vB Easy Archive - [ Toshiba ] TS608 (TS30) review

Pages: 1

[ Toshiba ] TS608 (TS30) review
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: hao-bao

I just got this phone second hand for 70 euros. The tested version is TS608 as sold in France by the provider SFR (Vodafone).

Detailed specifications are available from the Toshiba website or from other Mobile Oriented Websites.

This mobile is packed with nice features such as Bluetooth, 1.3Mpix camera, MicroSD slot, Mini USB (mass storage), FM radio with RDS, MP3 player...

The box is stylish and includes charger, stereo headset, phone and battery, manual.

As you can see below, the phone is candy-bar-style, very thin but quite tall. The fun feature is the MP3 contorl keys on the top. They can't be used for FM though. The Mini USB port is for charging, headset and USB-PC connection.

Bonjour ! this is the customised starup screen. The menus have not been altered with the Vodafone style. Good. For once we get the original themes. The backlight is very bright (4 levels of intensity) and the screen is very very good. You can hardly see pixels, and pictures look astonishingly colourful.

There are three themes, oen looking ugly, the 2 others looking cool, like this one.

Here, the phone with the headset. It is required to use the radio, even when put on the loudspeakers.

The FM tuner is RDS capable (cool, Nokia should learn from SE and Toshiba then...). Only 10 presets can be defined. To skip frequencies, up and down arrows are used. Left and right are for volume (5 levels). To select a preset, push long on the number keys. You can't have an autosave for presets. It has to be done manually.

The mp3 player is pretty basic. I don't own a MicroSD card, so I didn't test the mass storage transfer speeds. To transfer stuff from the phone memory to a PC, only bluetooth can be used. USB is for the memory card only.

Camera mode : full screen view. This phone has the resolution 800*600, which is rare enough to be mentionned.

Available sizes :
1280*1024
800*600
640*480
320*240
160*120

Photos can be viewed in list style, grid style (both with thumbnails).

The backlight of the keyboard is deep blue and very bright.

CONCLUSION

Pros :

- Stylish steel looks
- Very good screen
- Ultra thin phone
- FM radio with RDS
- Mass Storage
- Email client

Cons :

- Keys are a bit hard to type on. Maybe it gets better with th time..
- The stereo heaset is not that good for music
- MP3 ringtones are less loud than midi tones.

My opinion :

This phone is pretty cheap for the nice pack of features. It will of course not sell well due to the bad press Toshiba had when they launched the first imode phone TS21i. I like it because not everyone has this phone, and it is pretty good.

Posted by: Junglizt1210

don't forget folks : it's dual band 900/1800MHz so, no good in most of South America and all of North America. It also doesn't work in Japan/Korea.

Which is real shame, as I was considering it.

Posted by: hao-bao

Just got TS705 which is 3G. no time yet to review, but will do it soon. It is a very good phone, I think I will keep it for a while.

I have been in touch with Toshiba lately, to try to get more news on new realeases.

They told me TS605 (a cheaper TS608) and a new 3G clamshell would be released soon in Europe (meaning unlockable phones). Let's hope this clamshell is a good hi end one.

Posted by: Junglizt1210

Quote:

Originally Posted by hao-bao

(meaning unlockable phones)

**hopefully**.

Posted by: AL9999

New 3G clamshell? Maybe they'll port the 810T or 811T over to Europe... that would be nice.

Posted by: hao-bao

Just a little update now that I have owned this phone for long.

I just found how to play mp3 in the background, this is a cool feature that I first thought was missing. I have moved to another home and the FM reception is perfect, it beats a sony Ericsson K600i, but not Nokia N70. RDS is working fully.

The main drawback with this phone is the poor headset bass rendering, and the keys that are a bit "hard" to let you type messages fast. It is not easy to find a better headset as it has mini USB port (TS705 has jack headset).

But for the price, I now recommend this phone. I was a bit sceptical at first but I really start to like it now.

It beats TS705 in terms of screen, and music features. TS705 has 3G and a slightly better camera.

I wonder if TS32 is really different from TS608 as the features appear to be the same...

Posted by: Junglizt1210

I'm just curious, does it use the same data/charger port as the 3G Toshiba phones?

