hmmm, good pricing
Pricing looks good - look forward to a in depth review... it will need to do well to compete - as pricing alone doesn't do it
Toshiba has unveiled details of its forthcoming Android slate, previously known as the Toshiba Tablet. Officially dubbed the Thrive, the Tosh fondleslab is set to undercut the fruity market leader according to the US pricing it has announced. We had hoped Tosh delayed launch in order to wait for Nvidia's next gen quad-core …
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Surely as part of the design brief for this ToshTab was to make it at least as appealing as the market leader? So why did they make it twice as thick? Presumably it's heavier too?
Apart from that the price for the 8GB model is excellent. Presumably that's the internal storage and there's still space to add your own 64GB SDHC card?
It's funny how a 32GB class 6 SDHC card can be had for $50, yet tablet manufacturers see fit to slap $50 on the price for 8GB difference and $100 on for 16GB diffence. Apple started this stupid money grabbing trend and it seems some Android tablet makers are copying it.
I hope this Toshiba device at least sees fit to support SD storage. At least that would allow people to expand their devices without paying silly money to use extra storage.
I like all the bits thrown in, the USB ports, the HDMI, the replaceable battery and obviously a very adaptable O/S, but I don't like the size. I want a tablet but I don't want the full 10.1" size, I want something slightly smaller.
The phones 3"/4" size are just a little bit too small for the tired old eyes and 10" is too big for a crowded train. The old style Galaxy Tab 7" is still calling me, especially as the price may drop with the new ones coming in the next month or two.
Decisions, decisions, decisions....
I hope Toshiba support is better than it used to be. I had their E800 Windows PocketPC and it shipped with a VGA screen but the OS only supported QVGA.
When the new version of the OS came out it supported VGA but Toshiba didn't implement hardware acceleration of the built in ATI graphics chip (one of the major selling points of the device), so performance sucked.
Ah another early announcement of a low-price "iPad beater". I'll bet that when it finally reaches UK shores we will find that one or more of the following are true:-
- it doesn't work with Android Market
- it doesn't support Flash
- It's suddenly over £400 for some inexplicable reason
- it has a resistive screen which can only be viewed directly from the front
- it's at least one version behind the latest version of Android
- its storage capacity can't be increased by shoving a large-capacity SD card into it
- despite the dual-core CPU it runs like a dead sloth
If, on the other hand, none of the above materialise, I will finally put my hand into my wallet and buy it!
David Wood 'Having said that, it looks like a better product so I really hope it catches on.'
How does it look better? I looks ugly, and we know that Android Tablet apps are still no where iPad apps either in quantity OR quality.
So for only slightly less money you get an uglier, fatter machine, with hardly any apps to run on it.
Considering you can get a 1st Gen ipad for £289 from apple, you'd be foolish to look at this, or any Android tablet to be honest
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FB292B/A (out of stock, but regularly back in)
Don't buy tablet > Don't make apps for it > Why buy tab if there's no apps for it > ad infinitum
Can I have widgets on an ipad natively? Can I pick my browser? Are there restrictions on where I may purchase apps without compromising the system?
Personally, I'm glad Toshiba aren't trying to clone the iFondleslab. Usually their machines are quite excellent and I'm not gay for minimalistic design, so this would be fine for me. I don't particularly care if it's heavier, it'll stop me waving it in people's faces incessantly like a giddy schoolgirl.
The original ipad for £289? Great so now you can buy a tablet with a pretty screen that has no sd card slot or usb support, can't view a significant number of websites that use flash and needs a dedicated computer to be able to use it, has highly limited support for differing file formats and still can't multitask properly and is slow. Wow, such a bargain! But at least it's thinner and has lots of accessories, just like Paris.
Actually, since 4od and BBCi have both released apps for the ipad, I've found I no longer crave Flash as much (esp. as it seems I have to update the bugger twice a month these days). And since most of the recent tablets are pretty similiar specs wise, I only have two criteria:
1. Battery life
2. Screen quality and type
I have the first gen 16GB ipad, and don't get me wrong, I still love it (after 7 months it still requires charging up at least every other night), but that 16GB limit is seriously pissing me off and fuck Steve Jobs for not putting in a tiny microsd option - how much would that of cost? but its non appearance does mean having to go to another tablet when I finally feel the need to upgrade, which in turn means not being too sucked into the Apple eco system too much.
But so far, what other tablet has a better screen and battery life? Still waiting.