Toshiba Excite 7.7 review

Posted on 18/06/2012 by Brad Molen

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In its sophomore attempt at cranking out Android tablets, Toshiba has unleashed the Excite series, a trifecta of thin tablet terror, upon Terran territory. The tiniest of the Thrive-topping trio is the Tegra 3-toting Excite 7.7, a close competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. It's portable, sports a gorgeous AMOLED display and packs plenty of processing power. Unfortunately for consumers, there aren't too many tablets this small with this nice a display, which means it'll be much easier for Toshiba to be noticed.

Coming to the US on June 24th, the WiFi-only version of the 7.7 -- also known as the AT270 -- will be available for $500 with 16GB and $580 for 32GB. It's not the most flattering price tag, but the Tegra 3 and brilliant display help ease the pain your wallet may experience. But is it worth it? You know what to do: head on past the break for our detailed review.

Gallery: Toshiba Excite 7.7

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Toshiba Excite 7.7 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba AT330 gets FCC approval, on track for June 10th launch date

Posted on 02/05/2012 by Sarah Silbert

Toshiba's 7.7-inch and 10.1-inch Excite tablets (known also by their respective model numbers, AT270 and AT300) have had their time in the FCC spotlight, and now it's the 13-incher's turn. The ARM-powered AT330 looks to be on track for its on-sale date of June 10th, so it has a good month to sit tight alongside its 7.7-inch sibling. As for that FCC report, no surprises there: Toshiba hasn't slipped in an LTE radio without warning us or anything scintillating like that -- just Bluetooth and WiFi tests here. So you can rest assured that the AT330 will be safe to use, but the jury is still out on how many people want a $650, 13-inch tablet.

Toshiba AT330 gets FCC approval, on track for June 10th launch date originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba announces Excite 10, 7.7 and 13 tablets, Thrive slates on their way out

Posted on 10/04/2012 by Dana Wollman

You complained, Toshiba listened. After its Thrive tablets were widely panned for their short battery life and chunky, cheap-feeling design, the outfit decided to put those models out to pasture and start anew. So bid goodbye to the Thrives, then, and say hello to the Excite 7.7, 10 and 13 (yes, 13). If you've been paying attention, these are the same tablets we first saw in prototype form at CES (and again at Mobile World Congress), complete with their slim builds and textured aluminum backs. Now, though we know that all three will pack NVIDIA's Tegra 3 SoC, and ship with unskinned Ice Cream Sandwich. The 7.7, in particular, sports the same AMOLED display inside the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, while the 13-incher steps up to 1600 x 900 resolution (as opposed to 1280 x 800). Oh, and for those of you who think you'll miss the 10-inch Thrive's full-sized SD slot, that feature carries over to the Excite 10 and 13. (As you can imagine, there was no room for the full-sized USB and HDMI ports on tablets this thin.)

Before we go any further, though, we're sure you want to hear more about that 13-incher in particular. First off, no, we're not joking. This is a 13-inch ARM-powered tablet. Not a 13-inch slate with Ultrabook specs; just a really big Android tablet. Why would you want such a thing, you ask? Well, Toshiba's banking on you using this indoors, particularly in the kitchen where you might want to glance at recipes or the weather forecast. In conversations about the product, company reps emphasized the tablet's tough Gorilla Glass display, though they seem oblivious to the fact that you could do all of the above with a $400 iPad 2, or any other mid-range tablet, for that matter. It's an important thing to consider, given that the Excite 13 will set you back a princely $650 for 32GB when it goes on sale June 10th.

In addition, the Excite 13 will be available with 64GB of storage for $750 (!). The Excite 7.7 is also coming June 10th, at which point it'll cost $500 for the 16GB flavor and $580 for the 32GB configuration. The 10-inch will beat them both to market, arriving May 6th starting at $500 for 16GB of built-in storage. There will also be a 32GB version for $530 and a 64GB number for $650. For now, we've got photos below, and you can check out our hands-on from CES if you prefer your gadget porn have some video.

Gallery: Toshiba Excite 7.7, 10 and 13