, but the CF slot is a winner. It can also act as a USB host, which makes connecting with peripherals easier. Overall, the winner for me. With the various rebates, I was able to buy this one for $450.
Rating:
Summary: By far the best - for Technical people that is
Review: I'm a systems pro who works with lots of PDAs. This is the best your money can buy, that is if you understand the technology you are buying. Read the spec sheets, it is all there, and it all works! I've had mine for weeks and wouldn't give it up for anything else out there. I get the pick of the litter, trust me. Don't believe everything you read, this is hi tech stuff, and you had better know how to have your firmware up to date both on your hand held and your wireless router, or you don't deserve this unit. . but unfortunately that hasn't kept people from whining and confusing other technical folks who haven't had the chance to experience this technology yet and are hoping to read a knowledgeable review first. With Netfront 3 (download off net to use instead of PIE), this is the future of the Internet, here today. I'm online everywhere there is a wireless gateway and loving it. My only complaint - the battery - which is small on purpose. You can get a bigger one as an option if you want to be online more than a few hours at a shot. This unit is small, which is a large part of its appeal. Its battery is user replaceable, unlike most of those IPAQs people keep bragging about. Use one faithfully to the death of your lithium ion, and see how happy you are without user replaceable! The wifi can be shut off with a tap of the stylus if you want traditional battery life more like 5 - 7 hours out of the tiny choice. I've been told days of power from the extended pack, but I haven't tried it. There is only 1 e740 competitor right now, that is the IPAQ 5400 series, not the 3900 which has nothing but a slightly better screen to boast. Look at the price, look at the missing features. .. if you understand the specs this is an obvious choice people. If you don't, stick with something simple that will sync your calendar and display pretty pictures to impress your friends. If you need a real computer. . .don't shy away from this. Every model has its quirks, for pete's sake assign the record button to poweroff.exe (downloadable from the net) if you can't keep from hitting it. . . I did. . . .and the e740 screen is nothing to dismiss. . .plenty pretty when streaming video from your favorite web site.
Rating: 
Summary: Does a lot, but nothing particularly well...
Review: Ok. So I bought this PDA for myselft as a gift.
I chose this model because a friend at work really
recommended it as "The Best" at the time. This was
one time where I didn't do my homework and it bit me
in the ... Ok. To be fair, on the surface it looks like this thing
has everything. Built in CF, Built in WiFi, Replacable
Battery... etc.. But for every positive there is a "gotcha!"
or a catch. Long story short I returned it an got an Ipaq 3900. Am very
happy now. But let me tell you my specific gripes with the e740. 1. Screen ... You are going to be looking at the screen
quite a lot right??? Who cares what you have under the hood, if
it looks [awful] (bad, uneven lighting, color is off to blue). 2. Speaker .... Tinny at best. Very small, quiet. Hey meybe
its just me, but my PDA is got to be an all in one gadget. One of the uses I need is for it to wake me up. This thing did not come close. 3. WiFi (hmmm). Problems connecting, dropping connection. What's the point? (nuff said). 4. Record function. First of all this thing really sticks out. Who designed this??? I kept turning it on by mistake. To make it worse, my had a mic problem. It kept making thumping sounds in the background (I tried turning the dynamic gain off, not much help). I went online and found out I wasn't the only one with the problem. These are the problems I had in the 2 days I owned the thing.
I was so frustrated I went online and found out other "irritants" that people were reporting, which I won't go into here. Just look. Plus this thing was originally recalled, ok? it says something about the testing of a product. It's just sloppy. So where is the advantage. There is just one. The attachable docking thingy (if you need that sort of thing). It's good for a business person who needs it. I don't. GET AN IPAQ INSTEAD...
Like I said earlier, I got an Ipaq. I went to a store and just
compared. The screen is beautiful, the colors ... wow wow wow.
The battery on the Ipaq is great. I got a sleve for the CF memory (not a problem, its real thin), Extra juice, its in the sleeve. Need more juice, get more batteries for the sleeve. Same processor, great memory. Great speaker (loud :) )... Record
button won't be turned on by mistake. Sleek well thought out through and through. No dissapointments. Plus... Extra software (Nevo remote, Backup...), Auto Light sensor (automatically adjust backlight if you want), Two mic (one on top, one in front), Power button on the face so you wont turn it on by mistake. The toshiba seems flimsy compared to this. That's my take. Hope it helps.
Rating:
Summary: Loses all Data if not continually recharged
Review: I purchased this PDA assuming it would be an improvement over my Palm because of the color, Microsoft compatibility and wireless feature. It does function alright except if it is left off the charger for a day. Then it loses all data and I have to reload all the programs, contact list, emails, to do lists, etc. I did send it in for the voluntary recall, but this one doesn't do any better than the first one. If you ever "forget" to leave it in the charger overnight, then expect all data to be lost the next morning and you'll have to reload everything. Because of this, this PDA is useless and just sitting on my desk. I have resurrected my old palm monochrome. Be careful buying this because Toshiba does not give refunds even on bad equipment.
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