Toshiba e740/750

Change the Wait Symbol of your e740/e750 (FREEWARE)

CTCursors allows you to change the Wait Cursor or Symbol from Pocket PCs running Pocket PC 2002 or Windows Mobile 2003 (No SE). 24 Wait cursors available in this version. (Screen shot)

"Toshiba (puh-tuhy! May they rot in hell...) has completely abandoned every Pocket PC they ever manufactured, except their current e800 line. I'm not too certain they won't do the same thing with that line of PPC's as soon as they release a new line, so be careful when you purchase a Toshiba Pocket PC. They rarely, if ever, release updates, fixes or patches for their Pocket PC's; and usually have to be threatened, ganged up on, or otherwise harassed in order to get them to do ANYTHING. Toshiba is the epitome of poor Pocket PC Support (may their names be forever cursed...) Yeah... I used to own a Toshiba PPC. Never again... Toshiba (I'd spit again, but I'm out...) argued this to its customers. They begrudgingly released PPC2002 EUU2 and EUU3 updates for most of their PPC's, all the while claiming that they really didn't HAVE to, but did due to customer pressure."

These words have been taken form the most recent article of Christopher Spera, Columnist of PocketNow. Bravo Chris... well said.

New database format is not compatible with  Pocket PC 2002

Microsoft has changed the database (.cdb) file format for a new one used in Windows Mobile 2003 and which is not compatible with Pocket PC 2002. Now developers have to decide if they want to create two versions of the same tool, one for PPC2002 and another for WM2003 or just one for the latest OS WM2003. This is another problem that Toshiba e740s users will find when they are buying Databases, they will have to look for versions compatible with Pocket PC 2002 and soon it will be hard to find new programs because programmers wont design for a market that is dying.  

Lately I have been programming database tools and being an ex Toshiba e740 owner I have created version of my programs for the old Pocket PC 2002 ;). Here are links to those tools: CTDrugs, CTFood and CTDVDData.

If you liked Tweaks2k2, please vote for it in Handango's Awards

Do you want Linux in your e740/750?

If your answer was Yes, follow the this link. 

The Metal Deluxe Case for Toshiba Pocket PC e740-e75x series.  (Shipping to anywhere in the World!)

It is 100% made of anodized aircraft grade aluminum and we design the case according to the profile of the e740 handheld. Flip open the front panel, you will get full access to your Pocket PC. The interior of the case is lined with neoprene to cushion your handheld from impact shocks. With this form-fitting metal deluxe case, it protects your PDA investment. Features: * Anodized aluminum protects your Pocket PC from wear & tear. * Precision molded case to perfectly fit your handheld. * Neoprene lining holds your Toshiba e740 series handheld securely in place, protects it against drops, shocks and collisions. * Cutouts give easy access to Stylus, SD Card Slot, CF Card Slot, Headphone Jack, Microphone, Recording Button, Scroller, IR Port, Reset Button, DC-in Socket, Hotsync Port and Battery Switch. *Size: 128.5 x 97.6 x 24 mm * Weight: approx. 80g Works with Models: e740 / e750 / e755

15% discount at Handango for Tweaks2k2 and 3X HangGirl

Promotion Code: D7EEB7
Expiration Date: 01/02/2004
Percent Discount: 15 %
Buy it Now!

As part of the MSN® Messenger Update, which ensures that our customers have the latest security and privacy protections when using the .NET Messenger Service, all .NET Messenger Service clients, including Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs and Pocket PC Phone Editions, are required to update to compliant versions of MSN Messenger client service software by October 15, 2003.

USB Hard Drive

This hard drive require the Expansion Pack (which provides a VGA graphical interface) or a Toshiba USB Host cable Part Number PA3243U-1ETC. Of course this cable is cheaper than the Expansion Pack.

Linux installed in a Toshiba e740

It's just a project that needs your help. If you feel that you can help to this project donating some money please, check this post.

Finally 1.0623.0409 released in USA! (07/28/03)

An this is funny, Today I got a report from an Italian e740 owner who received his e740 from Toshiba with a new ROM installed version 1.0624. Update: the 1.0624 seems to be just an update relative to e740s with a different ROM language.

e740 High-Capacity Battery Notice (Recall)

Check the serial number on your high-capacity battery.  The serial number is located on back of the High Capacity Battery.  If the serial number of the High Capacity Battery does not end with the letter "A", then the battery will be replaced.

Toshiba's statement about the Windows Mobile 2003 for Toshiba e740 published in The Register.

