Toshiba Thrive 10.1-Inch 8 GB Android Tablet AT105-T108
- 10.1-inch multi-touch widescreen display with Adaptive Display Technology, supporting 720p
- NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core mobile processor; Android operating system
- 5.0 MP rear camera with autofocus and 2.0MP front-facing webcam; stereo speakers with Toshiba sound enhancements
- 8 GB internal memory; USB, mini-USB, and HDMI ports and full-sized SD card reader; Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity supporting Adobe Flash
- Easy Grip non-slip interchangeable rubber backplate, available in a variety of colors; user-replaceable prismatic lithium battery
- # Easy Grip non-slip interchangeable rubber backplate, available in a variety of colors; user-replaceable prismatic lithium battery
Introducing the Thrive™ Tablet by Toshiba, powered by Android™ 3.1, Honeycomb, offering a better way to browse the web, enjoy e-books and HD videos, play games, listen to music and more. Complete, convenient and customizable, it’s everything a tablet can and should be, with a gorgeous 10.1” diagonal high-res multi-touch widescreen display, features you can personalize and speedy performance so you can multitask your way through your digital life (and favorite entertainment) with ease. Introducing the Thrive Tablet by Toshiba, powered by Android 3.1 (Honeycomb), offering a better way to browse the web, enjoy e-books and HD videos, play games, listen to music and more. Complete, convenient and customizable, it’s everything a tablet can and should be, with a gorgeous 10.1-inch diagonal high-res multi-touch widescreen display, features you can personalize and speedy performance so you can multitask your way through your digital life (and favorite entertainment) with ease. The Tosh
List Price: $ 379.99
Price: $ 379.99
For me, Thrive beats Galaxy Tab and Acer Iconia,
UPDATE 7 Now Up: See the addendum at the end of this review.
I pre-ordered the 32gb Thrive here on Amazon, but got impatient and went to a local retailer just to check them out. We loved this tab so much, we got a 2nd for my husband in 16gb.
Toshiba Brand
First off — No — I do not work for Toshiba. But I fell in love with the brand a little over a year ago when I bought a new Qosmio laptop, and it’s BY FAR the best computer I have ever owned. I love it as much today as the day I got it, so when I found out Toshiba had an Android Tab, I had to take a serious look.
Galaxy & Iconia in Brief
Prior to learning about Thrive, I was seriously considering the new 10″ Galaxy Tab. I had been coveting the 8″ model for some time, but just wasn’t ready to take the leap. So when the 10″ came along, I just had to stop by a local retailer to try one out hands-on. And I must say, I really fell in love with it — the screen is vivid and stunning, the interface is clean and responsive. And it’s super thin for sure. But, the first thing I noticed was there’s no inputs of any kind; no SD slot, no USB, no nada. The sales rep said that’s because everything is trending toward the “cloud.” Well, that’s all well and good, but I like products that I control, not products that control me (hence why I’m no fan of Apple’s line of iShackle products. I’m all for “the cloud” and have one here on Amazon for my music, but I’m also the type that prefers to have my own stuff stored locally. I also like to get into the nuts and bolts of my peripherals and use them my way, so having no inputs on the Galaxy was a huge letdown for me. I left the store feeling underwhelmed, and like it wasn’t the right time to buy a tablet. But I was bitten by the bug so I went home and started researching other tabs.
Reviews here on Amazon had me convinced Acer Iconia was better than Asus Transformer. And the Acer had USB inputs, so I was happy with that. But I’ve never been a big fan of Acer, so I still wasn’t feeling the itch just yet. But then I stumbled upon the Toshiba Thrive, and still being so highly impressed with their laptop, I immediately felt a connection to the Thrive.
