Toshiba Thrive 10.1-Inch Android Tablet AT105-T108

by Toshiba

Let me start by saying I'm NEW to Tablets, Netbooks and Honeycomb. I can't stand the scroll pad on my laptop, my arthritis KILLS me, so I purchased a USB mouse. Rumors of an Amazon Tablet had me excited, folks kept bringing up "Wait for ICS", etc. I've been saving for a tablet due to smaller size and portability for a long time. At some point - the price point meets your expectations, and it is just time to buy. At the minimum - my apartment is dark, and I can switch between the Kindle and the Tab for Reading, and not spend so much on batteries. I can also play some games on the Tab - worth the extra bucks to compliment a plain Vanilla Kindle any day (I originally purchased the free 3g Kindle without Special Offers back in December 2010). My Tablet arrived from Amazon on Tuesday - July 12th. Below are my experiences so far:

Pros:

1. System Settings to mess around with. File Manager, App Manager and Storage are handy for deleting files and saving space. Just click by the Time on the bottom bar, and you can get to everything. Sound and video settings can be set on the fly.

2. Screen rather durable, may not need the Screen Protectors. So far - haven't needed the extra SD card I ordered. VERY responsive, fast rotation, beautiful graphics (tweak the factory settings for that), first time I've actually LIKED gaming since pre-2000, pinch and zoom very good. No, I can't play Chessmaster on it (as far as I know) - but I have my Laptop for that.

3. The case is PERFECT, just like my Kindle Case. Since I'm in the middle of a move - no real square footage to sit it up for watching, but will in my new place. You might want to consider a USB Keyboard, especially one with an additional USB port.

4. Register ONCE for Google, that's it. Have your GMail - can sync all data and settings with Google (even some old Picassa pics from a blog I wasn't really interested in). Don't know WHO I will be using for Cloud yet - Google or Amazon.

5. Apps galore. Haven't purchased DocsToGo yet, but will eventually. Downloaded Opera, haven't had a chance to set it up (use Firefox on main computer, not so good on tablets). Read reviews and PERMISSIONS BEFORE DOWNLOADING APPS!! For instance, TapATalk is a no go.

6. Kindle and Archive just perfect. Yuck on Toshiba books. If you're into ePub, I'm sure the Reader App of your choice will work also.

7. Keyboard is perfect for me in Landscape mode. No lag, in fact - so sensitive to touch, need to watch my typing. Easy switch between Qwerty and Number/Symbols.

8. Turn Wifi off WAY extends your battery life. Overnight sleep, still have 74% battery.

Cons:

1. The Sleep Mode experience. Apparently - a problem with many. I just power off, then power on when it won't wake from sleep mode. If it sleeps for just a little time, no problem. Its when sleeping for an hour or more - then we have the reboot experience. My guess? A problem with all the hardware configuration specific to Toshiba and Honeycomb conflicts. I've had the same problems with laptop sleep and hibernation. I also get around it by putting to sleep, wake up in locked mode, and put back to sleep in locked mode.

2. The News App from Toshiba (Starting Place). It hangs, can't exit. Must kill the process. Would have been nice to use - but so far, not so much. Can't delete apps - even third party ones that are pre-loaded and will never be used (demo games, Kaspersky, etc.)

3. Watch out for too much syncing, you may get downloads from years ago. Turn GPS off (unless you need it at that point in time).

4. Lack of a 3g/4g/etc slot. I know this is the trend with new tablets, and carriers are taking advantage of it (either a monthly charge, or quite the premium). I want to spend for 3g/4g on the go, when I need it. The first to come up with a reasonable MiFi - you get my business.

5. Sound: My Sony Walkman Cell Phone was getting better speaker quality (comparison of Bad Romance mp3). One needs to tweak the SRS settings under Multimedia. Select settings for each one, turn off default, and press okay. Turn off Ambient Noise Reduction (or whatever), and the devices sound much closer together. Sound via flash could be improved (believe they are using hardware acceleration, would need to check flash settings). Headphones are fine, sound improves with the aforementioned tweaks.

Bottom Line: great compliment to Kindle - now, don't need so many apps (active content) on the Kindle, Easy to use even if nube to whole experience (but it pays to spend some time in Thrive and Honeycomb forums, watch some Tablet reviews on You Tube). Build of Tab is great, just a swipe of the glass, keep in Case - and you are good to go. You can either get the two year Square Trade Accident warranty, or the one year Toshiba Accident Coverage. Three years is WAY too much for Technology that will probably change in a year. Will it be the new NetBook? Competition and price wars are a GOOD THING! Happy Shopping!

Images Gallery: