it is $399 in staples but you will get a $50 visa card so it's only $350 for brand new 16GB. What do you think? Refurb or brand new for additional $50

michaelmidwest wrote:I'm guessing he's asking this b/c a direct connection will be MUCH quicker than wifi. I wonder the same... and assume it's a yes.

Just checked my wireless device (phone) for a realworld response.

Speedtest.net results:
ping 43
down 16.89Mbps
up 6.92Mbps

Fast enough? I have dsl, rated at 40/5Mbps. I do get twice the download speed wired (so yes, that is much faster) on my computers, but I'm ok with 16 for my phone. This is a very typical result, I run Speedtest every now and then for fun or testing. 3G data from VZW for this phone rarely breaks 1Mbps, so 16 is plenty fast for anything. Presumably an 802.11n tablet would see similar results at my house.

Still haven't figured out how I consistently get near 7Mbps upload from this phone when I only pay for 5. My computers never break 5.

beertwenty wrote:The Acer Ionia a500 has it as well, in landscape mode, it's on the top left

I take my comment back... Guess I'm a sucker! The sales rep actually used the 'switch' on the Thrive as one of the selling points (in addition to the full size usb, HDMI, and SD) over the Iconia. Guess you can't believe much that a sales rep says...

:-(

Greetings,

Pardon my ignorance/unfamiliarity. (If purchased, this tablet would be my first Android OS device.)

Without installing any application or rooting, i.e. as-is, out-of-the-box, would the Toshiba Thrive, or any other Android OS 3.2 device, play MPEG2 video?

Thank you.


Best regards,
“bartsimpson”

scubalab wrote:Good deal here! Was considering buying at Staples for $349 new:

http://www.staples.com/Toshiba-Thrive-101-16GB-WiFi/product_321952

Or at Best Buy for $399 + 50 gift card (don't know if they'd match Staples price and still offer the gift card):

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Thrive+Tablet+with+16GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black+Tie/2769576.p?id=1218349687286&skuId=2769576&st=toshiba%20thrive&cp=1&lp=1

$289 for a refurb that arrives by X-mas, might be the way to go!

Don't think BestBuy will honor the Staples price. Read their fine print, their price match doesn't apply to web prices, mail in offers, etc. and Staples price is their easy rebate that you have to apply for online. Didn't verify this, but probably is true.

Krampuswind13 wrote:Great deal. Would think this one will probably get the ICS update eventually too. Maybe someday when I feel like I have money to spend Woot will have an Android tablet deal, now they just keep taunting me with deals while I'm broke...

I feel your pain Krampuswind13! Same "boat", "train", "slump" etc.!!

michaelmidwest wrote:Playbook has it, and I think the TouchPad does too, but cannot recall nor want to walk over to my other room to confirm.

My 7" Acer Iconia has this, as well. My Samsung 7" doesn't.

Greetings,

Many have posted that the Toshiba Thrive outputs a full ½ A to the regular-sized USB port, enough to power an external, portable, USB-only-powered hard disk drive. I suspect it supports FAT32 at-minimum. What other filesystem might it support? I would also prefer support for NTFS3.

Thank you.


Best regards,
“bartsimpson”

Lenovo Ideapad K1 32gb $280 staples and $300 office depot-NEW. This is a much better deal. Woot needs to step it up.
http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Tablet-K1-32GB/product_420152

gak0090 wrote:Lenovo Ideapad K1 32gb $280 staples and $300 office depot-NEW. This is a much better deal. Woot needs to step it up.
http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Tablet-K1-32GB/product_420152

Except Staples is out of stock, and Woot isn't (yet).

glave wrote:Except Staples is out of stock, and Woot isn't (yet).

Office Depot still has stock

scubalab wrote:Another VERY nice feature is the orientation lock... meaning by throwing a switch, you can disable the automatic orientation switching (via gravity) to turn pictures, read while lying down, etc.

Didn't know it had this until a sales rep showed me. Haven't seen another tablet with this feature...

There are dozens of apps on the Android Market that provide this feature if an OEM's skin doesn't already. One I like is aptly named "Auto-Rotate Switch". It lives in the status/notification bar and easy to access.

So let me stave off the angry replies first by saying this: I know nothing about tablets at all. That being said I drool every time I see one on here, but the comments are a bit dense for me that knows so little.

So here's a few questions for you wootsperts (see what I did there?) about this buy:

1) For a newbie to tablets, is this a good starter? I am looking for something that can run email, a few apps, and just a fun gadget. Not looking to hook it up to a 3G/4G plan or anything?

2) Does it run Netflix, Hulu, etc?

3) Is it durable. I travel a lot (trust it is not the fun kind) and this would be nice to have rather than a laptop.

