Toshiba is not backing off the tablet market despite half-baked products including the original Thrive and much-derided Excite 10 LE. Today they are launching three models, in 7.7-inch, 10-inch and massive 13-inch varieties, each with Tegra 3 running Ice Cream Sandwich.
The smaller 7.7-inch tab has possibly the nicest screen of the bunch, a non-Pentile 1280×800 Super AMOLED display, much like the yet-to-be-released-in-Canada Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. Internally, besides the Tegra 3, is 1GB RAM, a 5MP back camera and 2MP front camera, microUSB and microSD slots, and will run $500 for the 16GB version and $580 for the 32GB version, with a 64GB option if demand is high enough.
The massive 13-inch model resembles a netbook or some gargantuan over-sized Microsoft Courier. It’s got a LED backlit display with a resolution of 1600×900 and the addition of a mini HDMI slot, but everything else is the same as the smaller models. While this is not likely going to appeal to the more mobile types, Toshiba is aiming it at the tablet owner who generally uses it for reference, such as reading recipes and such. At 2.2 pounds, it’s still smaller than most ultrabooks, so I see people pairing this with a portable keyboard.
The 13-inch model comes with four speakers (two on either side) and an included stand, so watching movies will also likely be something highly touted with the larger model. It will run $650 for the 32GB version and $750 for the 64GB version.
The 10-inch model is fairly similar to the Excite 10 LE but for a few important changes. Like the 7.7-inch and 13-inch models, it will come with a Tegra 3 processor, 1GB RAM, a 5MP back camera and 2MP front camera, along with a mini HDMI, microUSB and microSD slots. It will come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models for $450, $530 and $650 respectively. It should also go a long way to addressing the performance issues we had with its predecessor, and shipping with Ice Cream Sandwich will help in that area, too.
All three models have a brushed aluminum bodies and boast up to 10 hours of battery life, though some reports are claiming 12-14 hours for the two larger models.
No word on a Canadian release for these tablets, but we’re sure if they do come they’ll be around the same price points. What do you think of these tablets? Do they do Toshiba proud and make up for its previous tablet blunders?
Via: Phandroid
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