Toshiba/Audiovox Genio e550G

I was excited the first time I saw the Toshiba Genio e550G Pocket PC 2002 announced on the Web. But at that time you could only buy it in Japan. Now, months after its Asian debut, an English-language version of the e550G is available at CompUSA stores and CompUSA online for $599.00. Thanks goes to the new US distributor of the e550G--Audiovox.

Big screen and expansion slots

The most prominent feature of the e550G is its 65K-color reflective TFT screen. With a four-inch diagonal measurement, it's the largest screen of any Pocket PC. "Reflective" means that the brightness of the screen is caused by light bouncing off of it from the front. It has a "front light" at the bottom of the screen that illuminates it quite well. The large screen adds little to the overall size of the unit. Measuring 3 x 0.6 x 4.9 inches and weighing 6 ounces, it is thinner, shorter, and lighter than the popular iPAQ Pocket PC from HP.

The infrared receiver for beaming data to other devices is located on the left side, not the top. The left side also has a voice recording button, but no jog wheel or scroll button. Two expansion slots are located on the top of the unit: one Secure Digital and one Type II CompactFlash. This adds a lot of expansion capability. The CF slot has a hinged cover to protect it from dust when you are not using a card, and the SD slot is spring loaded to make card removal easy.

The e550G sports an audio jack that accepts not only stereo headphones but also special Toshiba remote control headphones. These optional remote control headphones allow you to change songs and volume levels in Windows Media Player--handy while you are jogging or at the gym. If you forget your headphones, the built-in speaker is loud enough to handle recorded notes or music.

The application buttons on the front of the unit are recessed. While I can get to all of them just fine, people with large fingers might have a problem. The directional pad is a thing of beauty. It is very easy to move in any of eight directions and you can replace the standard textured directional pad with an alternate smooth pad that is included in the box.

The sync cradle is pretty basic except that it features a USB host port on the side, which lets you use a USB keyboard or mouse. Audiovox also offers a serial cradle for users of Windows NT. Since replacement cradles and sync cables do not come with extra power adaptors, you will be pleased to know that the e550G can charge itself via the USB cable. It does not have a removable battery or backup battery; however, Audiovox does sell an external battery sled which will significantly increase battery life. The e550G is powered by a peppy 400 MHz Intel XScale microprocessor and sports 64 MB of RAM.

"Home" is where my heart is

When the Genio e550G is turned on you are welcomed by the Home application (Screen 1). Home lets you run your favorite programs, check battery status, adjust power and memory settings, and more. You can also use Home to adjust screen brightness, mute the audio, change CPU speed settings, and check out system information. There's even a split-screen option where you can display a "mini" Today screen at the bottom of the screen, with a summary of the day's tasks and appointments and the number of unread e-mails in Inbox. You can change the background image in the Home application, customize the content, and change view modes. All this helps to make Home one of the most useful OEM software add-ins I've ever used.

Screen 1: The e550G's Home screen lets you run programs, check battery status, adjust settings, and check appointments/tasks/e-mail

Don't worry about the lack of a backup battery. The low battery warnings give you ample notice and the device will actually start dimming the brightness of the screen as your battery gets low. Also, Audiovox has included a backup program that lets you schedule automatic backups (Screen 2). To back up, you must have a storage card in one of the expansion slots. You pick the frequency (weekly or daily) and the time, and the e550G does the rest. This is a feature that all Pocket PC devices should have.