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We first heard of Toshiba’s tablet plans last week with more details expected to show up IFA next month (at this point we could rename the event in Berlin TabletCon), and while we heard whisperings of some specs very little was given to go off of. Now we have our first look at the tablet, and we must say it isn’t half bad. Sure it contains the requisite iPad visual cues, but on appearance alone we are getting a very sleek slate design.
With an NVIDIA Tegra 2 and 10-inch capacitive touchscreen the device promises an experience that should make it one of the break-out Android tablets of the fall. Connectivity seems to be plentiful with HDMI, USB, mini-USB, memory card, and docking ports. No word on which Android version, but given the commitment to a seemingly solid piece of hardware we expect no less than Android 2.1 on the slate when it ships in October. More info is sure to be coming out of IFA.
[via IntoMobile]
Why do all the tablets leave so much space where the screen could be…
@Cody
i suppose its a place for you to rest your hands and fingers on, otherwise can you imagine the number of finger prints on the corners if there was no plastic on the corners
@cody
With something that large you’ll pretty much always be using one hand to hold the thing and the other to control it. Remember all these are multi-touch devices so hands on the screen constantly would make accidental presses or gestures a big problem.
Bezels are good for handling the device but that is a but much.
I get the distinct feeling that android is not ready for tablets yet and the first wave of tablets is going to be underwhelming. I wish they would wait for 3.x but it seems they just want to kick something out the door as fast as possible.
@Cody
I’m gonna go against the others on this one and agree with you. While you do need a place to put your fingers on, isn’t it really just your thumbs? But does there really need to be so much space? I mean this bezel is HUGE. Definitely a downer for me.
I think Google is waiting for 3.0 to endorse a table. Is there any tablets on the market that actually have access to the Market atm? I am thinking that 3.0 will have tablet support and a new market that supports tablets.
I have to say I love how Android OS has taken off, but I wish there was just 2 makers of the phones (HTC & Motorola). The same goes for.the tablet because every phone isn’t great and the same will probably hold true for the tablets. This just hurts the Android brand.
@cedric
Variety and completion NEVER hurt anyone. Two manufacturers means they can carve up the market between themselves which would probably result in collusion and price fixing.
Stupid auto spell check. That should have been competition.
Now that looks simple…
The months leading up to Christmas will be insane for launches.
Acer, HTC, Samsung, Asus, Velocity Micro, Dell, Archos, Cisco, Notion, Toshiba, HP, Sony.
Anyone else?
@ cedric-What about Samsung? Say what you will about the Behold II, the Galaxy S line rocks, and I haven’t seen anything that Motorola has put out that keeps up with it. The screen and the processor are just that far ahead. HTC alread has a device being tested that’s dual-core, so they’re up for the challenge, but Motorola looks a little lost these days.
Toshiba is a fine laptop & netbook maker, and that will probably translate to a quality tablet. I’m noting the camera, and with those specs, I like what I see.
Yes, Gingerbread is probably a tablet-centric iteration of the OS. And we’ll be seeing Google launch it before the end of the year, so those updates can start rolling out. My only hope is that I can get a Tegra 2 9-in or better tablet with camera off of a cell contact (I really don’t care about 3G) for less that $300.
i heard that the new toshiba tablet will be coming out mid to late september, and that the music application on it will have a “lyricwiki.org” lyric finding feature built in.