Posts Tagged ‘Review’

If you're a fan of the NBA and live wallpapers, you'll want to check out the NBA All-Star Live Wallpaper app, which enables you to customize your background with your favorite NBA team.

The app is what we call freemium, which means that it is free to download the initial app, but you'll have to pay up for each team you decide to download from then on. Each team's live wallpaper is $1.99 with an in-app purchase, or you could buy every team for a flat fee of $4.99. You can also purchase team ringtones, but they come with the $4.99 package.

Once the app is installed, you'll need to go to the wallpapers gallery to find the NBA options. Once you click on it, you'll be able to customize:

• Team (only those you've paid for)
• Court (Home Court, Team Clubhouse, or Blacktop)
• Ball Type (NBA Official Ball, Team Ball Black, Team Ball Two-Tone, Red White and Blue, All-Star)
• Number of Basketballs (1 – 5)
• Ringtone (you'll also be able to access team ringtones if you purchase those)

Once the wallpaper is set, you'll see the basketballs that you've chosen bouncing around. Tapping one of them will make it bounce and tilting your phone will move them, all the while seeing your favorite team's logo in the middle of the screen. The wallpapers are all nicely designed and they're perfect for NBA fans who want to show off their fandom all of the time.

As I mentioned above, the initial download is free from the Android Market. We've got links after the break as well as more screenshots.

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YouTube link for mobile viewing

Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the galactic mote space amoeba. Its single-level mission: To not get eaten by bigger, nastier, red space amoebae and to boldly go where no space amoeba has gone before.

Oh, hey everyone. I've just introduced you to Osmos HD. There's not much to say about it, really. You start off as a small, worthless little blue space amoeba that hungers to be the biggest amoeba around. How do you get there? By eating the little guys, of course. Watch out, though. If you're not careful, bigger guys than yourself will be feasting on your space matter, too.

First things first. If you're going to become the biggest fish in an incredibly large pool, you've got to know how to move around. Tap on the sides of your space amoeba and he'll eject little bits of himself (gross) to propel him where you want him to float.

The double-edge to this rule, however, is that you're actually ejecting little parts of yourself. Each tap makes you a little bit smaller, thereby potentially ruining your chances of absorbing that tasty amoeba you were floating towards.

There's some nifty multitouch stuff to get around on the menus as well as a slider to either speed up the action or slow things down a bit.

There's two modes, Arcade and Odyssey, but you have to beat Odyssey mode before you can hop into Arcade. Odyssey sort of acts like the tutorial plus the introduction to the mechanics, and once you've beaten it, you can hop into Arcade and try to play any level on any difficulty to really test your chops.

Osmos HD is an absolutely gorgeous game, and with that said, there's nothing left to say. It's incredibly relaxing to play, has a beautiful, ambient soundtrack, and even has a couple of achievements to unlock for those who like digital trophies. Oh, and did I mention it was good enough to make the Humble Bundle?

If you haven't yet, get Osmos HD. It's well worth the $4.99 that's being asked for it in the Market, so show some devs a bit of love, pick up an awesome game, and spend the rest of your time floating the night away, space amoeba-style.

We've got download links after the break.

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Thing 1: Chrome for Android!

• Google Chrome Beta now available for Android 4.0 devices
• Chrome Beta for Android walkthrough
• How to sync tabs in Chrome desktop and Android
• New browser (Chrome) doesn't support dying plug-in (Flash)
• Chrome vs. Safari – Galaxy Nexus vs. iPhone 4S

Thing 2: Google Wallet cracked, hacked, covered and diced

• Google Wallet under attack again – this time by a feature, not a hack
• Google Wallet PIN security cracked – here's what you need to know
• Google responds to Wallet hack, recommends not installing it on rooted devices

Thing 3: Other odds and ends

• AC Explains: The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is still supported by Google
• Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX Review
• Verizon Motorola Droid 4 available Feb. 10 for $199 on contract
• Motorola Droid 4 has an unlockable … battery cover?
• HTC says first Ice Cream Sandwich updates coming in March, adds more phones to the list
• Aquarium for Google TV [Google TV app review]
• Samsung Infuse 4G Gingerbread update is on hold

Finding the right case for your phone is like picking a wand in Harry Potter. Try as you might, you can't ever force one on yourself; the right case always seems to choose you. Fortunately for me, I think I've finally found my one true case in the Mobi Products Honeycomb TPU Case for the HTC EVO 3D.

