Toshiba Thrive: Honeycomb Hits $300
by Vivek Gowri on December 12, 2011 3:00 AM ESTI’ve had a number of Toshiba notebooks, spanning the range from $350 to $1600, and the connecting thread between them all was that the displays were all relatively medicore. You could reason it away on the super cheap units, it was beyond unacceptable on the super-high end R700 I reviewed, but either way, I wasn’t going into the Thrive review expecting a super high-quality display.
Thus, we were surprised to find that the Thrive has a pretty great display. The 10.1” screen has the same 1280x800 that’s the standard of the Honeycomb class. It’s not the brightest panel out there at a max of 343nits, but the contrast ratio of 987:1 is excellent. Not as excellent as the Transformer Prime, but still a very, very solid showing. The white point is set to a temperature of 7687 K, right around where the ASUS Eee Transformer and Eee Slider are set and between the iPad 2 (6801 K) and Galaxy Tab 10.1” (8762 K).
The unfortunate part of the display is that there isn’t actually a glass covering on it, a la the Gorilla Glass or other chemically-hardened glass coverings that many companies use on their smartphone and tablet displays. There’s a bit of give in the screen when you press it too hard (especially if you’re typing particularly vigorously). The cheap feeling it gives off is a bit unfortunate, because it undermines the quality of the display panel.
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JarredWalton - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
It's meant as "four to five hundred dollar range", which I'm sure you know, but I'll update it just for clarity.cjs150 - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
As these things get cheaper and cheaper I start wondering whether they can double as a really capable intelligent remote control device.Consider: I have a relatively simple AV system, TV, AV receiver, Blu ray player, cable box and am intending to add a small basic computer to it (media streaming from NAS, internet browsing and email device, maybe a little light and casual gaming - Zotac Nano AD10 or the new Via Artigo 1150 looks ideal). That will mean 4 remote controls and a media keyboard/mouse. Now I could buy an intelligent remote (use a Logitech Harmony in another room which is not bad but a bit clunky with the cable box). One of the top of the range remotes costs about same as this tablet (or Kindle fire)
Surely taking a low end tablet would work better, just needs IR blaster, can double as both keyboard and mouse, programmable with lots of "activities" to switch things off and on.
therealnickdanger - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
I picked up a few Acer A100s on Black Friday for $189. Great little Tegra 2 tablets. Anyway, I paired one up with the Logitech Link device. Any Android device on our network can use the Harmony app to control all our AV gear.doggod - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
Do any of the tablets come with ir built in, it would save having to have extra hardware to do the conversion.Roland00Address - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
The sony s series tablets have IR built in and a preload app for remote controlThe samsung galaxy 7 plus also has an IR built in. The samsung galaxy 10.1 does not have IR built in.
cjs150 - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
Thanks everyone for the input. Definitely worth me looking more closely, maybe waiting until the prices come down a bittherealnickdanger - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
Like was posted by someone else, Sony has one.I can't speak to your exact need, but for my home theater needs, a stationary IR device is preferred. My experience with other universal remotes, even Harmony remotes, is that they often mess up complex IR requests due to angles or device reception.
The benefit of the Link is that it works with any PC, Android or iOS device, whether it's a $600 Sony or a free smartphone.
Crono454 - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
I'm not sure I understand all the Kindle Fire fan boys. There is no way I recommend that to anyone over the new nook. It is garbage and has been unanimously covered as medicare mediocretzhu07 - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
There is a huge design flaw. The perimeter bezel surrounding the display should be as clean as possible. This tablet is all dark, but then there's a chrome piece hanging off to one side. Very distracting.VivekGowri - Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - link
The chrome webcam surround is literally the single worst thing about the design. If it was a matte black plastic and there wasn't a door hiding the ports, I'd like the Thrive about 50% more.