Nokia E90 vs Toshiba Portege G910 - Review
Steve Litchfield pitches the two flagships head-to-head...
It seems scarcely possible that the Nokia E90 is still, arguably, the flagship of the S60 and Nokia family, a full fifteen months after its announcement - and even more unlikely that it's able to hold its own against the very latest similarly-formed competitor from the Windows Mobile world, with the G910 only on the streets for a few weeks. And yet hold its own it does.
Don't get me wrong, the E90 (as has been widely documented) is not without its share of quirks and issues, but a look sideways at the competition shows that it's still king of the heap. Let's look at the E90 and G910 side by side, testing them feature by feature.
| Nokia E90 | Toshiba G910 | |
| Availability | £450 SIM-free, free on most serious contracts, since mid 2007 | Now, £450 SIM-free |
| OS, interface | Symbian OS 9.2, S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 | Windows Mobile 6 |
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| Screen size(s) | 800 by 352 inner, 240 by 320 outer, both transflective and very visible in all light conditions | 800 by 480 touch-sensitive inner, one line outer (for monochrome status messages, icons and playing media title). Both screens are horribly reflective and are often rendered invisible outdoors |
| Display and UI comments | S60 isn't a perfect fit for such a large screen, but the only occasions when it really rankles are when in Web, with very small fonts used in order to render desktop-like graphical layouts | Windows Mobile also just about handles larger screen resolutions, and again it's the (Opera) web browser where it all falls down. With the temptation to try desktop renderings, the fonts are all over the place and often unreadable. Pocket Internet Explorer is also included and fares better for fonts but makes a poor job of many heavy site front pages |
| Comms spec | Wi-Fi, quad-band GSM, 3.5G, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi, tri-band GSM, 3.5G, Bluetooth (on oddity is that when the screen goes off, so does the Wi-Fi, and it takes a good 15 seconds to re-establish your Internet connection when you power the screen 'on' again...) |
| Performance and OS | With latest firmware, fairly nippy, especially with the shortcut keys and using the multitasking | Generally quick but with some horrible exceptions (e.g. video playback, plus opening a new Word Mobile document takes 15 seconds!). The touch-sensitive application shortcuts either side of the screen do the same job as those on the E90 - they're configurable, which is a plus, but they're also sometimes fiddly to hit (only the spot beside each icon is actually active) |
| Weight, length | 210g, 132mm | 183g, 117mm |
| Battery life | 1500mAh, 2 to 3 days between charges for moderate use | 1320mAh, up to 2 days between charges |
| Photography | 3.2mp camera with auto-focus and LED flash. VGA video recording at 30fps | 2mp camera, with optional auto-focus (nice to see and interestingly implemented - as on the forthcoming Nokia E71 (shhhh), you tap the camera screen icon to snap and there's a separate key to auto-focus, if you've got the time and your subject is still). Having focussing in a 2mp camera is rare these days, the last one I saw was in the Nokia N90 about two and a half years ago - I'd say the photo results from the G910 are worse than those from the N90, but then the latter also had Carl Zeiss optics. Still, this is the best camera in a Windows Mobile device for quite a while. There's also LED flash for stills. Video recording maxes out at 320 by 240 by 15fps. |
| Video playback | MP4, including H.264, plus 3GP, most clips play in the centre of the large screen - not ideal. Playback is fairly smooth but not up to Nokia Nseries standards | WMV, plus some varieties of MP4 and 3GP, none of which play back with any kind of fluidity. Video playback is often as poor as 1 frame per second, depending on the encoding used, and rarely as smooth as video on the E90 |
| Music playback | MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA. Music quality is excellent and volume ample, through built-in stereo speakers or 2.5mm stereo headset | WMA, MP3, AAC. Music quality is excellent and volume again ample, at least via the headset. The built-in mono speaker on the bottom surface is tiny, tinny and quiet. The headset jack is proprietary, but it leads to a 3.5mm breakout adapter, thankfully. |
| Memory | 80MB free RAM, 120MB flash memory, expandable via microSD to 32GB | 60MB free RAM, around 128MB flash storage, expandable via microSD to 32GB |
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| Keyboard comments |
Good for thumb typing or, on a desk, those with strong fingers, separate row for number keys |
The screen hinge acts as a decent stand, in order to angle the keyboard, which is beautifully weighted and only spoilt by the garish number key labelling |
 |
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| Positioning | Built-in GPS, with online 'assistance' | Built-in GPS, but there's no built-in or obvious add-on software to take advantage of it. The free download Google Maps worked perfectly though. Overall fix time wasn't significantly less than the assisted GPS on the E90 |
It's tempting, very tempting to say that the Toshiba Portege G910 is a match for the Nokia E90, the raw specs certainly give it a run for its money. The stylus-based touchscreen and qwerty operation reminded me a lot of the old Psion 5 palmtops and fans of these will welcome the G910 with open arms. But ultimately the G910 doesn't quite live up to expectations - yet. The shackles of Windows Mobile, along with the inevitable glitches in the early Toshiba firmware, two(!) poorly implemented browsers and poor multimedia performance all give the E90 the prize - yet again.
However, in fairness the E90 has had over a year of firmware upgrades in order to mature - the G910 is just starting out. With proper support from Toshiba - perhaps a WinMob 6.1 upgrade in a few months time - it's distinctly possible (camera capabilities aside) that the G910 will close the gap.
Steve Litchfield, AllAboutSymbian, 21 May 2008
Supplementary photos:
Published by Steve Litchfield at 19:53 BST, May 20th 2008
Categories: Hardware
Platforms: General, S60 3rd Edition
News Discussion
ricky Lee
Comment: excellent comparison- Steve, any word on when the black E90 with modified housing and keyboard is hitting?
Ex-G910 owner
Comment: "The built-in mono speaker (actually the cover phone earpiece) is tiny, tinny and quiet. "
Eh? The loudspeaker is _not_ the earpiece. Did you bother to look on the back or where the sound was coming from?
Agreed though, the (rear) loudspeaker is tiny, tinny and quiet - too quiet to hear ring alerts & rings, or for GPS in the car, and too distorted for hands free. A big failing. The front earpiece, on the other hand, has reasonable sound quality and has plenty of volume for phone calls.
BTW, the G910 I had was plagued with stand-by and wake-up issues.
Eh? The loudspeaker is _not_ the earpiece. Did you bother to look on the back or where the sound was coming from?
Agreed though, the (rear) loudspeaker is tiny, tinny and quiet - too quiet to hear ring alerts & rings, or for GPS in the car, and too distorted for hands free. A big failing. The front earpiece, on the other hand, has reasonable sound quality and has plenty of volume for phone calls.
BTW, the G910 I had was plagued with stand-by and wake-up issues.
slitchfield
Comment: Eek, you're right, the sound's actually coming from the small gash in the bottom surface - I wondered what that was for! As you say, wherever it's coming from, it's way too quiet. I'll tweak the text, thanks.
Unregistered
Comment: Thx for your article, but i m more interested in E71. Do somebody have an information about release date?
krisse
Comment: Got to say, the G910 is a rather ugly device, it makes the E90 look very sleek indeed.
jah
Comment: I think the E90 is a marvel. No other manufacturer has yet come close to it and it was first launched a year ago. Nokia need to build-on the E90 to make the E91 more useable with better s/w and better use of the keyboard area/real estate. But the more I use it I find the form factor, size and weight are about right.
USAusr
Comment: Hi Steve, honestly I think the E90 is the best phone period for admin on the run. I used to own the 9290 here in the US and was very happy with it. it was practically indestructible. Presently I am waiting for the E90 that works with AT&T 3G. do you have any update on the next release? I am a bit sick of the HTC Tilt and am using a BB 8820 now. any glimmer of hope. Thx.
