Toshiba TS608

The Toshiba TS608 (also known as the TS30 in Asian markets) is an ultra-slim handset, exclusive to the Vodafone network. At just 9.9 mm thick, it's one of the slimmest phones around and it weighs just 81 grams.Even though it's an impressively slim and lightweight device, it's considerably thicker and heavier than the Samsung X820 which is 6.9 mm thick and weighs 66 grams, but the Toshiba TS608 is more compact than the 85 gram and 12mm thick Motorola SLVR.

It's a midrange phone in terms of features with a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 1.9" 176x220 pixel display in 262,000 colours and Bluetooth, plus the TS608 has an MP3 player, FM radio, microSD expandable memory (up to 512Mb), a web browser and email client.

One neat feature on the Toshiba TS608 is the top-mounted media controls, something we've only seen before on the BenQ-Siemens E61 - this means that you can control the TS608's multimedia while it's clipped to a belt.

The TS608 is quite a smart looking device with an understated brushed-metal look. It certainly seems to be more pleasing to the eye than the Samsung, and it has a much more usable keypad than the Motorola.Surprisingly, the Toshiba TS608 is only a dualband GSM 900/1800 device, rather than a triband or quadband device. Data connectivity is through GPRS only - the TS608 doesn't support EDGE or 3G data. Talktime is a maximum of 2.5 hours with 6 days standby time, which is a little on the short side.

Overall, the Toshiba TS608 is an attractive and competent handset. However, Toshiba have struggled to make much impact in Europe as their handsets tend to be very similar to Sharp's who also have an exclusive arrangement with Vodafone. The TS608 is a little different though, and it might meet with more success.

The Toshiba TS608 is already available in some Europe and Asia (where it by Vodafone as Toshiba TS30). Toshiba say that the TS608 will be available on other carriers in Europe, not just Vodafone - this should certainly give this smart looking handset a greater chance of success.