By Apple seems to bring out the “talk” in everyone whenever they announce a new product, and now the same has happened to Toshiba. Their general manager of information systems in Australia (we know it isn’t exactly a CEO or a vice president) has gone on record to say that their new tablet – being launched in just a couple of days – is better than the iPad 2.
It’s not exactly shocking to hear someone extremely confident about their own product. The real story here is that the tablet will apparently be priced similarly to Apple’s device. The iPad 2 starts at $499.99 for the base model, but can get as high as $750 depending on which features you go for. Let’s hope Toshiba’s pricing teeters on the cheap side of the scale. [via Unwired View]
I’ve always liked Toshiba’s stuff so I’m confident that they can beat the MaxiPad
you think you are clever with the maxipad comment dont you?!
If it is $100 cheaper than they won’t have to compete with the iPad.
I believe it. I used to have an Apple laptop. Stupid thing broke down within 18 months effing me out of $1500. Then got a Toshiba laptop for $400 (with better specs than the iBook I had) which ended up lasting me 4 years (and it still works, just upgraded)
Hmm, it has the old 4 hard buttons that Honeycomb doesn’t need. Are they seriously claiming a pre-Honeycomb tablet will be better than the iPad?
I’m sure honeycomb works with the buttons, so maybe they just wanted them on there for usability or something, but if this thing doesn’t have 3.0, it won’t be as good.
Tech companies are so behind. I seriously think every tech company should hire tech bloggers as advisors. Like, someone announced a Windows7/Android 1.6 tablet yesterday. 1.6!? Are you shitting me? Thats insane. 2.2 has been AOSP for almost a year. Spend the extra time!
I just looked at the spec on their website and i have to say i likey! esp since there is a full size USB port and runs honeycomb.
Why does it have hardware keys? Android 3.0 uses soft keys…
It needs to be significantly cheaper. 65,000 less tablet optimized apps, 150k less apps in general, means much much less contenet. After all it’s a touch tablet, so touch based apps set it apart from a laptop. It’s like a cable package with 65,000 less channels, it needs to be more than a little bit cheaper. Having a 12 core tablet with nothing to do on it is kind of useless. Not to mention multicores need to be optimized to even make use of them, so just souping up the specs without software is not giving us anything extra.
Actually the iPad 2 tops out at $829 (not including HDMI or camera kit)
@AndrewInCali
The picture is showing the original design that had 2.2. They’ve stated it will ship with Honeycomb.
I vastly prefer hardware keys! The black trim area around the screen is always essentially wasted space anyway, why should you take up precious screen space with software buttons? Even on a 10″ screen, every pixel counts :)
@phannymay: Just because it’s not optimized for a tablet doesn’t mean it wont run well.
Most of the apps I use are NOT tablet optimized. However, they run just fine, and look fine as well.
So, you basically have all of your standard Android apps. Some of them might look funny. That’s all.
@phannymay: As PSkeptic said, the standard apps work fine. Also, I’m sure it won’t take long for a lot more tablet optimized apps to be released. People used to criticize Android phones for not having that many apps and that rapidly changed once the Droid was released.
I am an android fanboy, but unless your app needs are very limited, the ipad is a better buy now.
When is it gonna be released and how much is it gonna cost?
If he can’t state those FACTS then he can shut up!
@AndrewInCali
I’m assuming they made this device for Android <2.3 and simply didn't bother revamping the hardware. There is no other excuse honestly. Unless they simply believe that people are going to really miss the buttons.
This may just be an attempted to differentiate themselves… which there is no point of seeing that this tablet has the most ports out of all of the announced Android 3.0 tablets.
I’m not sure why apple fans bother to come on these android sites and make childish comments, android people don’t waste their time on the apple site after all! Apple is going out of fashion quite rapidly anyway, at last count it was number 6 on the popularity scale, and Android is actually accelerating !
To compete with the iPod it’ll have to look better than that.
Launching in “just a couple days”? Where?? Talk about keeping it on the down low if they’re this close to launch and haven’t said hardly anything…I’m actually pretty excited to see what they offer, but a release date would be nice.
Finally someone with some balls to stand up and say their product is better, I like toshiba’s stuff. All they have to do is come with a wifi only tablet first and price it around $475 to $550. It’s not just one tablet that will beat apple in tablet sales it’s a fury of them that will win the war. Look at cell phones!!!
Oh yeah and it’s not against the ipad 2 it’s the ipod touch replica.
A while back I read that the average person uses approximately 7 apps on a regular basis. 65,000, 150,000 or a million apps is just goofy. The majority are mostly junk! The initial tablet apps will be some of the most popular. If there is a good app that needs to be tabletized, it will be….very soon.