Every Input I’ll Ever Need
Thrive has SD card, USB, mini-USB and full size HDMI ports. And for me, this is where Thrive clobbers the competition — Toshiba just “gets it;” they make products that keep the end user in control and offer a truly freeing experience. I have a full size HDMI port on my Toshiba laptop too, and let me tell you, it completely changed my computing experience! My laptop is connected to a 50″ plasma TV and I use a wireless keyboard and gyration remote for a mouse. Let me tell you, once you use a computer that way, there’s just no going back. So all those inputs on the Thrive was a big clincher for me — and once again, Toshiba stands head and shoulders above the rest in this department. I fully expect to connect my tablet to my HDTV as well. And the on-board SD and USB ports assure I’ll have all the computing freedom and control I’ve come to expect.
Vibrant Screen and Color
When I first saw the Thrive at my local electronics store, I was a bit concerned the screen wasn’t as vibrant as the Galaxy. But then I remembered Thrive has an auto brightness feature, so I was wondering if that was limiting the saturation in some way. I was easily able to find and navigate the setup menus right there in the store, turned off auto-brightness — and voila! — the Thrive’s screen was every bit as vibrant and rich as the Galaxy! The colors and clarity are nothing short of stunning. I hate to say it, but the screen is probably better than my 50″ plasma (it’s only a couple years old, which already makes it a relic in tech world.)
Ease of Use
For me, the truest test of any piece of tech, is the ability to use it straight out of the box with NO help from user manuals. I got a new printer recently and had to fiddle with it for days because the install didn’t set it up properly — and in my book — that’s a sure sign of a piece of junk. This Thrive, however, was very simple and easy to get the hang of within minutes right there in the store. Naturally, that’s as much a testament to Android 3.1 as it is to Toshiba Thrive. Either way, I was doing everything from surfing the net, to customizing the entire interface and settings in minutes, all right there in the store — no user manuals, no nothing. I even tethered it to my cell phone just for fun. The interface is so smooth and responsive, and the Tegra CPU is clearly a beast; no hangs, locking or delays of any kind. Everything was fast, smooth and clean; just the way it should be. In fact, Thrive loaded and buffered YouTube videos better than the Galaxy, though there could be many reasons for that given all the devices on the store’s WiFi network…
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|Super Innovative, Best tablet yet!,
I’ve had the 16gb Thrive for 3 days now. The Thrive is in my opinion the best tablet available. The things that set it apart from other tablets are: Removable battery, Full size HDMI port, Full size USB 2.0 port as well as a mini USB port. All on board with no dock or adapters necessary. You can take your SD card right out of your camera and plug it in to the Thrive ( Handles up to 128 GB SDXC, what?!!) . Toshiba was smart enough to include a file manager that makes it super easy to move data or media between the tablet and SD card or external hard drive, etc. Running Honeycomb 3.1 right out of the box as well. The wifi is the best I have seen, better than any device in my house and I have a lot. Tethers to my Android phone with no problem. The audio is the best I have heard on a tablet.Toshiba worked with SRS and it shows. (One note, the default volume levels are low. Go into settings and adjust right away) The screen is better than the Xoom but not quite as good as the Samsung (in my opinion) and it seems to do better with higher quality and higher resolution content. Looks phenomenal when viewing pictures from my Canon Digital with an L lens. Color accuracy is excellent,not just oversaturated like some other tablets. The screen response is great. Ran a multitouch test and it recognizes 4 separate touch points simultaneously. 2mp front camera and 5 MP back camera are both very good with good lighting. All in all this tablet offers more interoperabilty than anything on the market. It charges really fast, 90% in 90 minutes. Very, very happy with my decision to go with the Thrive. I had considered the Asus but with the horrific build quality issues and lightbleed I decided against it. I am so glad I waited because Toshiba got it right, right out of the box! This thing is solid! No creaking or flex. No loose bezel. Zero lightbleed. A tablet is the sum of all its parts and in the words of Charlie Sheen, #Winning!
Update: 14 hrs today on the battery with fairly heavy surfing and some music and video. The battery gave me 6-7 hrs the first few charges. Wow, I didn’t think it would improve this much! Really happy with the Thrive!
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