Ex_G910_Owner
Comment: That's the first time I've ever heard a brick called "very sleek".
In the flesh, the G910 is much nicer, smoother and slimmer to look at (at least when closed), especially with its rounded contours and the high gloss grey and black finish. Steve's photos don't do it justice. Plus it's shorter, and much lighter, so it fits much better in the hand and pocket, and is less likely to get you laughed at in the street. Just a shame that the functionality doesn't live up to it - to do anything apart from answer a call, you're going to need it open.
(see Expansys forums for some user comments).
In the flesh, the G910 is much nicer, smoother and slimmer to look at (at least when closed), especially with its rounded contours and the high gloss grey and black finish. Steve's photos don't do it justice. Plus it's shorter, and much lighter, so it fits much better in the hand and pocket, and is less likely to get you laughed at in the street. Just a shame that the functionality doesn't live up to it - to do anything apart from answer a call, you're going to need it open.
(see Expansys forums for some user comments).
krisse
Comment: [quote]That's the first time I've ever heard a brick called "very sleek".[/quote]
My comment was definitely meant in relative rather than absolute terms... ;-)
My comment was definitely meant in relative rather than absolute terms... ;-)
Menneisyys
Comment: You state the G910 supports eAAC+ (that is, HE-AACv2). That's not really the case, as ha salso been explained in my related multiplatform multimedia articles also cross-posted to the N95 forum here at AAS.
In a nutshell: out-of-the-box there's no eAAC+ support at all and only two, outdated, CPU-intensive apps (the free TCPMP and the commercial Nero) support eAAC+. There is just no comparison if you take the CPU usage into account.
In a nutshell: out-of-the-box there's no eAAC+ support at all and only two, outdated, CPU-intensive apps (the free TCPMP and the commercial Nero) support eAAC+. There is just no comparison if you take the CPU usage into account.
Menneisyys
Comment: I also missed the discussion of the compatibility problems of WVGA screens - namely, most games (otherwise running on VGA devices) just refuse to run or have major graphical issues. I've explained this in many of my articles, also in my MWC report where I've thoroughly elaborated on the G910 and other non-standard WM models. See for example [url]http://www.pocketpcmag.com/cms/blogs/3/mwc_new_devices_samsung_sgh_i780_hp_ipaq[/url] .
This is also a big NO for the G910.
Currently, the only high-res WM model you should really pay for, in my opinion, is the pretty old (but still veyr nice) HTC Universal. The just-announced HTC Diamond is suffering from two major problems (4GB storage only and VERY slow GUI) and, therefore, I don't really recommend it (see [url]http://www.pocketpcmag.com/cms/blogs/3/a_c_s_s2p_s2v_and_s2u2_excellent_iphone[/url] for more info). And, I generally don't recommend any of Toshiba's new models either - the G900 was quite much a letdown and I just don't see much point in getting the G910 when there're much better alternatives. (For example, the HTC Universla if you don't mind the size or, if you don't mind not being converged, an iPAQ hx4700 WM6.1 or iPAQ 210 + Nokia N95 combo. I've elaborated on all these issues at, say, [url]http://www.pocketpcmag.com/cms/blogs/3/the_hp_ipaq_210_an_in_depth_review[/url] )
This is also a big NO for the G910.
Currently, the only high-res WM model you should really pay for, in my opinion, is the pretty old (but still veyr nice) HTC Universal. The just-announced HTC Diamond is suffering from two major problems (4GB storage only and VERY slow GUI) and, therefore, I don't really recommend it (see [url]http://www.pocketpcmag.com/cms/blogs/3/a_c_s_s2p_s2v_and_s2u2_excellent_iphone[/url] for more info). And, I generally don't recommend any of Toshiba's new models either - the G900 was quite much a letdown and I just don't see much point in getting the G910 when there're much better alternatives. (For example, the HTC Universla if you don't mind the size or, if you don't mind not being converged, an iPAQ hx4700 WM6.1 or iPAQ 210 + Nokia N95 combo. I've elaborated on all these issues at, say, [url]http://www.pocketpcmag.com/cms/blogs/3/the_hp_ipaq_210_an_in_depth_review[/url] )
Menneisyys
Comment: [quote=krisse;377844]Got to say, the G910 is a rather ugly device, it makes the E90 look very sleek indeed.[/quote]
Agreed. The G910 isn't aesthetically pleasing. I'd state it's only the i-mate 9502 that is even uglier.
