Pretty much everyone in the world has owned a Toshiba laptop at one point or another. That’s because Toshiba can do gadgets right when they take the time. We don’t count the Folio as taking time. But the Toshiba Thrive Android tablet, on the other hand, is shaping up to be one of the better tablets we’ve seen this year. It doesn’t beat the Galaxy Tab 10.1 onweight or thinness, but on connectivity and in about every other area it looks to outshine about every tablet we’ve seen this year. Let’s go over the specs first.
The spec sheet is on par with the Honeycomb standard we’ve seen so far, with some big differences in the ports:
- 1 GHz dual core Tegra 2 processor
- 1GB of RAM
- 5-megapixel rear camera
- 2-megapixel front camera
- Full-size USB Port
- Mini-USB port
- Full-size SD card
- Full-size HDMI port
- Wifi + Bluetooth
- 8GB, 16 GB, 32 GB versions, but supports up to 128GB cards. <—Very nice.
- Android 3.1 Honeycomb
So you noticed all those full-size ports?
Ports Galore
That’s part of what sets the Thrive apart from the rest at the moment. Yes, the Iconia Tab has a full-size USB, and the Transformer has a full-size USB on the dock, but no one has a combination of all these full-size ports, offering real integration with a home PC and all kinds of portable media. Since this tablet runs on Android 3.1, you can also expect those USB ports to be worth something with all the added USB host support. The ports may be exciting, but there’s also the storage to consider. The Thrive’s basic unit comes with only 8GB ofinternal storage, but the SD card slot supports up to 128GB cards, meaning even the base unit can offer 136GB of storage. That’s something unheard of in Android tablets to date.
But the good stuff doesn’t end at the ports. Something else we really liked was the Android 3.1 experience. It’s about as stock as you can get. Toshiba says they have gone minimalist on this device, and added a very few bloatware apps. Even what they have added isn’t really anything you’ll want to get rid of. The media player app is actually very nice, and the full DLNA support will be a boon to anyone that has DLNA-compatible devices in their home.
Another app is something that’s really been sorely lacking in Android tablets this year, and that’s the file manager.
As you can see in the image, the file manager has a really intuitive interface. The best part is that it actually recognizes all of the attached storage and lets you easily navigate and copy between them. +1 to Toshiba for this feature.
And in case that wasn’t enough for you, let’s look at the customization options. We love user replaceable batteries, and the Thrive brings this option.
And while you’re changing out that battery, why not switch the back cover to a different color?
Toshiba will be offering a number of color choices to give your tablet a custom look, or just change it up any time the mood strikes you.
If you like the idea of a netbook-style hybrid, you won’t be disappointed here either. The Thrive will also have a keyboard dock with an Android-customized keyboard, complete with Android keys for things like back, home, recent apps, and arrow keys.
It’s a tough world out there for a tablet right now, and everyone has to do something to set themselves apart from the competition. In Toshiba’s case it appears that they really took their time and did everything right. We’ll get the final results when the device goes live, which we presently have no date for, but we’d expect it will be this summer. One last thing. Where does it fall in price? The basic 8 GB unit will retail for $429, the 16 GB for $479, and the 32GB for $579. If you have the cash to spring for a 32GB version with a 128GB SD card you’re talking 160GB of storage on an Android tablet.
CloudTags:Toshiba, Thrive, Tablet, Battery, Powerful, Toshiba pa3534u-1bas laptop battery, LCD Monitor
