Thrive

Hey, Toshiba: There's such a thing as too big

commentary When it comes to mobile devices -- specifically tablets -- size certainly matters.

Toshiba has apparently forgotten this concept with its new Excite 13 tablet. The new tablet comes in at a whopping 13.3 inches. And it has the price to match its supersize frame: $650 for the lower-end 32GB model and $750 for double the capacity.

If Toshiba is looking to stand out from the crowd, mission accomplished. But being different doesn't necessarily mean better.

To be honest, I haven't played with this beast of a device. My colleague, Eric Franklin, said the Excite is heavier than he's used to for a tablet, … Read more

Five tablets that go where the new iPad doesn't

Truth be told, if I purchase a tablet in the next few months, I'll be buying Apple's new 2012 iPad. Haters gonna hate, but from Bluetooth 4.0 support to the improved camera, incremental changes like this will likely lead to the best tablet on the market getting even better.

Even without the "I am the alpha and the omega" 2,048x1,536-pixel-resolution screen, I'd still choose the latest iPad. The ecosystem, app availability, and smooth and fast performance make it an easy choice for me.

That said, people have different tastes, and the new iPad, despite the hype, doesn't do everything. In addition, not everyone can afford to pay a minimum of $500 for a tablet, and even if you can, you may want a few features Apple doesn't natively provide.

That's where these five tablets come in. Each tablet on the list is a quality tablet that sports at least one feature the new iPad doesn't, be it a more affordable price or better port or feature support. … Read more

Super slates: Tablets with a little something extra

When you're up against the Apple iPad, you need more than just a cool name and a low price. You need a hook. You need a feature that no one else has--not even Apple.

Whether it's the waterproof design of the Pantech Element, the stereoscopic camera on the back of the T-Mobile G-Slate (shown right), or the remote control IR blaster integrated into the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, tablet makers have really shown remarkable inventiveness when it comes to giving their slates a little something extra.

To honor these creative efforts, we've rounded up our … Read more

It must be possible to build a great 7-inch tablet

At the moment, there's a bit of a dispute going on in the tech media over an intriguing question: Is Apple going to release a 7" iPad anytime soon?

In a story that's currently hidden behind a paywall, Taiwanese site Digitimes says that Apple is working on a mini-iPad--with a 7.85" display, to be precise--for release in 2012. It says the alleged device is a reaction to smaller, cheaper tablets such as Amazon's Kindle Fire.

But John Paczkowski of All Things D concludes that this rumor appears to be fantasy, not fact--at least … Read more

Toshiba Thrive 7-inch review: Too little, too late?

The original Toshiba Thrive 10-inch tablet impressed us with its support for full-size ports and the fact that we could remove its battery and swap in a new one. Features that are still unmatched in mainstream tablets.

The 7-inch version is here now, but with its smaller form factor can it possibly offer the same experience? Probably not, but you should check out the full review anyway.… Read more

Toshiba launches a 7-inch Android Thrive tablet

Tablet buyers looking for a compact 7-inch model now have yet another choice.

Toshiba is now selling the 7-inch version of its Thrive tablet at a price of $379 for the 16 GB model and $429 for the 32 GB model.

First announced in September, the 7-inch edition is the new baby brother to the 10-inch Thrive, which debuted this past July. The specs for the 16 GB and 32 GB models are virtually the same.

Arriving in the nick of time for the holidays, the Thrive 7 offers a 7-inch high-resolution 1280x800-pixel widescreen display. Powered by a 1 gigahertz … Read more

Toshiba Excite Android tablet coming in January

Toshiba's new Excite tablet will just miss the holiday season, reaching consumers sometime in January.

The Excite's product page on Toshiba Canada's Web site is promoting the new tablet as a holiday gift even though it won't arrive until sometime next month.

As the follow-up to Toshiba's 7-inch and 10-inch Thrive tablets, the Excite will offer a 10.1-inch 1280x800 LCD display with LED backlighting. Powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 1.2 gigahertz processor, the Excite will be equipped with Android 3.2 Honeycomb.

A 2-megapixel Webcam will face front, while a 5-megapixel … Read more

Best Buy, Verizon, Dell launch Cyber Monday deals

Best Buy, Amazon, Verizon, and Dell launched Cyber Monday deals featuring discounted laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Best Buy is calling its sale "Cyber Week" and puts Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba laptops at the top of the list on its launch page. All three come with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Best Buy laptops listed on Cyber Week page:

Lenovo, $299.99: Model: 1450ABU. 15.6-inch LED-backlit display, AMD dual-core E-450 accelerated processor, 4GB memory, 320GB hard disk drive, and optical drive. HP Pavilion, $349.99: Model: g4-1229dx. 14-inch LED-backlit display, Intel dual-core "Sandy Bridge" Pentium B950 processor, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive, and optical drive. Toshiba - Satellite Laptop, $379.99: Model: C655-S5305. 15.6" LED-backlit display, Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3-2330M processor (2.2GHz), 4GB memory, 320GB hard drive, and optical drive.

Tablet vendors scurry to undercut $500 iPad

What's the sweet spot for tablet pricing? We're finding out as Hewlett-Packard, RIM, HTC, and others learn that trying to sell a tablet at the iPad's starting price of $500 may be a fool's errand.

Lenovo and Best Buy are the latest to bring down pricing, selling the 10-inch Lenovo IdeaPad K1 tablet with 32GB today and Monday for $329, down from $499. And that 10-inch tablet comes with a dual-core Nvidia processor and Android 3.1.

At Best Buy, HTC also recently knocked down the 7-inch HTC Flyer to $299 from $499. This happened--probably not … Read more

Toshiba Thrive accessories offer functionality, shallow cosmetic changes

The Toshiba Thrive Honeycomb tablet has garnered a lot of interest due to the fact that one, it's a tablet in the year 2011, and two (and maybe more importantly), it offers a heftier, more laptop-like experience than other tablets with its full ports and removable battery.

The Thrive's identity crisis doesn't end there, however, as Toshiba offers a number of accessories, including swappable back plates that let you literally change the device's color. Using the same color tablet day in and day out can get boring, and Toshiba offers you a healthy way to spice things up.

To be sure, it's a superficial change that doesn't change the device's functionality, but it could make you more excited about using your tablet, at least for a while.

I've compiled a number of photos of Thrive's accessories (including more functional ones) here.… Read more