Hopes had been reasonably high that Toshiba's G810 would rest near the top of the keyboardless WinMo food chain for a while, but if PocketNow's review is any indication, that's a tall order. Problem numero uno -- which we didn't need a review to tell us, necessarily -- is that the completely tactile-free directional pad and accompanying buttons make using the darned thing a challenge, no matter how cool the glowy blue lights may be. What's more, the screen is QVGA, which is unacceptable for a high-end WinMo handset in 2008, and the tester was unable to get even a single full day of battery life out of it with typical use. On the bright side, the camera appears to take some of the better shots we've ever seen come out of a cameraphone, but is that really enough to justify the $700-plus that retailers are commanding? Probably not.

Evidence of Toshiba's new Portege G920 QWERTY doesn't get any better than an FCC filing. Still if you need more, you're looking at the G920 held aloft in the wilds of some Tosh briefing. That slide on the left looks to be tattling on Toshiba's 2008 roadmap too -- at least Toshiba's lineup for launch in Russia where this presentation was apparently delivered. From it, we see the G920 scheduled for an early Q1 release followed by a G930 in early Q4. Also spotted is the G800 with stylus input, G710 and G720 with GPS, and G450 classed as a "USB modem phone." Expect to hear more on the Q1 column of devices at CES in a few weeks.

There's sneak peeks, and then there's all out photographic mayhem. Thankfully for those looking to get a better view of Toshiba's Portégé G500, the latest group of photos safely falls in the latter category, as TheUnwired has managed to snatch up a myriad of photos showing off the smartphone. Of course, you've already had time to read up on the specs and decide if this thing was for you, so why not hit the read link and see if the attraction is there when it bares all?

What would you give for a WM6 QWERTY with a 3-inch screen touting an 800 x 480 pixel resolution? Well, reader Kim Nyberg forked over a €635/$860 premium to Expansys for the Toshiba Portege G900 and has the unboxing pics to prove it. And you thought $599 was expensive. Oh, did we mention it's tri-band HSDPA with WiFi?

Hold tight Europeans and Japanese -- if reports straight from a showcase in Paris are to be believed, you'll be able to get your palms around Toshiba's inviting G900 "this month." Of course, with but a few days left until July, it will only be a matter of hours before this hunch is proven true or false, but considering that it did already pass through the gates of the FCC, it's not too far fetched. So, do let us know if you're able to locate one across the pond in the coming days, will ya?

[Via PocketPCThoughts]

FCC ratification really doesn't mean much of anything about a phone's eventual release or non-release stateside, but in this case, we're doing a little jump of joy nonetheless. The reason? Toshiba's do-it-all G900 with slide-out QWERTY, Windows Mobile 6 Professional, WiFi, biometric security, 2 megapixel primary cam, tri-band HSDPA, and a glorious wide VGA display has been stamped with the feds' seal of approval. Yep, we said tri-band HSDPA, so anyone interested in trying their luck at obtaining an import should have no trouble using it here for fast data. We've seen the G900 variously referred to as a Portege and a Satellite -- here it's just called RG4-E02 -- but frankly, they can call it whatever they like and we'll still be happy campers.

Update: Sorry to break hearts here, but it appears that this particular variant of the G900 isn't even remotely bound for US shores; besides failing to support WCDMA 850 / 1900, it doesn't even offer GSM 850. Our apologies for the mix-up; let's hope the next G900 we see in the FCC offers just a little more juice. [Thanks, Mike]