Toshiba Thrive: High Class yet Affordable Gadget Worth the Attention

Toshiba is yet another company releasing Toshiba Thrive, an Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablet, as a more affordable alternative to Apple’s iPad. Toshiba’s new tablet is titled suggestively Thrive, and brings together all the features expected today from such a gadget. Toshiba Thrive has one advantage over many of its direct competitors: at $580 (the 32 GB version) is one of the most affordable high-quality gadgets in its class.

Features: Toshiba Thrive Doesn’t Disappoint

Toshiba Thrive comes with a 10.1-in multi-touch display screen that runs at a 1280-800 resolution. Obviously, the screen is optimized for use with Android 3.1 Honeycomb. The processor is an nVIDIA Tegra 2, which is what most other tablets running Honeycomb use. In terms of memory, Toshiba has decided to offer users three versions of the tablet, with 8, 16, and 32 GB. In addition, a slot for a microSD card is also available, which enables users to further expand the device’s memory capacity.

When it comes to the design, Toshiba Thrive doesn’t look bad. However, it is a little thicker than other tablets – not that thick to affect usability, but enough to give the fastidious reason to complain.

Thrive, like most other tablets out there, has two incorporated cameras, one in the front and one in the rear. The front one is exclusively dedicated to video chat or conferences. The rear 5-megapixels camera can take HD photos as well as record HD videos. Toshiba’s new gadget stands out among its rivals because it features not one, but two USB ports. A HDMI port for audio/video is also built-in.

All the Toshiba Thrive versions released in the United States lack a 3G modem. This will undoubtedly discourage some potential buyers, but it should be remembered that this is reflected in the tablet’s lower price compared to other similar hand-held portable devices.  An integrated GPS receiver, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 support and a built-in accelerometer further complement the device.

Price: Biggest Advantage?

The USB 2.0 ports already referred to make this tablet a good choice for users who like to attach a mouse or keyboard to it and use it at times as a mini-computer. The other features, i.e. 10.1-in display with a 1280×800 resolution, nVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 8/16/32Gb, two capable cameras, represent more or less what someone would expect from a tablet in this price range. At any rate, they don’t disappoint.

Perhaps Toshiba Thrive’s best feature is the fact that it runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb. While there are a few other tablets out there that already run it and many more that are going to be launched toward the end of the year, few of them can compare with Toshiba in terms of price. The 8Gb version is only $430, whereas the 16Gb is $480, and the 32Gb is $580.

Toshiba Thrive : Overview

All things considered, Toshiba Thrive is an accessible tablet for anyone who wants a powerful gadget that can operate Android 3.1 Honeycomb. It has all the key features expected from a tablet in its price range.