Posted by: hao-bao

for TS608 and TS605, It is a mini usb port for data, headset and charging. TS705 has mini usb for data and charger too, but headset is mini jack.

The European candybars differ really a lot from the clamshells. Maybe they are just rebranded phones not even manufactured by Toshiba...

Posted by: AL9999

That's what I'm thinking, it's either that, or it's a European division Toshiba set up to make phones 'tailored' to European tastes. Even the user interface is vastly different to the 3G phone selection.

Posted by: hao-bao

Yes and what troubles me is that TS608 and TS705 have completely different interfaces. Really nothing similar in the OS. I guess they really are phones just rebranded... Darn, I just shouldn't have bought them

Posted by: AL9999

Those two are different too? I guess they are OEM made then. How sad...

What about the TS10 though? That phone used a design Toshiba had used already in its V602T for Vodafone Japan (now Softbank).

Posted by: hao-bao

I haven't touched a TS10 yet. Surprisingly, an old stock of TS10 has been found in France and all shops start to sell it for 89 euros. Many people bought it and are already getting rid of it after just one use. Price is now about 50 euros.

I think this phone must be the hell of a crap, so I won't bother buying it this time. Toshiba you better gimme a good phone next or I'll stop buying your stuff

And STOP making OEM phones in Europe.

Posted by: Junglizt1210

Toshiba's 3G phones are better... and we all know it!

I think they are trying to break into the budget end of the market (but not doing particularly well - we ALL know how well Nokia 1100's sold... very well)

I think what makes their 3G phones better is the UI for a start, the features, the nice screens, and designs, and the 803T/705T external buttons etc...

Posted by: hao-bao

Calling them 3G phones is not accurate, let me remind you TS705 is a 3G phone too

Posted by: AL9999

And even then, Toshiba has different UIs for the same, Japanese-made models, depending on the country they're headed for, and the interface used in HK is absolutely awful compared to the one for Softbank (in the example of the 811T versus the TX80).

Posted by: Junglizt1210

not quite sure what to go about describing them as

Posted by: AL9999

JDM phones, JP model phones, Japan model phones, etc.

The ones that come out of Japan, basically.

Posted by: hao-bao

Anyone knows where to get a detailed review of TX80 with screens? I don't know if I should buy it and I can't find anything about the phone (at least in English). How do you say "phone review" in chinese or japanese?

EDIT : oops i spoke too fast, no BT and no email client, amost 400€, is Toshiba kidding me? No way I bought this phone !

Well, toshiba keeps getting worse and worse, I might as well stop being a ToshiFan, I'm afraid... any suggestion for a new brand to worship (not Sharp) ?

Posted by: AL9999

Nope, I'm sticking with Sharp and secretly praying they will surprise the world at 3GSM next year.

Posted by: hao-bao

The problem with Sharp is that I got traumatized by v902SH and its horrible pic quality and the 100s of confirmation screens for simple actions. I never dared to touch another shapr phone since.

Posted by: Junglizt1210

Not all Sharp's are like that. You get used to any that have issues like that after a while anyway.

Posted by: 2SHY

Now you are making me miss my 3 day old locked 903SH

I want one again.

Posted by: AL9999

The 902SH was an exception and yes, its picture quality was horrible. However, the 903SH fixed it and its a great phone to use. I personally prefer the confirmation prompts because there's nothing worse than hitting the hang-up button by accident and losing a message you were writing, the webpage you were browsing, or some other valuable situation.

Posted by: laurbraila

Hy!!!
I'm from Romania and I just buy a toshiba ts608 phone from spain becouse this type of phone don't have been lunched in my country. the problem is that I don't have stereo headset for phone and without headset i can't listen FM radio.
Can tell me someone if on the phone work ather stereo headset from other phone plsssss!!!!!!!

Posted by: tykazs

nu ai *** sa folosesti alt tip de headset la el decat unul original!insa in pachetul cumparat,nu avea si castile?eu am cumparat tot din Spania,ca aici sunt momentan, si pachetul include si castile - care le folosesc si ca hand`s free! daca imi raspunzi, spune-mi cat tine bateria pls!ms!