Toshiba’s roadmap shows five phones and tablets, but where is Android?

Of all the hugely powerful smartphones coming to market this autumn, the Toshiba TG01 really caught our eye – superfast 1GHz Snapdragon processor, amazing video capabilities, tablet-style format for good internet access. Then came the catch – it runs Windows Mobile. But the Japanese firm gave us a glimmer of hope, with promises of an Android version soon. So where is it? The next models in the range are coming along thick and fast, with the TG02 and TG03 already in the works, but still running WinMo.

The Japanese company doesn’t make much impact on the cellphone market outside its home country but it is certainly going the right way about improving its image in the west, with a phone that holds its own well against other superphones like Samsung Jet and the upcoming LG Louvre, in design and multimedia terms. And it is attracting European carriers for the TG01, which is launching with Orange this month and with its own software web site.

Now the roadmap for future models has been leaked in the form of an internal PowerPoint presentation. The TG02 should appear by year end and is basically an upgrade, with the same 4.1-inch touchscreen and Snapdragon processor, but with a waterproof casing and some other tweaks.

The TG03 will come in the spring and will add some significant enhancements (but still run WinMo 6.5, with a release 7.0 upgrade scheduled as soon as Microsoft allows). The TG03 is likely to support a faster iteration of HSPA as European carriers upgrade their networks, which will boost the Toshiba mobile internet credentials, and it will come with support for 5.1 audio channels and 5-megapixel camera (up from 3.5-megapixels). All three will have the same dimensions - 129 x 70 x 9.9 mm in size with 4.1-inch, 480 x 800 pixel screen.

The TG03 will soup up the range’s already advanced video capabilities and feature a VideoBox function for transferring videos between PCs, set-tops and handsets. A video store akin to Samsung’s is highly likely to follow.

Other Toshiba devices hitting the blogs show the firm transferring its Snapdragon/WinMo platform to emerging formats like tablets. Details of the K01 and K02 are sparse but they look like hybrid smartphone/netbook devices, and will probably fall into the ‘smartbook’ or ‘communicator’ category along with the Samsung Q1EX-71G, the forthcoming Nokia Rover or the possibly mythical Apple tablet. The ‘K’ models have slide-out Qwerty keyboards – the K01 has a 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, while the K02 is a clamshell with a 3.5-inch resistive display plus secondary display and 10 additional keys on the front. Both have HSDPA and 3.15-megapixel camera.

A third product, destined for Q4 release like the others, is the L01, an MID with seven-inch display and optional detachable Qwerty keyboard (but possibly no 3G connection).

This all looks interesting and should see Toshiba building on its high credentials in the laptop market to make a splash in smartphones, as the two categories converge. But come on Tosh, hurry up with that Android TG ....