With rumors circulating about Toshiba pulling out of the Pocket PC market, it comes as some surprise that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given the company the okay to release a new model, the e830 in September. All electronic devices that integrate wireless networking must gain FCC approval before entering the American market.

According to reports, FCC documentation states that two versions of the e830 are on-the-way, both with 4-inch 640 x 480 pixel (VGA) resolution screens, 128 MB of RAM, a 520 MHZ Intel PXA270 processor as well as Secure Digital and CompactFlash slots for peripheral and memory expansion.

One model integrates Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking, while the other only offers Bluetooth.

Intel's PXA270 processor is the computer chip giant's latest CPU for handhelds. It is designed for mobile devices that require multimedia, low power consumption and security.

It also enables high processing power for 3D games and advanced video with Intel wireless MMX technology, reduces power consumption with Intel SpeedStep technology and supports 4 mega-pixel digital cameras with Intel Quick Capture technology. There are no reports that the e830 will have a camera though.

Toshiba's new Pocket PCs will also run Microsoft's latest mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Second Edition. This platform delivers native support for VGA screens.

Toshiba's current high-end model, the e805, which runs an earlier version of Windows Mobile, uses proprietary software to support 640 x 480 pixels on its VGA screen.

As a result, only four applications can be used at the VGA resolution. Toshiba recently started offering an upgrade to Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition to those who own the e805, bringing native VGA resolution support to the handheld.

Another important display feature of Second Edition is the ability to switch between landscape and portrait viewing. Before Second Edition, orientation switching required third party applications that reset the device when changing modes. Now users can switch modes on the fly.