Agreed. The G910 isn't aesthetically pleasing. I'd state it's only the i-mate 9502 that is even uglier.
Menneisyys
Comment: I would have also emphasized (see my above-linked review) the clamshell-only design of the G910 doesn't let for native Portrait usage, unlike the Universal, which would be essential (!!!) with a lot of stuff - even casual one-handed Web browsing. Furthermore, rotatable screens are VERY useful in some cases like IP video phoning - under Windows Mobile, no front cameras are supported. Therefore, only models that have a fully rotatatble screen can be used for IP videophoning. See my example shots in my TiVi review ( [url]http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72464[/url] ) that show this. This is pretty much a showstopper for the G910. (along with its other problems.) They should have implemented something like on the Sharp Zaurii or the HTC Universal.
Also, I missed the mentioning of another major problem with the G910: the huge unused bezel area on the left/right of the screen. Again, check out my G910 review where I've explained how this could have been fixed (by, saying, non-1:1 pixels or using a resolution of, say, 800*320).
Also, I missed the mentioning of another major problem with the G910: the huge unused bezel area on the left/right of the screen. Again, check out my G910 review where I've explained how this could have been fixed (by, saying, non-1:1 pixels or using a resolution of, say, 800*320).
slitchfield
Comment: Just to answer some comments:
Styling: I quite like the G910's looks, both it and the E90 are distinctive in their own way.
eAAC+: apologies, I was going by an official spec list. I've removed mention of that from the review.
Screen aspect ratio oddities: I don't doubt that some 3rd party apps will look a bit funny, especially games, but the G910 comes with a lot of functionality already and all the built-ins work well with WVGA.
Wasted space on the display portion: Well, yes, but there's at least some attempt to use it - the touch-sensitive app shortcut hotspots. So much better than the appalling Asus M930, for example.
Styling: I quite like the G910's looks, both it and the E90 are distinctive in their own way.
eAAC+: apologies, I was going by an official spec list. I've removed mention of that from the review.
Screen aspect ratio oddities: I don't doubt that some 3rd party apps will look a bit funny, especially games, but the G910 comes with a lot of functionality already and all the built-ins work well with WVGA.
Wasted space on the display portion: Well, yes, but there's at least some attempt to use it - the touch-sensitive app shortcut hotspots. So much better than the appalling Asus M930, for example.
Menneisyys
Comment: [quote=slitchfield;377993]eAAC+: apologies, I was going by an official spec list. I've removed mention of that from the review.[/quote]
Yup, sometimes not even device manufacturers know the differences between the different AAC versions (AAC-LC, HE-AACv1, HE-AACv2; the latter being the most advanced and recommended). This is why they list eAAC+ (that is, HE-AACv2) as supported, while the built-in WMP only supports AAC-LC and HE-AACv1 - unlike on Symbian, where HE-AACv2 is also supported (also see my commenst at [url]http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/7296_How_to_use_eAAC_to_put_FAR_mor.php[/url] if interested)
Yup, sometimes not even device manufacturers know the differences between the different AAC versions (AAC-LC, HE-AACv1, HE-AACv2; the latter being the most advanced and recommended). This is why they list eAAC+ (that is, HE-AACv2) as supported, while the built-in WMP only supports AAC-LC and HE-AACv1 - unlike on Symbian, where HE-AACv2 is also supported (also see my commenst at [url]http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/7296_How_to_use_eAAC_to_put_FAR_mor.php[/url] if interested)
bills2north
Comment: I was surprised how close and yet how far the TOSHIBA got to the E90. But then I considered a couple of variables & questions.
First. TOSHIBA corp. is Much bigger than Nokia so what gives?
Second. What gives Nokia the upper-hand in the communicator market?
Third. How is it Nokia even beat U.S. government backed Motorola?
Fourth. And Sony which rocks on every front!
Well technocrats give way to the patent office and courts to prove it. We know including or excluding code depends on copyright. Same with hardware, or even more so. Just imagine a silver E90 clone turning up in Taiwan!
And Nokia gets richer anyway when other companies use Symbian os. Nokia armed with Symbian has a stranglehold on the market, like microsoft. Luckily, Symbian and Nokia are good enough to stick with.
Leave your designs, about code and hardware in triplicate, in the patent office "in box" thank-you. Our lawyers will be in touch ;)
E90 is the ultimate, by hook or by crook.
First. TOSHIBA corp. is Much bigger than Nokia so what gives?
Second. What gives Nokia the upper-hand in the communicator market?
Third. How is it Nokia even beat U.S. government backed Motorola?
Fourth. And Sony which rocks on every front!
Well technocrats give way to the patent office and courts to prove it. We know including or excluding code depends on copyright. Same with hardware, or even more so. Just imagine a silver E90 clone turning up in Taiwan!
And Nokia gets richer anyway when other companies use Symbian os. Nokia armed with Symbian has a stranglehold on the market, like microsoft. Luckily, Symbian and Nokia are good enough to stick with.
Leave your designs, about code and hardware in triplicate, in the patent office "in box" thank-you. Our lawyers will be in touch ;)
E90 is the ultimate, by hook or by crook.
Unregistered
Comment: The E90 still reminds me of an E51 in a large body. As a very happy E61-owner, I'm aiming for the new E71 (like others have said around here).
But Nokia is in a hurry when it comes to adjusting the OS to the different bodies/screens. The E61, as a camera-less gadget still suggest to make video-calls. And the landscape screen is not taken into account either (shortened menu-names in places where there is lot of space to write out the complete data)... I know this is nit-picking but I expect more from Nokia.
But Nokia is in a hurry when it comes to adjusting the OS to the different bodies/screens. The E61, as a camera-less gadget still suggest to make video-calls. And the landscape screen is not taken into account either (shortened menu-names in places where there is lot of space to write out the complete data)... I know this is nit-picking but I expect more from Nokia.
Unregistered
Comment: The e90 is ugly! The buttons end but the body goes on and on... there's so much space. the 910 looks way better and slimmer (and it is).
Flem
Comment: I have the G910 and here is my problem and its a huge one:
I just bought this super awesome not-so-smart phone in Malaysia, went to Thailand for 2 weeks and the damn keyboard and subLCD stopped working. I already called where I bought it and they agreed to exchange it. I just got back to Malaysia and the damn thing worked right away. I go back to America in 2 weeks and haven't a clue what to do.
Its either a short (although curiously timed), or its a country thing. I can not find any overseas or american toshiba support contact info. I did find a UK email, and in 2 weeks have not heard back.
Anyone have any good ideas here?!?!!! I'm in love with this phone - when it works!!! :(
I just bought this super awesome not-so-smart phone in Malaysia, went to Thailand for 2 weeks and the damn keyboard and subLCD stopped working. I already called where I bought it and they agreed to exchange it. I just got back to Malaysia and the damn thing worked right away. I go back to America in 2 weeks and haven't a clue what to do.
Its either a short (although curiously timed), or its a country thing. I can not find any overseas or american toshiba support contact info. I did find a UK email, and in 2 weeks have not heard back.
Anyone have any good ideas here?!?!!! I'm in love with this phone - when it works!!! :(
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