Test Drive: Pocket PC e405

Personal digital assistant

By David McQuin -- School Library Journal, 6/1/2004

Toshiba, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 4110, New York, NY 10020 (800) 631-3811 www.toshiba.com $299.

Life in the media center is always on the go. During the day, I'm hardly ever at my computer, where I keep my to-do list, various schedules, grade book, and, not to mention, my e-mail. So how do I keep track of everything? The Toshiba e405 Pocket PC organizes all that information and keeps it at my fingertips.

The Toshiba Pocket PC e405 is a basic personal digital assistant (PDA) that's well made. Measuring 4.9" by 3" by .4", it's one of the thinnest PDAs available and easily fits into a shirt pocket or purse. It has a crisp, easily readable 3.5" color screen with 240 x 320 resolution. The e405 also features 64 MB of main memory and 32 MB of flash memory. The flash memory is a helpful bonus, since stored files will remain intact even if the PDA's battery is completely drained or you reset the unit—not the case with some other PDAs. The e405 also has a built-in SDIO (or Secure Digital) card slot for additional memory or accessory expansion.

Standard PDA features, such as a calendar and address book, are straightforward and easily accessible on the e405. However, new PDA users—or those familiar with only Palm devices—will need time to master Microsoft's new Pocket PC 2003 operating system, which the e405 uses. The e405 also comes equipped with ActiveSync software, which helps users synchronize their desktop computers' files with their PDAs, and pocket versions of Microsoft programs such as Word, Internet Explorer, and Outlook. In addition, Toshiba provides software that speaks aloud any text file, including e-mail messages. However, the sound quality of the built-in speaker is poor and somewhat tinny, so plug in headphones for better acoustics. The e405 can store and play MP3 and video files as well as display picture files.

Like most PDAs in this price range, the e405 lacks built-in network or wireless capability, but you can add those functions later on, using the SDIO slot. If wireless connectivity is important to you, consider purchasing a PDA like the Toshiba e805 ($599), which includes that function as a standard feature. Since I sync my PDA with my desktop files daily, a charging and synchronizing cradle would be useful, instead of just a USB connecting cable. But overall, the e405 is a slim, sleek, flexible performer, and it's reasonably priced at $299.