While there's no shortage of anti-dust, rubberized material, no-slip cases out on the market, the Honeycomb TPU Case has one glaring difference: its design. While it comes off as "just another case" from the front, once you flip this bad boy over, you'll be getting nothing but compliments at how cool your case is.

Up top you've got the standard 3.5mm headphone jack opening, but curiously enough, Mobi Products opted to cover the power button completely, leaving their own plastic button cover in place. It doesn't feel bad, but sometimes you lose the truly tactile clicking feeling that only comes from an uncovered button. They give the same treatment to the volume rocker, too.

On the same bezel as the rocker there's an opening for the camera button and 2D/3D slider, as well as openings for the microphones down bottom and the micro-USB charging port on the left.

The case itself is relatively thin, but just tall enough to peer over the camera lenses, which means you can finally leave your phone on its backside without worrying about scratching everything up. Add in the fact it's slick in your hand but grippy when on a surface, and you've definitely got a winner in the "cool look, great price" category of phone cases.

More pictures are after the break.

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Bigger is better. Well, unless we’re talking about the Toshiba Thrive. While we had a mostly favorable review of the “Honeycomb Hulk,” certain elements of the design were a bit awkward. Months after the original Thrive’s release, Toshiba hits a little closer to the mark with the Toshiba Thrive 7.

Playing Bruce Banner to the Honeycomb Hulk, the Thrive 7 has a more sensible build, is more palm-friendly, and makes more sense to own if a user doesn’t need the full 10-inch screen of a tablet. What’s less clear is if the Thrive should be considered over the Galaxy Tab 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, and host of other 7-inch screens. How does the Toshiba Thrive 7 stack up when compared to other devices in its class?

There’s only one way to find out, so let’s get  to it.

HARDWARE

Toshiba copied the basic design philosophy from the original Thrive and created a mini-me for the 7-inch version of the Android tablet. The Thrive 7 is a long black slab with round corners and a front-facing camera made more distinct thanks to a metal half-circle wrapped around it. The back has a rubber grip texture, though this style is smoother and flatter than the larger ridges we noticed on the original Thrive. It also has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that chugs along nicely and opens users up to a higher class of mobile gaming.

The Thrive 7 has a 7-inch LED touchscreen. Other display types typically garner more praise for their array of colors, but the 7′s high resolution (1280 x 800) on a smaller screen looks fantastic. The downside is that you can’t do much watching since battery life was suspect. I managed to watch an episode and a half of American Pickers on Netflix before the 7 took a big battery hit, and web browsing and reading activities didn’t seem to last as long as other tablets do. For leisure activities like reading books in transit or browsing apps on the couch, you’ll be fine, but things get dodgy if you are out and about for extended periods of time.

* 16 to 32 GB of internal memory and a chance to expand with micro SD

* The device can be held in one hand comfortable and is very portable, which is excellent for readers and travelers.

* MicroSD, mini USB, and micro HDMI ports provide more options for connecting devices and expanding memory. That means more entertainment options than you might get with other devices.

* While the original Thrive put speakers on both sides of the device for its “stereo” effect, the 7 has both speakers at the bottom in portrait and right in landscape, which often get blocked by the hand.

* Battery life is disappointing.

CAMERA

Toshiba offers a 2 MP front-facing camera and a 5 MP rear camera with flash. You won’t win any photography awards with either, especially since the camera takes so long that your subject may have moved already. You’re looking at a 3-5 second delay from pressing the button to the picture actually being snapped. You can still capture images in decent lighting to showcase, or have a video chat while sitting in an airport lounge, but photo-taking is not this device’s strong suit.

The rear camera isn’t very good, but it gets the job done. Just be sure to watch where you put your hands because of camera placement. The lens is near the top or left of the device depending on orientation, so the natural way to hold a tablet in landscape will cause a user’s hands to block the lens. Either keep your hand at the bottom of the device or record with one hand (it’s light enough to permit that kind of operation.)

SOFTWARE

Little has changed about the smaller Thrive’s software since we last reviewed the larger version. The 7 is running Android 3.2 and has the stable of standard Google Mobile apps that have been built with tablets in mind. The difference is that Toshiba toned down the amount of pre-loaded software that bloated the larger Thrive. The 7 still has pre-installed apps, but they are limited to a few card and board games, Kaspersky Security, Need for Speed Shift, and Printer Share. I would have preferred to see even those left off, but at least Toshiba slimmed down more than just the physical design of the 7.