Of course this is not what all we are waiting for. The issue that Toshiba is telling that (check this other article): the "utilities includes enhanced Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality, and Toshiba is offering e740 owners an updated Bluetooth app which exceeds Microsoft Bluetooth utilities in terms of functionality" is proving a total ignorance from Toshiba about what the new features in Windows Mobile 2003 are. Just the Zero Configuration feature is 100 times more flexible and friendly that all that Toshiba has included up to this moment in the ROM of the e740s and in my opinion the BlueTooth configuration program in the WM2k3 is much better also than what Toshiba is supplying.

1.0623.0409 Finally officially released in Europe.

French Version

Do you want to write a review about your experiences using the Toshiba e74x/e750 and how you have been treated by Toshiba?

Here is a little sample of one of the review I have read.

"This unit has had more bugs than the dirtiest restaurant in town. However, the most frustrating part is that Toshiba will not communicate with its consumers about what they are doing or planning to do to remedy the problems. They have lied to, hidden the truth from, and ignored their customers. I have never had an experience with a company quite like I have with Toshiba...it will be my last experience, I assure you. Avoid any PDA from Toshiba as if it were the plague; because after spending your money, that's exactly how Toshiba will be treat you! - Semper Fi "

Call for Toshiba to Support Their Customers 

To : Toshiba

Dear Toshiba.  The reason we are writing this petition is to express our extreme dissatisfaction and disappointment with your handling of the Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC upgrade. This follows a long list of grievances that the Toshiba e700 and e300 series communities have had with you and now we would like to air them out to you in this public forum in hope that we can come to resolution on our expensive investments.

The Toshiba e740 PDA was your flagship product for a solid year.  It was the first PDA on the market with the advanced PXA250 400mHz X-Scale processor and built in WiFi.  After its release, it was discovered that the operating system at the time was not ready for the processor and there was little or no improvement.  We accepted this as the cost of being early adopters.  After all, the e740 was fully capable of being upgraded to the newest Pocket PC operating system when it was released. Likewise, the e310, utilizing the 300 MHz version of the processor, would reap similar benefits from an updated operating system.  You have not given us the option of this upgrade.

Calls to customer service are a joke. We have been told so many different things by so many different people that it is obvious whoever is in charge of making decisions in your company have been making no decisions. And if that is not true, you may wish to inform your customer service representatives what those decisions are.  People have been told by customer service sometimes that they don't know what the Windows Mobile 2003 is.  They have been told sometimes that they are as baffled as we are as to why the operating system is not being offered to us.  And we have been told we should take our $600 units, many purchased within the last six months along with hundreds of dollars of accessories, and trade it in for a paltry $64 to Toshiba and buy the new e750.

This type of conduct is completely unreasonable.  If you are not going to release this OS for us, we deserve to know in clear terms. We would still be complaining, but at least we would know where you stand.  As it is, we're not sure, but we're also pretty sure if you were going to give us an update, we wouldn't be forced to write this petition.  And the lack of an OS update for the e740 and e310 is only the first in a long line of slights you have given us. The e310 was not given the EUU3 initially, until there was a loud call from the community that they needed the update like everyone else. The e740 users have waited patiently while your customer service reps blamed us for known bugs in your unit. This is including, but not limited to fonts on the Today Screen and Start Menu changing to white for no reason, ActiveSync turning on and off repeatedly, battery meter giving false readings of 1%, and actual defective batteries.

Some of these bugs were blamed on users leaving memory cards in the device and others were blamed on third party software. It is interesting, that while Toshiba would never take any blame over the phone or in internet chat sessions, they quietly developed updated ROMs that would eventually solve all of the problems. Toshiba of America still does not acknowledge the existence of ROM 21 and ROM 23 despite the fact that they were released in Europe and Australia respectively and together solve almost every major issue of the e740. The ROMs are only available in English so your support for non-English speakers who own your PDAs have been totally abandoned.

There is one last issue that we are waiting to be resolved. The X-Scale processor, as mentioned before, could not be used at full potential because Pocket PC 2002 was not designed for it. Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC has given significant performance enhancement to the devices it has come out on and even more importantly, is aimed directly at wireless internet users and the e740 has built in wireless capabilities that would be far better utilized with the new operating system.

The PDA community is a very well informed and outspoken one. We make purchases based on our experience and after careful consultation of others.  Up until now, many of us have had nothing but optimism for Toshiba, despite the problems we had. We have been left out in the cold for the final time, however. We, the undersigned, are hoping that you can see our plea and simply provide the Windows Mobile 2003 for all of your Pocket PC customers and not only the most recent ones.  You have a long way to go before restoring our trust in you as a company, but selling us our updates would be a good first step.  We leave it up to you to decide how far you must go to repair what is becoming a very bad reputation in the PDA and technology community. 