Why does everyone go on about how many tablet apps there will be at launch? They seem to forget there were hardly any ipad optimized apps at launch. non story in my eyes, they are just worried their beloved ipad is about to be matched by all the android tabs.
I think every company learned from Motorola and apple about their pricing strategy. I don’t expect to see anymore Android tablets for $800 anymore.
Just release these tablets already. I love Android and want a Honeycomb tablet but I am boycotting Motorola for its contributions to the illegal settlements on Palestinian land. So Toshiba, Samsung, LG, etc etc lets go!!!!
This is the one I have been waiting for. It has great I/O ports. Toshiba has been advertising honeycomb since january, so its been in the spec for awhile now. Oh how I wish it will be $499.00
iPad 2 can get up to $829.
@Jim
.
I was just about to post something like that. Yea the iPad and iPhone has more apps, but how many does a person have installed and use on a daily basis?
.
If apps on an Android tablet still run fine and can scale to fit a tablet, its not that big of a deal yet. And with the release of the Fragments API thing just released:
https://phandroid.com/2011/03/04/fragments-api-extended-to-pre-honeycomb-platforms/
All that could mean is an update for current phone apps to be tablet optimized. The app thing, like fragmentation, is sometimes blown outta proportion.
And if this is priced nice and has decent features, it will be on my radar if I do decide to get a tablet.
It’s not hard to put a better product than iPad 2 considering how lacking the iPad 2 is in hardware department. The challenge is trying to outsell iPad 2.
ssa chew on this:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/google-buys-its-first-israeli-startup-in-25-million-deal-1.285157
:)
And the ultimate question everyone wants to know, will it be updated regularly? For the price vs. usability of a device, it should be updated because I’d be willing to be people replace tablets a lot less frequently than phones. If it comes stock, even better. I’ll be keeping an eye on this and the Asus tablet, should be interesting.
I’m so NOT looking forward to this. I had the ‘plessure’ to use the last Toshiba tablet (the 10.1 inch folio, also with tegra 2) and it was terrible. The capacitive touchscreen was as sensitive as an old resistive one the build quality was terrible.
MuadDib.. right on! The “i” anythings are lacking much… removable memory, replaceable batteries, better screens, etc., BUT the LOYAL fan base, buy ANYTHING apple consumers will keep the Apple Dept afloat! No worries, all the fanboiis can buy their Apple’Jobs wears and show off their bling! I’ll hold onto my hard earned $ and get the SAME performance if not better for 1/2 the cost thank you!
:)
I hope is doesn’t look like that…disgusting.
I’ve also been waiting for this one…still waiting on pricing, but with Full Size HDMI, USB and SD card slot which means no carrying dongles and special cables around… it is the most versatile tablet I have seen so far.
Needs to be down around that $500 mark to compete though.
im on the fence about about getting a tablet. i want one, but why not get a smaller laptop with a amd apu in it?
can’t wait and please be VZW 4g please and don’t go to sprint. which is my.fear
also it says multiple color choices. just wish they would release it.
While it may be true that most people use about 7 apps (and I would argue they must not be game players), what those 7 apps are probably varies greatly.
I have an Android phone. I’m going to get my first tablet this Friday. The reason why I’m getting the iPad 2 is the maturity of the app library. Is there a Sketchbook Pro or any drawing/art app on Android? No. And I don’t see or read that changing anytime soon. Is there anything like Garage Band for the musically inclined? No. And besides Google made apps, what chance is there that any tablet app will come to ONLY Android? I’d say very little just because of the installation base the iPad has. So I can get a iPad knowing, no matter how much Android catches up, I’m covered.
Competition is healthy, but I’d prefer it to be on the Software side. There is something to be said for us all getting on the same standard devise (VHS or Beta, Blu-Ray over HD_DVD etc) so people can concentrate on software optimization no hardware fragmentation. This was not a hater or fanboy rant so please respond with the same respect
One thing for sure, its OS(Android) “IS” better than iOS. Anybody that uses both like I on a daily basis knows this first hand, that iOS is so freaking limited and frustrating at time, as it doesn’t do basic stuff that even Android does out of the box.
Anyways, I’m getting an iPad 2 for compatibility testing — I likes making money, but since its OS is still gimped, it will be just as useless outside of liesure entertainment as my iPad.
Jazz,
I agree with you 100% on everything you said up there. I love Garage Band and would adore having something like that on Android but I could never ever buy an Apple product. The apps may be nice but the hardware is never worth the money. iOS doesn’t have anything that Android doesn’t and developers come and go. You’re safe on the software side? Sucks you will never have Flash. You may not NEED it but that doesn’t mean you dont want it and even if you dont that doesn’t speak for everyone and its not just with Flash. Apple seems to think they can speak for everyone but they cant, people buy Apple’s products but aren’t entirely happy with them because they are always lacking one thing or another.
