February 11, 2008 4:08 AM PST

Toshiba's 4-in-1 device just looks weird

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: OhGizmo)

Note to Toshiba: Different doesn't always mean better. Judging from the photos of its G450 phone, we wouldn't be surprised if the company has hired some of NEC's batty designers.

It's got the oddest-looking keys we've seen since the triangles of Nokia's "Prism" line, but not because of their shape--it's their positions, divided into two circular number pads. Then again, maybe it's not really classified as a phone at all; Toshiba is marketing the G450 in the U.K. as a 4-in-1 gadget that performs as an MP3 player, USB flash drive, and high-speed modem as well as a mobile handset, according to OhGizmo.

You'd think they'd want to conserve space instead of having two keypads, given that the whole device is only 3.8 inches long. But if they were going to go through all that trouble, couldn't they have thrown in a camera, e-book, and DVR too?

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What a pretty little electric razor!
by shawnAllenLott February 11, 2008 4:48 AM PST
Will it give me a close shave?
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It's from UTStarcom.
by emoslayer6224 February 11, 2008 7:47 PM PST
They had it at CES.
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