Sincerely,
The Undersigned

If you want to participate in this petition please sign it at this site.

Pocket PC 2003 officially will be available from Toshiba in June 23!

I received today this information: 

Frank Garcia:

Full details regarding Toshiba's Pocket PC 2003 upgrade program including
specific product skus, pricing and terms and conditions will be
made available on June 23, 2003 and be can be found by visiting
www.shoptoshiba.com or by calling Customer Service at 1-800-TOSHIBA.

Thank You,
Jennifer Purcaro
Toshiba Customer Relations

Note added 07/01/2003: The upgraded was announced just for Toshiba e750 and e350 devices.

New Drivers released! (Thanks to Jeremy Thibodeau for this Tip!)

Bluetooth SD Card Driver  (05/02/2003) This driver is for the Toshiba Bluetooth SD Card. If you have a Bluetooth SD-Card, you have to install this driver first and the the Toshiba Bluetooth Stack Programs.

Bluetooth Stack  (04/29/2003) Bluetooth Toshiba Stack Programs The Bluetooth Toshiba Stack consists of the following four utility programs: Bluetooth Manager, Bluetooth Service Center, Bluetooth Local COM, LAN Emulation Network Service (LANE Server Service); Notice: If your Toshiba Computer has not a integrated Bluetooth module, you need a Toshiba Bluetooth SD Card. This Card can be used with every Toshiba SD Card drive.

Do you have any questions to ask Toshiba?

If you have any questions, complains or anything you would like to tell Toshiba about these buggy devices (e740s) here is the link you can use to do it.

https://www.webcom.toshiba.co.jp/us/inq/

Microsoft Portrait 2.1 released!

Many times I have been asked How to set a chat section between two e740/50s. Well the answer is simple if you have a e740 with BlueTooth because the e740 has a chatting tool for this case. But it isn't simple if you have and e740 with WiFi. In this case you have to use Microsoft Portrait. Knowing the IP addresses of both PDAs is very easy to place calls and chat using this software. You can even send files between two e740s connected via WiFi using Microsoft Portrait. ;)

1.0621.0409 - A new ROM version from Toshiba for e740s! (this ROM was officially released in Europe, Toshiba USA ignores this release no making it available in USA site)

Well it's real. Here is the list of fixes:

1. Audio Codec didn't turn off due to side effect of USB Active sync improved function.

2. Add 300ms delay when record to avoid record beep sound.

3. When OS power down indicate bq2019 entry sleep mode, Solve power down DCR increase issue.

4. Clear BQ2019 TEMPH (0x61) register, Solve over Temperature issue.

5. Turn off AGC and MIC if we didn't used to improve battery life.

6. Change read voltage method to improve battery life.

7. Set USB_CLIENT_PW to high when USB disconnected for improving battery life.

8. Support RAW IR mode.

9. Keep D+ pin in High to avoid USB of some machine can't connect.

10. Removed Intel PCMCIA 8 bit workaround solution.

How I can charge my e740/e750 while I'm traveling. 

Well that was one of the first question I had when I bough my e740 and the answer was simple. I made for my self an External Battery Extender like this one around 2 years ago.  Since them I have used it in my Cassiopeia e100, in my iPaq 36xx and recently in my Toshiba e740. If you want to made one for your self here is an article with the instructions. But $6.99 and free shipping is a really good deal taking in consideration that all parts will cost you around 4 dollars in Radio Shack. 

Toshiba e740 using the same processor than a Toshiba e750: PXA255.

According to the guys of www.pocketpctechs.com participating in this thread that can be possible. So we have to keep the eyes open for the next few months and show them that in the e740 community they will find a good market. Of course if the price is good, in my opinion 200 dollars is not a good price at all. ;)

How to connect an external modem or a cell phone to a Toshiba e740? How to connect a serial device if Toshiba e740 does not have a serial port?  

Well, I put together all the material you need to accomplish this project including a little tool to hack the registry in the way is needed. Click here for more details. (updated 03/07/03)

Remover 

"Uninstall Programs. - Display name, size and date of installedd programs, - Uninstall program (better that standard uninstaller)
- Delete the uninstall info only, - Delete the registry key only, - Find/Remove bad uninstall info, - Find/Remove not valid shortcuts, - Find/Remove temporary and junk files "
In 3 words: A MUST HAVE.

Active Synchronic lose the connection without reason. 

This issue have been fixed with the new ROM (1.0623.0409).

USB Expansion Pack

This is a video demonstrating how to use the USB expansion pack. You can read the whole article in Spanish using this other link.

The video uses the divx 5.03 which can be downloaded from www.divx.com/divx/ and can be played in your e740 using  PocketDivx. 

Overclocking your Toshiba e740: 

Pocket Hack Master ($9.99) (Review)(More information about this utility can be found in this forum), you can take a full control of the overclocking process, changing the parameters in any way you like (the end result could be a hard reset so be prepared). All speeds shown as radio buttons has been tested in my Toshiba e740 and they work fine.

SpeedStepper: a Free Utility to Overclock the HP iPaw h1900,  this one includes under "More speeds" the 472 Mhz, so it can be used also in our e740 and in any XScale at 400 Mhz (Source included), I have seen reports about the 300 Mhz speed hanging (hard reset) the e740s.

XCPUScalar 400 by ImmierSoft ($12.95) : I tested this software in all possible speeds it works fine in e740s, its safe and very easy to use software. 

Note: The safer and faster speed that can be used in Toshiba e740 is 472 MHz. 

Toshiba Pocket PC USB Host Cable for Pocket PC e330, e335 and e740

This Toshiba Pocket PC USB Host Cable offers the easiest way to connect your Toshiba Pocket PC e330, e335 or e740 to an USB device, such as a keyboard, mouse or printer. Since all you need is the USB Host cable to add an USB port to your PDA, get this small and lighweight cable with you when you travel.

CueCat™ handheld optical barcode scanner works with Toshiba e740.

According to this thread this scanner can be used in a e740 as a regular barcode scanner ;)

Keyboards for Toshiba e330, e335 and e740.

Toshiba now has keyboards available for the e series PocketPC's on shoptoshiba.com

Belkin Foldable PDA Keyboard for Toshiba Pocket PC (F8A1500)

Targus-Noteworthy Click 'n' Type Keyboard for Toshiba Pocket PC (NW780U) - You can read a review before you buy it here.

Thanks to John.C.Chybinski for sending this information. 

USB mass storage driver!!!   Thanks Deje!!!

"The long awaited USB mass Storage driver for PocketPC 2002 This is a driver which enables you to use USB mass storage devices (HD, multimedia Reader, digital camera) with your USB host enabled PocketPC."

Installation: Copy the USBMSC.DLL and USBDisk6.DLL to your PPC windows directory. Softreset your PDA. Plug in your device. A message box pops up asking for the driver name. Type "usbmsc.dll" and tap on OK. Please be patient because several devices needs some time to get initialized (digital camera). 

In case the driver did not work well the first time try this trick: Uncompress the usbhdd.zip file in your PC and copy the usbhdd.vb file to any folder in your PDA, once there run it (if you get an error saying that no file is associated with this extension, please install and run this file) . Warning: This driver can damage your data, don't use it with important data or USB-devices.

You can find more information in this forum.

HOT HOT The new ROM 1.0618.0409 has been released by Toshiba.

Fixes:
-Corrected an issue where WiFi required approximately 5 minutes to obtain new DHCP-supplied IP address when moving from one WiFi network to another.
-Corrected an issue where Pocket Internet Explorer could not access Hotmail and other secure websites without first downloading and installing High Encryption Software.
-Corrected a server synchronization issue.
-Corrected an issue where the battery pack lock did not turn off unit before battery can be removed.
-Corrected an issue where a false low battery message appears when the main battery falls to around 50% remaining.
-Corrected an issue where it was impossible to begin Chat using a Bluetooth SD Card without first downloading and installing a registry patch.
-Corrected an issue where data written to the 340MB IBM MicroDrive could be corrupted when the WiFi antenna switch was on.
-Corrected an issue that caused poor video display performance.

Enhancements:
-Improved system performance
-New Media Player with much better performance and a new skin
-New Today theme and new branding
-Pocket Internet Explorer now supports the Tab key Note: This ROM upgrade is for Windows 2000 and Windows XP Boxes!. So the only alternative for users with other OS (ME, 9x and NT4)  is  the installation of new ROM via CF Card using the procedure described here.

The reason for the recall is to repair a recharge problem with the e740's back-up battery that ensures data retention even if the main battery is fully discharged. Units bearing serial numbers 72014641L through 92042130L are effected.

Toshiba e740 known issues.

These issues have been found in more than 10 different persons and have been reported in public forums. I'm not posting any issue without checking it before to be sure that's not an individual case.

.Fonts in Today screen and Start Menu change the color to white without any reason. This happens to users with a new ROM (1.0618.0409) installed during the recall process and Omega Battery Pack, Uptime and other today screen plugins. This issue have been fixed with the new ROM (1.0623.0409).

