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The Toshiba’s “Thrive” was criticized by CNET for being bulky and very heavy, I couldn’t agree more. CNET went on to say that “Tablets are generally expected to be thin and light” which I am sure no one can argue with. Toshiba seems to have taken this very fact to heart and decided to strike back with the all new Toshiba Excite–”The World’s Thinnest Tablet”. Its evident that Toshiba wants us to forgive them for their previous ‘mistake’ and with the release of the Excite, I’m ready to take them back!
We all want something portable, light and easy to carry. Let’s face it, when you hold a heavy tablet in your hands, it can be tiresome. Then guess what you might do next? Probably put it down and forget about it–what a waste, right?
The Excite weighs 1.18 pounds and is a staggering 0.3 inches thin! It has a 1280×800 resolution screen, a 1.2GHz OMAP 4330 CPU and will be available in both a 16 & 32GB model. According to Texas Instrument’s website, OMAP 4 processors provide a “high level of performance” while consuming very little battery power. They claim that it has a 150% performance boost compared to the ARM Cortex-A8 core.
It does full 1080p HD video playback, contains a micro SD slot, mini usb, micro HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone port. It’s also has a built-in 2.0 megapixel front facing camera and a 5.0 megapixel rear camera (with LED Flash). As far as connectivity goes, it will include both WiFi and Bluetooth. It should have Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich packed with it but it’s unconfirmed at this point. Prices start at $529 for the 16 GB model and $599 for the 32 GB model. A little steep I admit, but could be worth it for users looking for a bit more power.
This tablet will be unveiled at the upcoming CES event in Las Vegas, Nevada. An official release date should be announced at the CES event starting tomorrow, January 10. Keep checking here for more info!
One Comment
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karen young at Feb 04, 2012 05:30:29
I own the Thrive. Arguably the best tablet on the market. Disagree with it being heavy& bulky. There are no issues with using this tablet because it’s not paper thin. Nothing on the market comes close to what the Thrive offers! With up to 120 gigs of memory in the full size SD slot, the interoperability & the additional memory that can be obtained via the full size USB & the benefits of the full size HDMI, the thrive makes everything on the market pale in comparison. Oh did I forget to mention the replaceable battery?! The Thrive is all work & all play & the dual core super processor is AMAZING! If Toshiba is trying to do something with a thin tablet it’s certainly not to correct a mistake. If anything they’re dumbing down to an audience who is unable to think ‘outside the box.’ I’ll keep my Thrive thank you very much. Because with the kind of memory it has, the interoperability of all the ports, replaceable battery, filing system & customization there is NOTHING that comes close! Great job Toshiba!
Rosalie at Feb 18, 2012 11:02:24
I own the Thrive also, and as many others have done, I chose it for the fact that it has the full sized ports and user replaceable battery. I especially appreciate the full sized SD and having the HDMI to watch videos through my Thrive directly onto my TV is amazing.
Yes the Thrive is a little thicker and a little heavier than the “wafer” tablets out there, but having the extra entertainment and productivity capabilities right out of the box, which with the thinner tablets are either not available at all, or only available with the purchase of additional equipment, makes the larger size a non issue to me.
I wanted something that could bridge the gap between smartphone and laptop, but needed more portability than a notebook, without having to give up a lot in the way of full functionality for entertainment and business usage. In that the Thrive has surpassed all my expectations.
I applaud Toshiba for having the guts to put out a tablet that challenged the “thin is everything” mentality. And now they’ve created the Excite, the thinnest tablet yet. So now people who want Toshiba quality have a choice, depending on their needs. Having choices is a good thing.
R
Jeff Pierce at Mar 03, 2012 12:40:22
I could not agree more with the above reviews. Quit being wimps and worrying about how thin and light your tablet is look at the features your getting.
Jeff
Sandi at Mar 08, 2012 09:22:41
It’s amazing how people can assume to know what everyone wants, I personally don’t want a paper thin tablet, I love having my full sized ports on my Thrive.
Contrary to what the author believes, not all of us want ultra thin. Some of us want a tablet with some firmness to it and full size features so that we don’t have to lug around a bag of gadgets and adapters.
What use is a thin tablet when you have to carry a bag of stuff around to compensate for everything it lacks?
If not for the Thrive and it’s tremendous amount of full sized features I never would have bought a tablet, so if anything the Thrive added to the tablet market by giving us a choice beyond the flimsy paper thin choices that really are more trouble when you consider all the extra baggage you need to lug to compensate for their lack of features.
SPDavies at Apr 28, 2012 04:51:15
I couldn’t agree more about how great the Thrive is! It’s amazing how all the info bloggers and websites have panned this great tablet. I think it’s because they all have iPad envy and want their Android tabs to be like an iPad. Well, I love the Thrive specifically because it is NOT like an iPad. This tablet has most of the functionality of a laptop computer. There is nothing else on the market with anywhere near the same features – full size ports, replaceable battery, huge available SD card storage, beautiful screen – and all for the cost of a few measly millimeters in thickness and a few ounces in weight. I almost missed out on the Thrive because of the baseless concerns expressed by clueless reviewers like this one. Well, one benefit – I got a great deal on my Thrive because of all the stupid bad press! (You might put down your tablet and not use it because it weighs a few extra ounces! – Really?!)