Hands-On: Toshiba's G450 USB Modem Makes Calls, Plays MP3s

Toshiba G450

Toshiba G450

Toshiba G450

The most innovative product to come out of the 2008 Mobile World Congress is probably Toshiba's G450. It isn't a device that is going to have mass appeal, but I am pretty certain that it will find a good number of fans across Europe. You see, the G450 is basically a GSM/UMTS USB modem that never was told that it can't do other things. This cool little device sports a small OLED display that is very readable, and a alphanumeric keypad that is passable in a pinch. The result? A modem that you can actually place phone calls on or use as an MP3 player.

That is a very cool idea, indeed. The dialing keypad isn't optimized for text messaging or anything like that, thanks to its odd layout, but it still is workable for dialing a regular phone number or navigating through your music. The G450 is quite small, as you would expect, and fits nicely into the palm of your hand. We saw it in all three of the planned color schemes: black, red, and white. Personally, I liked the matte black version best.

The only complaint I have with the design is that a cable needs to be used to connect the modem to a laptop. I think it might have been nice if Toshiba had included a pop-out USB plug directly in the device, which many other 3G modems do. The real heart breaker for me, however, is the G450's frequency band configuration. I can not tell you how much I want one of these modems, yet the G450's tri-band GSM/EDGE and 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA support just won't do me a lot of good here in the States. That's so sad, because this is one really clever piece of kit.

Toshiba G450

Toshiba G450

Toshiba G450