.Action buttons not responding. This happens without any reason and it's impossible to duplicate. The temporal solution is to press the record button for a few seconds (note: I found this solution a long time ago and posted in Brighthand's forum, well, I sent recently an email about this topic to Toshiba's Tech support and they recommended me this solution :) ) This issue have been fixed with the new ROM (1.0618.0409).

.Active Synchronic lose the connection without reason. At the beginning many thought that this is a USB driver problem. But it's not,  because the same problem happens while connected via WiFi. This issue have been fixed with the new ROM (1.0623.0409). 

.Poor multimedia performance. This PPC performs worse than ARM devices while playing movies or games. PocketTV  and PocketDivx have released optimized versions for XScale which resolve this e740 issue. Toshiba's new ROM 1.0618.0409 has a new ATI driver that has increased the performance of this pda to the same level than the rest of XScale devices in the market. But in general, DO NOT expect to see a device twice faster just because is using a processor running at 400 Mhz.

.The battery meter does not show the real battery level. Some time it falls from 9x % to 1 % even when the unit only have been used for a few minutes after a full night of charge. Workaround: put it in the cradle and waited until the green light in LED. Then go to view the battery meter for a few seconds. Even when the light is green and showing fully charged, the battery meter is displaying 1%, then in a few seconds it hits 100%. More information about this point can be found in this forum. Up today this issue does not have a solution but if you are having a heap of random acts "hard resets, multiple soft resets, 1% battery problems" it is best to double check the battery fit/connection.

.Defective Battery: Battery does receive charge over the 80~85 % even after a full overnight charge. Also the battery life is considerable reduced. Call Toshiba for a fix.

.128 MB SanDisk. At some point of use (In my case it was after 2 weeks of use), this card refuses to work corrupting the information saved on it. Solution: Replace the card for another brand. Note: I have not seen any report about this problem yet in other brands or sizes of this same brand.

More information can be found at PocketPCPassion, Brighthand's Toshiba e740 forum and Pocketnow's Forum

Connect a Floppy Drive to your e740

Yes, and it's CE compatible.
http://www.dpninc.com/...usb_drive.htm
http://www.dpninc.com/...ppy_drivers.htm

Battery Pack 2002. 

The e740 has a battery with only 1000 mA so this program is a must have if you want to keep track of your battery life.

Are you pressing accidentally  the record button? 

How to set a per-to-per connection (ad hoc) using 802.11b between your e740 and the Internet Connected PC so you can share the connection.

How to share your Internet Connection in Win2000. 

how to set the client

This link has more information about all parameters involved in this configuration.

Open the registry with a registry editor and go to: \HKLM\ControlPanel\Contrast And rename the key Redirect by xRedirect, then soft reset your pda. You will see the new control at Start\Settings. You can find this trick included in Tweaks2k2 and you wont have to edit the registry ;)

Search for wireless access points in your neighborhood or around the world.

HotSpots in USA.

802.11 Hotspots

Pharos Science & Applications Inc. today announced it has been named the GPS solution recommended by Toshiba for its new e740 Pocket PC. Pharos products will be the only GPS solution available for purchase on the Toshiba online retail site.

The Pharos Pocket GPS Navigator lets Pocket PC users locate their current position, and offers turn-by-turn directions to addresses or points of interest, including voice prompts and automatic re-routing. Combined with the Toshiba e740's 400 MHz XScale™ processor and 64 MB of RAM, the combination of the Pharos Pocket GPS Navigator and the Toshiba e740 creates a powerful navigation solution.

This is the first Control remote software & hardware combo working on Toshibas e740.

No, these pdas don't have a serial port. You can find more information about this topic in this BrightHands forum.

How to rename your Storage cards name.

1- Go to HKLM\Drivers\PCMCIA\ATADisk and create a string key called Folder iqual to Storage Card2 (in my case I named it CF Card)
2- Go to HKLM\Drivers\SD\Detect\99
There you will see a key called Folder=Storage Card2, delete this key. You can change the value of this key for SD Card if you like but not Storage Card this name wont work.

Then, take out the CF Card from the slot, leave the SD card in and soft reset the unit. Keep in mind that if you have programs installed under Storage Card and you rename it to SD or CF card, you will need to reinstall all these programs again. This trick is useful when you have installed every thing on your CF Card under Storage Card and you want after a while to move every thing to your SD card without having to install all your programs again but when you use this trick it breaks the Toshiba backup program.  It appears to be hard coded to search for those factory names. Solution: use the Pocket Backup which is better than Toshiba's Backup