On the plus-side, the Thrive 7 has standard, regular, no sugar-added Honeycomb 3.2. Most of the other 7-inch tablets we’ve seen have been heavily customized. While that’s not automatically a bad thing, it’s good to know that people who prefer stock Android have an option. Aside from a few awkward attempts to unlock the device while it slowly switched between portrait and landscape, it was a smooth ride. We can’t speak to upgrades regarding Ice Cream Sandwich because there’s no official word on it, but fingers are crossed that Toshiba will provide an upgrade.

CONCLUSION

So what’s the bottom line on the Toshiba Thrive 7? On the surface, it’s a solid 7-inch tablet that has better gaming options than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, but it’s tough to say that its really a better buy with the weaker battery life.

The Thrive 7 tries to make up for shorter battery life with a longer features list: more port and storage options that are great, a well-performing screen, and a comfortable feel. The person who buys this tablet must be someone who tries the Galaxy Tab 7 and finds some flaw that pushes them into the arms of the Thrive. (He or she might actually be better served with that device.) While the original Thrive was a clunky piece of hardware with enough strong points to overlook those shortcomings, the Thrive 7 offers some of the same awkwardness with more comfort. If you don’t care about cameras on a tablet and keep a charger handy, you’ll enjoy your time with the Thrive 7.

 

Comments

• [...] [...] by Toshiba Thrive Review | Kantier

Related Stories

• ASUS Transformer Prime Review: greatness disguise sold separately
• Toshiba reveals the DB50 Android based e-Book reader, to sell in Japan in February
• Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 The Right Size For Me? [Tablet Review]

Bigger is better. Well, unless we’re talking about the Toshiba Thrive. While we had a mostly favorable review of the “Honeycomb Hulk,” certain elements of the design were a bit awkward. Months after the original Thrive’s release, Toshiba hits a little closer to the mark with the Toshiba Thrive 7.

Playing Bruce Banner to the Honeycomb Hulk, the Thrive 7 has a more sensible build, is more palm-friendly, and makes more sense to own if a user doesn’t need the full 10-inch screen of a tablet. What’s less clear is if the Thrive should be considered over the Galaxy Tab 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, and host of other 7-inch screens. How does the Toshiba Thrive 7 stack up when compared to other devices in its class?

There’s only one way to find out, so let’s get  to it.

HARDWARE

Toshiba copied the basic design philosophy from the original Thrive and created a mini-me for the 7-inch version of the Android tablet. The Thrive 7 is a long black slab with round corners and a front-facing camera made more distinct thanks to a metal half-circle wrapped around it. The back has a rubber grip texture, though this style is smoother and flatter than the larger ridges we noticed on the original Thrive. It also has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that chugs along nicely and opens users up to a higher class of mobile gaming.

The Thrive 7 has a 7-inch LED touchscreen. Other display types typically garner more praise for their array of colors, but the 7′s high resolution (1280 x 800) on a smaller screen looks fantastic. The downside is that you can’t do much watching since battery life was suspect. I managed to watch an episode and a half of American Pickers on Netflix before the 7 took a big battery hit, and web browsing and reading activities didn’t seem to last as long as other tablets do. For leisure activities like reading books in transit or browsing apps on the couch, you’ll be fine, but things get dodgy if you are out and about for extended periods of time.

* 16 to 32 GB of internal memory and a chance to expand with micro SD

* The device can be held in one hand comfortable and is very portable, which is excellent for readers and travelers.

* MicroSD, mini USB, and micro HDMI ports provide more options for connecting devices and expanding memory. That means more entertainment options than you might get with other devices.

* While the original Thrive put speakers on both sides of the device for its “stereo” effect, the 7 has both speakers at the bottom in portrait and right in landscape, which often get blocked by the hand.

* Battery life is disappointing.

CAMERA

Toshiba offers a 2 MP front-facing camera and a 5 MP rear camera with flash. You won’t win any photography awards with either, especially since the camera takes so long that your subject may have moved already. You’re looking at a 3-5 second delay from pressing the button to the picture actually being snapped. You can still capture images in decent lighting to showcase, or have a video chat while sitting in an airport lounge, but photo-taking is not this device’s strong suit.

The rear camera isn’t very good, but it gets the job done. Just be sure to watch where you put your hands because of camera placement. The lens is near the top or left of the device depending on orientation, so the natural way to hold a tablet in landscape will cause a user’s hands to block the lens. Either keep your hand at the bottom of the device or record with one hand (it’s light enough to permit that kind of operation.)

SOFTWARE

Little has changed about the smaller Thrive’s software since we last reviewed the larger version. The 7 is running Android 3.2 and has the stable of standard Google Mobile apps that have been built with tablets in mind. The difference is that Toshiba toned down the amount of pre-loaded software that bloated the larger Thrive. The 7 still has pre-installed apps, but they are limited to a few card and board games, Kaspersky Security, Need for Speed Shift, and Printer Share. I would have preferred to see even those left off, but at least Toshiba slimmed down more than just the physical design of the 7.

On the plus-side, the Thrive 7 has standard, regular, no sugar-added Honeycomb 3.2. Most of the other 7-inch tablets we’ve seen have been heavily customized. While that’s not automatically a bad thing, it’s good to know that people who prefer stock Android have an option. Aside from a few awkward attempts to unlock the device while it slowly switched between portrait and landscape, it was a smooth ride. We can’t speak to upgrades regarding Ice Cream Sandwich because there’s no official word on it, but fingers are crossed that Toshiba will provide an upgrade.

CONCLUSION

So what’s the bottom line on the Toshiba Thrive 7? On the surface, it’s a solid 7-inch tablet that has better gaming options than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, but it’s tough to say that its really a better buy with the weaker battery life.

The Thrive 7 tries to make up for shorter battery life with a longer features list: more port and storage options that are great, a well-performing screen, and a comfortable feel. The person who buys this tablet must be someone who tries the Galaxy Tab 7 and finds some flaw that pushes them into the arms of the Thrive. (He or she might actually be better served with that device.) While the original Thrive was a clunky piece of hardware with enough strong points to overlook those shortcomings, the Thrive 7 offers some of the same awkwardness with more comfort. If you don’t care about cameras on a tablet and keep a charger handy, you’ll enjoy your time with the Thrive 7.

 

Comments

• [...] [...] by Toshiba Thrive Review | Kantier

Related Stories

• ASUS Transformer Prime Review: greatness disguise sold separately
• Toshiba reveals the DB50 Android based e-Book reader, to sell in Japan in February
• Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 The Right Size For Me? [Tablet Review]

Bigger is better. Well, unless we’re talking about the Toshiba Thrive. While we had a mostly favorable review of the “Honeycomb Hulk,” certain elements of the design were a bit awkward. Months after the original Thrive’s release, Toshiba hits a little closer to the mark with the Toshiba Thrive 7.

Playing Bruce Banner to the Honeycomb Hulk, the Thrive 7 has a more sensible build, is more palm-friendly, and makes more sense to own if a user doesn’t need the full 10-inch screen of a tablet. What’s less clear is if the Thrive should be considered over the Galaxy Tab 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, and host of other 7-inch screens. How does the Toshiba Thrive 7 stack up when compared to other devices in its class?

There’s only one way to find out, so let’s get  to it.

HARDWARE

Toshiba copied the basic design philosophy from the original Thrive and created a mini-me for the 7-inch version of the Android tablet. The Thrive 7 is a long black slab with round corners and a front-facing camera made more distinct thanks to a metal half-circle wrapped around it. The back has a rubber grip texture, though this style is smoother and flatter than the larger ridges we noticed on the original Thrive. It also has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that chugs along nicely and opens users up to a higher class of mobile gaming.

The Thrive 7 has a 7-inch LED touchscreen. Other display types typically garner more praise for their array of colors, but the 7′s high resolution (1280 x 800) on a smaller screen looks fantastic. The downside is that you can’t do much watching since battery life was suspect. I managed to watch an episode and a half of American Pickers on Netflix before the 7 took a big battery hit, and web browsing and reading activities didn’t seem to last as long as other tablets do. For leisure activities like reading books in transit or browsing apps on the couch, you’ll be fine, but things get dodgy if you are out and about for extended periods of time.

* 16 to 32 GB of internal memory and a chance to expand with micro SD

* The device can be held in one hand comfortable and is very portable, which is excellent for readers and travelers.

* MicroSD, mini USB, and micro HDMI ports provide more options for connecting devices and expanding memory. That means more entertainment options than you might get with other devices.

* While the original Thrive put speakers on both sides of the device for its “stereo” effect, the 7 has both speakers at the bottom in portrait and right in landscape, which often get blocked by the hand.

