Toshiba Excite 7.7 Tablet Review: AMOLED in a Fun Size
by Dustin Sklavos on August 29, 2012 2:01 PM ESTConclusion: If You're In the Market, It's Worth a Look
Without even playing with them you could probably easily argue that the Excite 10 and Excite 13.3 tablets just don't have much to offer an already saturated Android tablet market, but the Toshiba Excite 7.7 is another story entirely. With the Excite 7.7, Toshiba has produced a relatively speedy Android tablet with a knockout screen and an impressively light form factor. Tablet size is bound to be a matter of taste for individual users; some may prefer the increased screen size and real estate of a 10" tablet (Big Buddha knows my eyesight is going and I'll probably be one of those in a decade or so) while others will likely fall over themselves over the Excite 7.7's small-but-still-useful dimensions.
If you're looking for a smaller tablet and price is a primary concern, odds are you've either already clicked "Add to Cart" on the Kindle Fire and are anxiously awaiting its shipment or you're planning on ordering a Google Nexus 7. Google's (and ASUS's) entrant is liable to basically just knock the Kindle Fire right out of competition, but in the process it does take a lot of the shine off of Toshiba's Excite 7.7. It has similar dimensions and weight, and even benefits from a newer version of Android as well as NFC capability.
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With those things in mind, though, the existence of the Nexus 7 may wound the Excite 7.7, but it doesn't kill it. Toshiba's tablet sports both superior battery life and a much nicer display, and for some users these factors may very well be enough to warrant the extra money. The dynamic brightness can be on the irritating side, especially with no way to disable it, but it's not quite as bad as it sounds. Personally it was far more frustrating for objective testing than it was for actual use, where it was easy enough to ignore.
I think the Toshiba Excite 7.7 is probably going to wind up being lost in the shuffle, and that's a shame because it's worthy of attention. Toshiba learned a lot from the Thrive and they're clearly willing to experiment a bit with the technology if the AMOLED display is any indication. That display alone may be worth the price of admission; either way, the Excite 7.7 is at least worth considering.
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Kegetys - Thursday, August 30, 2012 - link
How are the OLED black spots/blobs on this screen? As far as I know, every OLED screen has or can have them and they can be very distracting ie. when watching video in the dark. For phones its tolerable since the screen is so small anyway but a tablet it would surely be very annoying.Jaybus - Thursday, August 30, 2012 - link
It is not true that all OLED screens have black spots. It is simply a matter of binning. Screens that don't pass QC due to black spots are sold cheaper. It is just like LCDs. LCDs with a few dead pixels are sold cheaper and still end up in devices. It doesn't mean that all LCDs have dead pixels.teiglin - Thursday, August 30, 2012 - link
From reading various feedback on xda, the standard pattern (which mine also has) is four circles, each about 2" in diameter, and my device has these as well as maybe 3-4 other small (<0.5") blobs. However, I don't notice them even when watching movies in the dark at minimum brightness; for me to see them, it requires a solid black or dark gray screen at near-minimum brightness. The only times it comes up in actual use is when I'm reading and there is a page with almost no text--even the small illumination given by minimum brightness white text hides the irregularities.I've read that some people have perfect screens, and I've read that some people's screens are worse, and of course, some people are just more and less sensitive to these issues. So YMMV.
B3an - Friday, August 31, 2012 - link
Way too expensive.And no Android tablets are interesting anymore as far as i'm concerned. I totally agree with the reviewer in that the OS is an unintuitive mess that gets bogged down easy and needs excessive processing power in order to function remotely well. Android was the only option before to anyone smart enough to not buy Apple. But now that Win 8 or even RT tablets are coming i have zero interest in a Android tablet.
sos_sifou - Saturday, September 1, 2012 - link
sir, the main device you should compare the Toshiba 7.7 with, is the original samsung galaxy tab 7.7adsgasdgsadg - Friday, October 26, 2012 - link
Dear Fellow Excite Owners:PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION! Only 177 more signers to go!https://www.change.org/petitions/toshiba-america-i...
The reason we cannot root the Toshiba Excite currently, is because Toshiba decided to LOCK THE BOOTLOADER!In order to be able to root, Toshiba needs to get their developers to unlock the bootloader! To get Toshiba to agree to do this, we need to get this petition signed!
Please sign it for yourself and the benefit of all Toshiba Excite (AT300, AT305, etc.) owners so we can get this tablet rooted!
You need root to:
* Increase battery life (JuiceDefender)
* Improve battery life (AutoKiller Memory Optimizer)
* Restore/make backups (Titanium Backup)
* Manage startup (Startup Auditor)
* Manage autorun programs (Autorun Manager)
* Increase SD speed (SD Speed Increase)
* Use full features of Ad-Blockers (Droid Ad-Free)
* Use Firewall* Compile apps
* Pair PS3 controller
* Connect as bluetooth keyboard for PS3 (BluePutDroid)
* And many more things you need root access for!
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!https://www.change.org/petitions/toshiba-america-i...
my baby - Friday, April 26, 2013 - link
Toshiba Excite 7.7 is one of the best small Android tablets currently available. It's also thin, light, boasts the latest version of Android (4.0), and includes a microSD slot for storage expansion. I like this tablet capable for gaming.www.toshiba-tablet.commy baby - Monday, April 29, 2013 - link
Toshiba learned a lot from the Thrive and they're clearly willing to experiment a bit with the technology if the AMOLED display is any indication.www.toshiba-tablet.comJenaii - Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - link
that is right, the tablet market is targeting high performance tablet but that doesn't mean this tablet is out you may check the further review @ http://toshiba-tablet.com/Jenaii - Thursday, May 2, 2013 - link
The Toshiba Excite AT305T64 runs the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, which builds on the things people love most about Android–a simplified UI, easy multitasking, customizable home screens, re-sizable widgets, and a full suite of familiar Google mobile services.http://toshiba-tablet.com/