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Nokia, Samsung, Silicon Image, Sony and Toshiba today announced the formation of a Mobile High-Definition Interface Working Group that intends to create an industry standard for an audio/video interface to connect mobile phones or portable consumer electronics (CE) devices directly to high-definition televisions (HDTVs) and displays.  This new mobile connectivity standard, based on Silicon Image’s Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) technology, will be defined, promoted and marketed by the Working Group as an industry standard.

The Working Group’s vision for the next generation of mobile connectivity is to provide an easy and cost-effective implementation for manufacturers while offering consumers a simple and reliable mobile connectivity experience.  A single-cable with a low pin count interface will be able to support up to 1080p high-definition (HD) digital video and HD audio in addition to delivering power to a portable device.

Toshiba today announced the launch of the TG01 Windows phone, a variant of its groundbreaking TG01 featuring the new Windows Mobile 6.5. The updated TG01 Windows phone will start to appear in stores across Europe from 6th October 2009. Toshiba customers who have previously purchased the TG01 will also be entitled to an upgrade to the new Windows Mobile 6.5, free of charge.

With the biggest full touch screen (4.1-inch), slim 9.9mm thickness and Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, the new Toshiba TG01 has been launched in UK and installed with a beautiful Toshiba’s UI on top of the old Windows Mobile interface. SlashGear has attended the press event, and they have got the chance to review on a production unit. Check out the first unboxing video with a hands on of the new user interface.

Orange has confirmed that it will be exclusively offer the Toshiba TG01 in the UK by this weekend. Powered by Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon chipset, TG01 uses a 4.1-inch WVGA touch screen and has a slim 9.9mm body. It will first come with Windows Mobile 6.1. An upgrade to the new Windows Mobile 6.5 will be available later this year.

The TG01 will be free to customers who take out a £39.15 per month, 24 month price plan. The package includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, Orange Maps as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing, and is exclusive to Orange in the UK. The device is already available from Orange in France, and will also be shortly available from Orange in Switzerland, Romania and Poland.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via slashgear]

Toshiba TG01 specification

• Size: 70mm x130mm x 9.9mm
• Weight: 129g
• Display: Wide-VGA (800 x 480), 4.1”
• Camera: 3.2 mega-pixel, autofocus
• Memory: 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, micro SDHC slot up to 32GB (Subject to availability)
• Interface: Bluetooth v2.0, USB v2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Battery: 1,000mAh, Standby: up to 220 hours (3G), Talk time: up to 4 hours (3G) (Dependent on network conditions and usage)
• Band: 850/900/1800/1900 for GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2100 for UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA
• Navigation: Built-in GPS & A-GPS
• Video service: Core Codec CorePlayer
• Browser: Microsoft® Internet Explorer Mobile
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, E-mail, Microsoft Direct push e-mail, Instant Messaging
• Sound: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, WMA, MIDI, SP-MIDI
• Video: H.263, H.264, MPEG4, WMV, ASF
• Java: MIDP 2.0
• Processor: Qualcomm QSD8250 (1GHz)

Back in February this year, the Toshiba TG01 was announced with its impressive Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon chipset. While we are heading into Q3 of 2009, the TG01 is finally getting ready for UK smartphone users. SlashGear has been invited to its press event, we will bring you the latest info here!

The new TG01 smartphone is running Windows Mobile 6.1, uses a big 4.1-inch WVGA touchscreen (800 x 480 pixels) and comes with a slim 9.9mm thickness body, microSD card slot, HSPA, WiFi, GPS and customize Toshiba’s own user interface. Here is a demonstration video: