Consumer electronics company Toshiba
says it is close to securing a deal with a UK network operator to make
one or more of its latest handsets, unveiled at MWC last week,
available to contract customers.
Though not well known as a mobile handset maker, Toshiba has been
making handsets for the past six years, and selling them in the UK,
France, Germany, Spain and Italy for the past 18 months, to pay-monthly
customers. But according to Med Jeeworth, UK Country Manager for
Toshibas Mobile Communications Division, a UK network deal is in the
offing.
We are in contract negotiations with a major UK mobile operator, and
they are going well, but discussions with mobile operators take time,
especially when you are a new supplier, Medworth told Mobile
Marketing. 
If the deal is secured, it would be Toshibas second European network
deal. The G901 is available to French contract customers via France
Telecom.
Three Windows Mobile devices, the Portege G710, Portege G910 and the
G450, launch at the end of March. The Blackberry-like G710 will sell
for 180 without contract. The clamshell G910 will sell for 380, and
the G450, for 150.
The dinky G450 (pictured) is the most interesting of the three devices. Measuring up at just 98 x 36 x 16mm and weighing in at 57g, its an HSDPA USB
modem which doubles up as a mobile phone. It also has a
built-in MP3 player and can also function as a 160MB memory stick for
storage.
A fourth device, the touch-screen Portege G810, launches in
July.