* Battery life is disappointing.

CAMERA

Toshiba offers a 2 MP front-facing camera and a 5 MP rear camera with flash. You won’t win any photography awards with either, especially since the camera takes so long that your subject may have moved already. You’re looking at a 3-5 second delay from pressing the button to the picture actually being snapped. You can still capture images in decent lighting to showcase, or have a video chat while sitting in an airport lounge, but photo-taking is not this device’s strong suit.

The rear camera isn’t very good, but it gets the job done. Just be sure to watch where you put your hands because of camera placement. The lens is near the top or left of the device depending on orientation, so the natural way to hold a tablet in landscape will cause a user’s hands to block the lens. Either keep your hand at the bottom of the device or record with one hand (it’s light enough to permit that kind of operation.)

SOFTWARE

Little has changed about the smaller Thrive’s software since we last reviewed the larger version. The 7 is running Android 3.2 and has the stable of standard Google Mobile apps that have been built with tablets in mind. The difference is that Toshiba toned down the amount of pre-loaded software that bloated the larger Thrive. The 7 still has pre-installed apps, but they are limited to a few card and board games, Kaspersky Security, Need for Speed Shift, and Printer Share. I would have preferred to see even those left off, but at least Toshiba slimmed down more than just the physical design of the 7.

On the plus-side, the Thrive 7 has standard, regular, no sugar-added Honeycomb 3.2. Most of the other 7-inch tablets we’ve seen have been heavily customized. While that’s not automatically a bad thing, it’s good to know that people who prefer stock Android have an option. Aside from a few awkward attempts to unlock the device while it slowly switched between portrait and landscape, it was a smooth ride. We can’t speak to upgrades regarding Ice Cream Sandwich because there’s no official word on it, but fingers are crossed that Toshiba will provide an upgrade.

CONCLUSION

So what’s the bottom line on the Toshiba Thrive 7? On the surface, it’s a solid 7-inch tablet that has better gaming options than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, but it’s tough to say that its really a better buy with the weaker battery life.

The Thrive 7 tries to make up for shorter battery life with a longer features list: more port and storage options that are great, a well-performing screen, and a comfortable feel. The person who buys this tablet must be someone who tries the Galaxy Tab 7 and finds some flaw that pushes them into the arms of the Thrive. (He or she might actually be better served with that device.) While the original Thrive was a clunky piece of hardware with enough strong points to overlook those shortcomings, the Thrive 7 offers some of the same awkwardness with more comfort. If you don’t care about cameras on a tablet and keep a charger handy, you’ll enjoy your time with the Thrive 7.

 

Comments

• [...] [...] by Toshiba Thrive Review | Kantier

Related Stories

• ASUS Transformer Prime Review: greatness disguise sold separately
• Toshiba reveals the DB50 Android based e-Book reader, to sell in Japan in February
• Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 The Right Size For Me? [Tablet Review]

Bigger is better. Well, unless we’re talking about the Toshiba Thrive. While we had a mostly favorable review of the “Honeycomb Hulk,” certain elements of the design were a bit awkward. Months after the original Thrive’s release, Toshiba hits a little closer to the mark with the Toshiba Thrive 7.

Playing Bruce Banner to the Honeycomb Hulk, the Thrive 7 has a more sensible build, is more palm-friendly, and makes more sense to own if a user doesn’t need the full 10-inch screen of a tablet. What’s less clear is if the Thrive should be considered over the Galaxy Tab 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, and host of other 7-inch screens. How does the Toshiba Thrive 7 stack up when compared to other devices in its class?

There’s only one way to find out, so let’s get  to it.

HARDWARE

Toshiba copied the basic design philosophy from the original Thrive and created a mini-me for the 7-inch version of the Android tablet. The Thrive 7 is a long black slab with round corners and a front-facing camera made more distinct thanks to a metal half-circle wrapped around it. The back has a rubber grip texture, though this style is smoother and flatter than the larger ridges we noticed on the original Thrive. It also has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that chugs along nicely and opens users up to a higher class of mobile gaming.

The Thrive 7 has a 7-inch LED touchscreen. Other display types typically garner more praise for their array of colors, but the 7′s high resolution (1280 x 800) on a smaller screen looks fantastic. The downside is that you can’t do much watching since battery life was suspect. I managed to watch an episode and a half of American Pickers on Netflix before the 7 took a big battery hit, and web browsing and reading activities didn’t seem to last as long as other tablets do. For leisure activities like reading books in transit or browsing apps on the couch, you’ll be fine, but things get dodgy if you are out and about for extended periods of time.

* 16 to 32 GB of internal memory and a chance to expand with micro SD

* The device can be held in one hand comfortable and is very portable, which is excellent for readers and travelers.

* MicroSD, mini USB, and micro HDMI ports provide more options for connecting devices and expanding memory. That means more entertainment options than you might get with other devices.

* While the original Thrive put speakers on both sides of the device for its “stereo” effect, the 7 has both speakers at the bottom in portrait and right in landscape, which often get blocked by the hand.

* Battery life is disappointing.

CAMERA

Toshiba offers a 2 MP front-facing camera and a 5 MP rear camera with flash. You won’t win any photography awards with either, especially since the camera takes so long that your subject may have moved already. You’re looking at a 3-5 second delay from pressing the button to the picture actually being snapped. You can still capture images in decent lighting to showcase, or have a video chat while sitting in an airport lounge, but photo-taking is not this device’s strong suit.

The rear camera isn’t very good, but it gets the job done. Just be sure to watch where you put your hands because of camera placement. The lens is near the top or left of the device depending on orientation, so the natural way to hold a tablet in landscape will cause a user’s hands to block the lens. Either keep your hand at the bottom of the device or record with one hand (it’s light enough to permit that kind of operation.)

SOFTWARE

Little has changed about the smaller Thrive’s software since we last reviewed the larger version. The 7 is running Android 3.2 and has the stable of standard Google Mobile apps that have been built with tablets in mind. The difference is that Toshiba toned down the amount of pre-loaded software that bloated the larger Thrive. The 7 still has pre-installed apps, but they are limited to a few card and board games, Kaspersky Security, Need for Speed Shift, and Printer Share. I would have preferred to see even those left off, but at least Toshiba slimmed down more than just the physical design of the 7.

On the plus-side, the Thrive 7 has standard, regular, no sugar-added Honeycomb 3.2. Most of the other 7-inch tablets we’ve seen have been heavily customized. While that’s not automatically a bad thing, it’s good to know that people who prefer stock Android have an option. Aside from a few awkward attempts to unlock the device while it slowly switched between portrait and landscape, it was a smooth ride. We can’t speak to upgrades regarding Ice Cream Sandwich because there’s no official word on it, but fingers are crossed that Toshiba will provide an upgrade.

CONCLUSION

So what’s the bottom line on the Toshiba Thrive 7? On the surface, it’s a solid 7-inch tablet that has better gaming options than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, but it’s tough to say that its really a better buy with the weaker battery life.

The Thrive 7 tries to make up for shorter battery life with a longer features list: more port and storage options that are great, a well-performing screen, and a comfortable feel. The person who buys this tablet must be someone who tries the Galaxy Tab 7 and finds some flaw that pushes them into the arms of the Thrive. (He or she might actually be better served with that device.) While the original Thrive was a clunky piece of hardware with enough strong points to overlook those shortcomings, the Thrive 7 offers some of the same awkwardness with more comfort. If you don’t care about cameras on a tablet and keep a charger handy, you’ll enjoy your time with the Thrive 7.

 

Comments

• [...] [...] by Toshiba Thrive Review | Kantier

Related Stories

• ASUS Transformer Prime Review: greatness disguise sold separately
• Toshiba reveals the DB50 Android based e-Book reader, to sell in Japan in February
• Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 The Right Size For Me? [Tablet Review]

Bigger is better. Well, unless we’re talking about the Toshiba Thrive. While we had a mostly favorable review of the “Honeycomb Hulk,” certain elements of the design were a bit awkward. Months after the original Thrive’s release, Toshiba hits a little closer to the mark with the Toshiba Thrive 7.

Playing Bruce Banner to the Honeycomb Hulk, the Thrive 7 has a more sensible build, is more palm-friendly, and makes more sense to own if a user doesn’t need the full 10-inch screen of a tablet. What’s less clear is if the Thrive should be considered over the Galaxy Tab 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, and host of other 7-inch screens. How does the Toshiba Thrive 7 stack up when compared to other devices in its class?

There’s only one way to find out, so let’s get  to it.

HARDWARE

Toshiba copied the basic design philosophy from the original Thrive and created a mini-me for the 7-inch version of the Android tablet. The Thrive 7 is a long black slab with round corners and a front-facing camera made more distinct thanks to a metal half-circle wrapped around it. The back has a rubber grip texture, though this style is smoother and flatter than the larger ridges we noticed on the original Thrive. It also has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that chugs along nicely and opens users up to a higher class of mobile gaming.

The Thrive 7 has a 7-inch LED touchscreen. Other display types typically garner more praise for their array of colors, but the 7′s high resolution (1280 x 800) on a smaller screen looks fantastic. The downside is that you can’t do much watching since battery life was suspect. I managed to watch an episode and a half of American Pickers on Netflix before the 7 took a big battery hit, and web browsing and reading activities didn’t seem to last as long as other tablets do. For leisure activities like reading books in transit or browsing apps on the couch, you’ll be fine, but things get dodgy if you are out and about for extended periods of time.

* 16 to 32 GB of internal memory and a chance to expand with micro SD

* The device can be held in one hand comfortable and is very portable, which is excellent for readers and travelers.

* MicroSD, mini USB, and micro HDMI ports provide more options for connecting devices and expanding memory. That means more entertainment options than you might get with other devices.

* While the original Thrive put speakers on both sides of the device for its “stereo” effect, the 7 has both speakers at the bottom in portrait and right in landscape, which often get blocked by the hand.

* Battery life is disappointing.

CAMERA

Toshiba offers a 2 MP front-facing camera and a 5 MP rear camera with flash. You won’t win any photography awards with either, especially since the camera takes so long that your subject may have moved already. You’re looking at a 3-5 second delay from pressing the button to the picture actually being snapped. You can still capture images in decent lighting to showcase, or have a video chat while sitting in an airport lounge, but photo-taking is not this device’s strong suit.

The rear camera isn’t very good, but it gets the job done. Just be sure to watch where you put your hands because of camera placement. The lens is near the top or left of the device depending on orientation, so the natural way to hold a tablet in landscape will cause a user’s hands to block the lens. Either keep your hand at the bottom of the device or record with one hand (it’s light enough to permit that kind of operation.)

SOFTWARE

Little has changed about the smaller Thrive’s software since we last reviewed the larger version. The 7 is running Android 3.2 and has the stable of standard Google Mobile apps that have been built with tablets in mind. The difference is that Toshiba toned down the amount of pre-loaded software that bloated the larger Thrive. The 7 still has pre-installed apps, but they are limited to a few card and board games, Kaspersky Security, Need for Speed Shift, and Printer Share. I would have preferred to see even those left off, but at least Toshiba slimmed down more than just the physical design of the 7.

On the plus-side, the Thrive 7 has standard, regular, no sugar-added Honeycomb 3.2. Most of the other 7-inch tablets we’ve seen have been heavily customized. While that’s not automatically a bad thing, it’s good to know that people who prefer stock Android have an option. Aside from a few awkward attempts to unlock the device while it slowly switched between portrait and landscape, it was a smooth ride. We can’t speak to upgrades regarding Ice Cream Sandwich because there’s no official word on it, but fingers are crossed that Toshiba will provide an upgrade.

CONCLUSION

So what’s the bottom line on the Toshiba Thrive 7? On the surface, it’s a solid 7-inch tablet that has better gaming options than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, but it’s tough to say that its really a better buy with the weaker battery life.

The Thrive 7 tries to make up for shorter battery life with a longer features list: more port and storage options that are great, a well-performing screen, and a comfortable feel. The person who buys this tablet must be someone who tries the Galaxy Tab 7 and finds some flaw that pushes them into the arms of the Thrive. (He or she might actually be better served with that device.) While the original Thrive was a clunky piece of hardware with enough strong points to overlook those shortcomings, the Thrive 7 offers some of the same awkwardness with more comfort. If you don’t care about cameras on a tablet and keep a charger handy, you’ll enjoy your time with the Thrive 7.

 

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Bigger is better. Well, unless we’re talking about the Toshiba Thrive. While we had a mostly favorable review of the “Honeycomb Hulk,” certain elements of the design were a bit awkward. Months after the original Thrive’s release, Toshiba hits a little closer to the mark with the Toshiba Thrive 7.

Playing Bruce Banner to the Honeycomb Hulk, the Thrive 7 has a more sensible build, is more palm-friendly, and makes more sense to own if a user doesn’t need the full 10-inch screen of a tablet. What’s less clear is if the Thrive should be considered over the Galaxy Tab 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, and host of other 7-inch screens. How does the Toshiba Thrive 7 stack up when compared to other devices in its class?

There’s only one way to find out, so let’s get  to it.

HARDWARE

Toshiba copied the basic design philosophy from the original Thrive and created a mini-me for the 7-inch version of the Android tablet. The Thrive 7 is a long black slab with round corners and a front-facing camera made more distinct thanks to a metal half-circle wrapped around it. The back has a rubber grip texture, though this style is smoother and flatter than the larger ridges we noticed on the original Thrive. It also has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor that chugs along nicely and opens users up to a higher class of mobile gaming.

The Thrive 7 has a 7-inch LED touchscreen. Other display types typically garner more praise for their array of colors, but the 7′s high resolution (1280 x 800) on a smaller screen looks fantastic. The downside is that you can’t do much watching since battery life was suspect. I managed to watch an episode and a half of American Pickers on Netflix before the 7 took a big battery hit, and web browsing and reading activities didn’t seem to last as long as other tablets do. For leisure activities like reading books in transit or browsing apps on the couch, you’ll be fine, but things get dodgy if you are out and about for extended periods of time.

* 16 to 32 GB of internal memory and a chance to expand with micro SD

* The device can be held in one hand comfortable and is very portable, which is excellent for readers and travelers.

* MicroSD, mini USB, and micro HDMI ports provide more options for connecting devices and expanding memory. That means more entertainment options than you might get with other devices.

* While the original Thrive put speakers on both sides of the device for its “stereo” effect, the 7 has both speakers at the bottom in portrait and right in landscape, which often get blocked by the hand.

* Battery life is disappointing.

CAMERA

Toshiba offers a 2 MP front-facing camera and a 5 MP rear camera with flash. You won’t win any photography awards with either, especially since the camera takes so long that your subject may have moved already. You’re looking at a 3-5 second delay from pressing the button to the picture actually being snapped. You can still capture images in decent lighting to showcase, or have a video chat while sitting in an airport lounge, but photo-taking is not this device’s strong suit.

The rear camera isn’t very good, but it gets the job done. Just be sure to watch where you put your hands because of camera placement. The lens is near the top or left of the device depending on orientation, so the natural way to hold a tablet in landscape will cause a user’s hands to block the lens. Either keep your hand at the bottom of the device or record with one hand (it’s light enough to permit that kind of operation.)

SOFTWARE

Little has changed about the smaller Thrive’s software since we last reviewed the larger version. The 7 is running Android 3.2 and has the stable of standard Google Mobile apps that have been built with tablets in mind. The difference is that Toshiba toned down the amount of pre-loaded software that bloated the larger Thrive. The 7 still has pre-installed apps, but they are limited to a few card and board games, Kaspersky Security, Need for Speed Shift, and Printer Share. I would have preferred to see even those left off, but at least Toshiba slimmed down more than just the physical design of the 7.

On the plus-side, the Thrive 7 has standard, regular, no sugar-added Honeycomb 3.2. Most of the other 7-inch tablets we’ve seen have been heavily customized. While that’s not automatically a bad thing, it’s good to know that people who prefer stock Android have an option. Aside from a few awkward attempts to unlock the device while it slowly switched between portrait and landscape, it was a smooth ride. We can’t speak to upgrades regarding Ice Cream Sandwich because there’s no official word on it, but fingers are crossed that Toshiba will provide an upgrade.

CONCLUSION

So what’s the bottom line on the Toshiba Thrive 7? On the surface, it’s a solid 7-inch tablet that has better gaming options than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, but it’s tough to say that its really a better buy with the weaker battery life.

The Thrive 7 tries to make up for shorter battery life with a longer features list: more port and storage options that are great, a well-performing screen, and a comfortable feel. The person who buys this tablet must be someone who tries the Galaxy Tab 7 and finds some flaw that pushes them into the arms of the Thrive. (He or she might actually be better served with that device.) While the original Thrive was a clunky piece of hardware with enough strong points to overlook those shortcomings, the Thrive 7 offers some of the same awkwardness with more comfort. If you don’t care about cameras on a tablet and keep a charger handy, you’ll enjoy your time with the Thrive 7.

 

Comments

• [...] [...] by Toshiba Thrive Review | Kantier

Related Stories

• ASUS Transformer Prime Review: greatness disguise sold separately
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