@ Jim,
Dude..thank you!! I’ve talked about this over and over with people. Having a selection of apps is nice but really how many apps do you install and keep to use regularly? Very few. I’ve had my Droid a little over a year now and I bet I’ve only tried using maybe about a hundred apps. I’ve uninstalled more apps then I’ve kept. I keep using the Phandroid app though ;-).
jazz yes there is sketchbook for Android
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNjZ5BfMDZI
ipad won’t have Firefox (hard to live without adblock…), Flash, Softmaker office, touchdown, swype and other real apps
AGx,
I would like Flash. But because of fragmentation and the fact that my Samsung Moment was abandoned before 2.2, I don’t miss it because I don’t have it anyway. People aren’t entirely happy with Android either if their honest(fragmentation, missing apps (NetFlix), small tablet app library, expensive tablets etc).
I do believe in a couple years Android will have matured enough tablet wise to be a true competitor.
Of course a lot of Androids OS advantages to the common people(widgets specifically and Flash) could all be wiped away with an new iOS that supports them. I would personally be shocked if iOS 5 doesn’t have widgets (Flash not so much). And if it does, what advantage (besides more inputs (USB, SD cards) does an android tablet have?
Jazz,
I’m curious how Garage Band will port over to iPad. I can see some cool stuff to be had because of the touch screen. When I used to do electronic music I used Reason and Cubase. I couldn’t imagine those benefiting me on a tablet however. Then again, tablets were’t out then for me to even try. I’ve never used Garage Band on a tablet so I can’t comment on it with any credibility. There are DJ apps for Android that I’ve toyed with but suck on a phone really, but a tablet? That might work. To your point, you are consuming what Apple really focuses on…user experience and they do a good job at it. And Apple does excel at graphic design or media apps. I more or less use Android for productivity or fill needs…not much of a game player neither. So my app needs are pretty small, but I fit in with the majority of users I guess.
To see how to get a Honeycomb tablet for less than $300:
http://besttechtoday.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-get-honeycomb-tablet-for-under.html
Can I ask where you got your “couple of days” info. What I have read, it won’t launch until May. That’s more than a couple of days.
iPad beats crapdroid anyday. lipstick on a pig is still a pig.
sent from my iPad
Love love love my Toshiba laptop. If I ever were to consider a tablet this would be it. Go Toshiba.
well the ipad 2 is shit (no ifanboys, not “the shit”). so saying toshiba’s tablet is better isn’t saying much
I like the specs, full size hdmi and sd card, sweet! This summer there are going to be so many tab options, it is great. Hopefully they can keep their price down, and it is true what many have said about needing to come in cheaper then the iPad to compete. I would buy one of these.
I’m really looking forward to this tablet.
@goblueboy
Agreed, the iPad 2 isn’t much to beat. And to the Apple fangirls, please, if I wanted to do even rudimentary media (video / image) editing, a tablet is the last thing I’d want to do it on, especially one with a low res shit screen like the iPad. Sorry but but I’d rather use a real product like Photoshop or Premier on a 24″-28″ lcd than some crappy half-baked toy app. Might as well do it on an etch-a-sketch. It’s so hilarious seeing so many people hung up on these gimmick apps that are no better than Windows Paint.
John,
If you think Sketchbook Pro is no better than Windows Paint, your just being an irrational hater.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sketchbook-pro/id364253478?mt=8
This is definitely getting my attention when it gets released, first decent 3.0 tablet with WiFi only will get my money, it’s just a matter of who brings it out. I’m not worried about the weight of a tablet, anything under 2 pounds really isn’t heavy.
This could be the tablet that kick starts Android tablets. We need a good WIFI only device with the same connections and expansion as a laptop. Keep it away from the phone carriers and use your normal distribution channel.
@Jazz
And why would I leave a powerful app like Photoshop on a high res lcd for this crap on a tiny and inconvenient iPad screen again? Cause it’s cool? Ok so it’s a little better than Paint and cost a few bucks. Big deal, it’s still a toy and the iPad is still deficient by comparison. Nothing about these toy media apps scream ‘must have’ or even remotely necessary for true productivity. Fun? Maybe but certainly nothing to crow about.
Yeah, Toshiba Android 3.0 Tablet Is Far Better Than IPad2.
http://www.toptabletreview.com/toshiba-android-3-0-tablet-far-better-than-ipad2.html
i wonde