Review: Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet

Computer Hardware, Computing
Review: Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet
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Introduction

Technology is always turning in new directions in the quest for the perfect product. Now a days, consumers are into functionality, performance, and – of course – mobility. In an effort to satisfy these needs, manufacturers work hard on making new innovative products. The most recent of these innovative products is the tablet.

Tablets provide all of the things mentioned before: functionality, performance, and mobility. Because of this, many manufacturers have been releasing tablets to the market. The main problem now is choosing the right one. Today, we’ll look at the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet and see if this tablet stacks up well with the heated competition.

Design

If tablets are known for one thing in particular, it is their mobility. Most tablets are very light, very portable, and not bulky. The Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet is still a very portable device when compared to a laptop, however; when comparing the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet to other tablets users will find that the Thrive 7 is significantly more bulky.

Some users are totally put off by the bulky design, while others don’t mind this as much. I tend to be part of the latter group. The Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet, while bulky, is still very mobile, and when compared to most devices (like laptops and the Thrive 7’s older brother the Toshiba Thrive) its mobility is very good. I have never felt that the device was too heavy to the point it made it uncomfortable to use.

Also, it’s not like the tablet needs to fit into a small space like your pocket. Most of the times tablets are kept in purses, backpacks, etc. The Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet will easily fit into any of those things.

Other features that make up the overall design of the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet are a removable back panel, mini USB, micro SD, micro HDMI ports, a power button, volume controls, and a screen rotation lock. The removable back panel was a feature that I found very useful. Unlike other tablets like the iPad the back cover of the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet can be removed. Advantages of this feature are a replaceable battery (when you run out of battery, just pop in a new freshly charged one) and also more color choices for the back panel.

Overall, there are some good features to the design of the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet, but the overall bulk of the device may turn some consumers away.

Software Features

The Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet packs in some solid and useful software. The tablet runs Android 3.2, and this provides a pretty enjoyable user interface. There are some also bundled apps that provide added value to the device.

The pre-installed apps include PrinterShare, QuickOffice, File Management, Video Enhancing, some games, and more. The video enhancement app was one I enjoyed a lot. Toshiba did a great job with this app. The function of the app is to upgrade standard definition videos to high-definition videos.

Overall, the device runs pretty smoothly thanks to its 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. This powerful processor allows for smoother performance when running apps. There’s not much to say when it comes to the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet software, but there also is not much to complain about.

Hardware Features

The Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet has some very good hardware features. The most notable of these features is the screen. Right off the bat, the first thing users notice about tablets is the screen. The screen is the foundation of the tablet, as it is the only thing that the user interacts with. The Thrive 7 has a 1280 x 800 resolution. The high-resolution display combined with signature Toshiba features like Adaptive Display and Resolution+ give the Thrive 7 a beautiful image.

I would rank the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet as the tablet with the best overall screen quality along with Apple’s iPad. Images look stunning, videos are vibrant, and text looks sharp. Overall the screen provides a clear, sharp image that users will love. Other hardware features include a capacitive, multi-touch touchscreen, two cameras (a two megapixel front, and five megapixel back), an accelerometer, and multiple ports. Overall, the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet does not disappoint.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet packs a lot of punch into a small, portable device. The Thrive 7 stacks up well with its competition. It isn’t the strongest in every aspect, but also doesn’t disappoint. The Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet sells for $399.99 (16GB model) and $599.99 (32GB model).

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