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Toshiba Thrive hands-on (video)
Toshiba didn't exactly jump into the tablet market head first, but now that it's come clean with the Thrive, its first pad for the US market, it's wasting no time -- we just got some hands-on with the 10.1-inch, Android 3.1-powered slate -- which, by the by, is the first we know of to sport a removable battery. It's also got a few more rarities: full-sized USB and HDMI ports and a full-sized SDHC / SDXC slot. Oh, and its $429 starting price ain't bad either. So was Toshiba's entry into the world of Android tablets worth the wait? Join us for a tour past the break, and decide for yourself. %Gallery-125646%
Toshiba Thrive tablet with Android 3.1 ships in July, starts at $429
That Toshiba Thrive tablet that surfaced on J&R's site last month? Turns out, someone got a little excited -- the company just confirmed the listing went up prematurely and that the price was wrong. But, we just got word that the Thrive will indeed debut as Toshiba's first tablet for the US market, with pre-orders beginning June 13th at Best Buy, along with the usual "office superstores" and "e-commerce players," and a mid-July ship date (we're hearing the 10th). The 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) tablet runs Android 3.1, and comes in three sizes: 8GB ($429), 16GB ($479), and 32GB ($579). Not bad, when you consider the 16GB model undercuts the Galaxy Tab 10.1 by $20. If you've been following along, you already know it's powered by Tegra 2 and has WiFi, Bluetooth, full-sized USB and HDMI ports, an SD slot, a 2 MP front-facing camera, and a 5MP rear one. But the company also just unleashed a slew of other details. Head on past the break for a run-down, won't you? %Gallery-125178%
Toshiba abandoning plans for Windows 7 tablet, Chromebook?
We were expecting Toshiba to launch its Windows 7 tablet during the second half of this year, but rumor has it that the company may be abandoning the slate altogether. DigiTimes is reporting that both the 11.6-inch slab and a forthcoming Chromebook have disappeared from Toshiba's product launchpad, according to sources within the industry. The Chromebook will reportedly be slashed due to disappointing netbook sales in 2010, whereas the reasons behind the tablet's cancellation remain less clear. DigiTimes suggests that Toshiba may be throwing all of its weight behind its new Honeycomb-powered Thrive slate, meaning that its Windows 7 counterpart could either be delayed even further, or simply relinquished. There's obviously plenty of speculation swirling around, but we'll let you know as soon as we receive more concrete reports.
Toshiba Thrive tablet up for pre-order starting at $449, may finally have an official name
Information about Toshiba's Honeycomb tablet has been spotty at best since the company unveiled it amid a sea of like-minded slates way back in January at CES. We've seen it teased and were subjected to some naming confusion, when the company filed a trademark for "Thrive" shortly before the tablet surfaced with the unfortunate ANT moniker -- and on Friday we caught wind via some chatty Twitter accounts that Toshiba is sticking to the former, a fact seemingly verified by new J&R listings for the device. The retailer has 8GB and 32GB versions of the tablet up for pre-order at $449 and $579, respectively. Specs also include a 10.1-inch screen, an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, WiFi connectivity, and 2MP / 5MP front and rear cameras. The tablet is listed as "coming soon" on the site, though signs seem to point to a release not too long after its Japanese counterpart, at which point we'll see if the Thrive actually manages to live up to that name.
Product portal, tweets suggest 'Thrive' moniker for Toshiba's Honeycomb tablet
"What's in a name?" We'd ask Toshiba, but the company hasn't been able to give its upcoming 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet one in five months -- or has it? If you'll recall, Toshiba registered the name Thrive for trademark and related domain names last month, and now evidence is mounting that all of that work wasn't in vain. TabletCommunity learned days ago that a commercial for the device was in production via some chatty actors on Twitter; soon after, the site also uncovered a parking page for the slate on Toshiba's website, albeit with little more than the aforesaid name categorized under "Tablets." It's a welcome update in light of the vapid titles "Antares" and "ANT300" that had also seemed possible, and once word spills of US pricing and availability, perhaps we can focus on more pressing matters... you know, like benchmarks. [Thanks, Jakob]
Toshiba's 10.1-inch Regza AT300 Honeycomb tablet hits Japan in June
Toshiba's first Honeycomb tablet, which we first laid hands upon back in January, has finally been priced with an honest to goodness ship date. Unfortunately, this 10.1-incher with 1,280 x 800 pixel display, USB, HDMI, and 5 megapixel rear-facing cam is Japan-only for now, where the Tegra-2 powered Android 3.0 tablet has just made its official debut as the Regza AT300 with a ¥60,000 price (about $723). Look for it to hit the hard streets of Nippon in late June. Now if we could just get a name, date, and price for locations a bit closer to home we'd be all set.
Trademark filing, domain names suggest Toshiba's tablet might be named 'Thrive'
Could Toshiba's nameless Honeycomb tablet finally have a proper name? Thanks to a helpful tipster, we now have our clearest indication yet. Toshiba just filled a trademark application for the name "Thrive" last week and, as you can see above, it clearly describes the goods and services being trademarked as a tablet computer. What's more, it seems that the company's also gone on a bit of a domain name buying spree as of late, with it snapping up a number of "Thrive" variations including ToshibaThrive.com, ThriveTablet.com, ThriveToshiba.com and TabletThrive.com (none of which actually go anywhere just yet). Of course, this isn't the first possible moniker for the tablet that's cropped up. The name "Antares" surfaced way back at Mobile World Congress, which could account for the ANT model name we also spotted, although it certainly sounds more like a codename than "Thrive" does to our ears -- and, as far as we can tell, Toshiba hasn't attempted to register a trademark for Antares (or any other names recently, for that matter). [Thanks, Babyfacemagee]
LG Thrive debuts as AT&T's first Android GoPhone, also available as the Phoenix for the committal-type
Those leery of long-term contracts may now join Android's ranks on AT&T, who keeping with their promise, began shipping the Thrive, its first smartphone in the prepaid column. As we'd reported earlier, this restyled Optimus One can be yours for $179.99, no strings attached. Those scraping pennies together can join the (relatively limited) data consumption at 10MB per month for $5... though we feel 100MB for $15, or 500MB at $25, are comparatively better deals. On a related note, the same phone -- this time known as the Phoenix -- is available in slate blue attire with AT&T's customary two-year commitment for $49.99. Though both phones ship with Froyo, we're hopeful to see a Gingerbread update in due time -- depending on Ma Bell's whim, of course.
