Toshiba takes a stablet with its new 7-inch Android tablet

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 29 September 2011 14:59

Your IT - Home IT

What's 7-inches and packed with electrons? Well, any 7-inch tablet already out there, but there aren't too many in stores as yet with Honeycomb Android OS 3.2, so can Toshiba's new 7-inch tablet'¦ thrive?

Toshiba is getting ready to launch its 7-inch Android 3.2 tablet into the Australian market from the end of October at AUD $449, and while its called the 'Thrive' overseas, Australians must make do with the blander 'Toshiba Tablet' moniker due to trademark licensing issues, apparently.

Although Lord of the iDevices, Steve Jobs, has previously mocked 7-inch tablets as being DoA, or 'Dead on Arrival', that was when 7-inch tablets were only festooned with Android OS 2.x - a decidedly non-tablet-optimised OS that, for tablets, mostly sucked.

Well, when compared to the iPad and Android Honeycomb OS 3.x, with Toshi's 7-inch model packing the 7-inch tablet-optimised OS 3.2 edition instead - a far worthier iPad and iOS competitor - even though Google has its 'Ice Cream Sandwich' Android OS successor on the way, with undoubtedly the next Android OS also being feverishly worked on in the background.

Indeed, given that Toshiba's Australian Product Marketing Manager, Justin White, has stated that his new 7-inch tablet is a 'no compromise' tablet, it would have been nice and even incredibly appropriate to disclose, in the press release, whether the Toshiba 7-inch model would be able to easily and seamlessly upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich or other, future Android OS versions.

That naturally goes for all Android tablet makers - end-users who are getting ready to shell out hundreds of dollars for your products would simply like some plain honesty about upgradability - if it's no secret, spell the damn upgrade plans out, or get the hell out of my way as I reach for an easily upgradeable iPad.

Or as I wait for a Windows 8 tablet of some kind, which Toshiba will no doubt be manufacturing in the millions, once Microsoft gets Windows 8 to RTM status.

But hey, let's not talk about the current neighbours, or the ones coming this time next year, let's get back to Toshi's 7-inch throbber.

Blessed with the not-so-catchy model number of AT1S0 (when will you Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other non-Apple companies learn to simplify your model numbers and make them'¦ iCatchy? C'mon Marketing Peeps - you're being paid so much money to come up with... AT1S0 and... "tablet"? iSheesh!), Toshiba says its new tablet is 'the perfect entertainment device' and 'small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, coat pocket or handbag', and weights but 399 grams, which certainly is an undeniable benefit over its much larger iCompetitor.

The aforementioned Toshiban, Justin White, states that 'The image quality is outstanding with a 1200x800 brilliant high definition (HD) screen bringing a rich viewing experience to any movie, photo or e-book.'

Continued on page two, where you'll find more specs and a picture - please read on!