Toshiba e330 review

We hailed Toshiba's e310 as a great piece of design when it was released six months ago, and this update continues in precisely the same stylish vein - in fact, the chassis is identical, which is no bad thing considering its 12mm depth and brushed aluminium finish.

The biggest change is the 300MHz XScale processor that replaces the 206MHz chip in the e310, but don't expect greater speed in use. In fact, we'd find it hard to tell the difference between the two. Still, the e330 is comfortably fast enough for everyday tasks, and it also coped with video playback using Pocket TV. Not content with upgrading the processor, Toshiba doubles the RAM to 64MB, with an SD slot at the ready for adding more. But there's no room for CompactFlash cards, unlike the more advanced e740.

The e740's ATi Imageon graphics are also absent from the e330, which means Toshiba's Expansion pack won't work. The e330 also lacks add-ons like a keyboard. However, you can hook up USB peripherals using the optional USB host cable.

But the e330 will mostly appeal to those looking for a basic but highly portable Pocket PC, and at 147g it's certainly the latter. Although the mock-leather carry case adds a certain amount of girth, it will easily fit into a suit pocket. When it comes to battery life, though, the e330 suffers from precisely the same problems as all Pocket PCs, only lasting for three hours in our tests. Switching the backlight off will increase this, but we're still sceptical about the ten hours Toshiba claims. The screen generally needs the backlight on anyway, and with this at maximum the e330 boasts a bright, sharp, easy-to-read image.

What sets the e330 apart from its Pocket PC rivals is the price. Although £297 is still high compared to, say, the £200 Palm m515, it makes this Toshiba a far more tempting proposition than its nearest rivals from Asus and NEC.