4) What "Office" functions does it have? A word processor? I saw someone mention PowerPoint.

Thanks to any and all that can give me a general, layman's perspective on things!

I was considering getting the Kindle Fire...but this looks sexier...which to get?

The January 2012 issue of Consumer Reports (I am a time bandit from the future) lists this item as having an overall score of 73 out of one hundred, with excellent touch response and versitility, very good ease of use and display, and a good "portability." It also lists it as having a $480 pricetag, so even with this being refurbished, it looks like a good deal! Hop on it wooters.

Does this device have Infrared, so it can be used as a universal remote? Thanks

stevis74 wrote:I was considering getting the Kindle Fire...but this looks sexier...which to get?

The Terga2 processor in this one makes it more powerful than the Kindle Fire. Like all things, it's what you want to do with it. If you want to read e-books and occasionally play an app, the Fire is probably OK. The fire is also only 7", so you get a much smaller screen.

So can someone who has used their Thrive with video calls on Skype tell me what I'm missing? Because I have had mine since it came out and when I open Skype it doesn't give me the option of a Video Call.....

Samsung Galaxy Tab 1GHz 2GB 7" Touchscreen Tablet Android 2.2 w/Dual Cameras, 3G Wireless & 16GB… for $269.99 + free shipping
Another option for those looking for a tablet at geeks.com

traymaz wrote:Samsung Galaxy Tab 1GHz 2GB 7" Touchscreen Tablet Android 2.2 w/Dual Cameras, 3G Wireless & 16GB… for $269.99 + free shipping
Another option for those looking for a tablet at geeks.com

But thats only 7". Big diff in screen from 7" to 10" !!
The 10.1 Galaxy is $514 there. Ouch.

I bought the Galaxy Tab 10.1 on woot when they had it for $320 and thought that was a good deal.

It was boxed nicely btw, and turned right on. The glass was excellent, and will be greatly appreciated at Xmas time by my niece.

Unless you have to have an 'at Xmas" present I suspect in Q1/2012 we will see new tablets and the these Tegra ones will be old hat, and discounted. There will be some great deals to be had then!

The Toshiba is a good deal now. If I hadn't got the Galaxy 10.1 I would have got this, have fun all!

I was looking at this tablet yesterday so this is very timely. However, as much as I think it will serve my purpose, it is refurbished and I have to pay tax. Considering all that, it is not a good deal, especially since Newegg had it recently for $299 new with free shipping and no tax, or at least that what someone said several posts ago. Does anyone know if this thing has the right apps to use my HBO-Go account?

2 day ship!?!? Christmas is SAVED! Yay woot!
Sellout expected.... so act now, operators are standing by....

buffaloed wrote:Specs are nearly identical. Physically the Thrive is thicker and heavier.

Xoom uses Gorilla glass. Thrive uses lower quality glass. Thrive has a full size SD card slot and USB 2 slot and can work as a full USB host. Xoom is microSD. Thrive supports SDXC. Xoom doesn't. SDXC lets you use cards/usb drives greater than 32GB. Xoom is practically a Google product. An ICS update will be pushed for it. Toshiba is non-committal on the possibility of an update.
Personally, I'd go with the Thrive because I hate microSD. I have lots of pen drives and full size SD cards.

Additionally, Xoom can now be rooted to ICS ( Android 4 )! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1396251

engunneer wrote:I can verify GPS. Best to have offline maps with it, though.

How does Google maps work on it?

I agree, and it's a deal buster for me. AND, consider the potential number of units to be sold via WOOT. That seems like an awful lot of refurbished units, must be a few thousand available. Doesn't any one question the build quality?

edit: this was supposed to be a reply to a question about the warranty on these refurbished units....

jmjet wrote:Just ordered one from my rooted Nook Color!!!

Yup, I'm totally a nerd for that.

Oh well, I'm ready for an upgrade and TOTALLY stoked! :D

How do you root a nook color? Plss really want to understand...

abunce12 wrote:So can someone who has used their Thrive with video calls on Skype tell me what I'm missing? Because I have had mine since it came out and when I open Skype it doesn't give me the option of a Video Call.....

Update your Skype version. The new one has an option that enables video regardless of whether you have a supported device or not.

rjcorley wrote:Does this device have Infrared, so it can be used as a universal remote? Thanks

Do any current tablets on the market have Infrared?

bartsimpson wrote:Greetings,

Many have posted that the Toshiba Thrive outputs a full ½ A to the regular-sized USB port, enough to power an external, portable, USB-only-powered hard disk drive. I suspect it supports FAT32 at-minimum. What other filesystem might it support? I would also prefer support for NTFS3.

Thank you.


Best regards,
“bartsimpson”

Based on my experiences with Honeycomb and devices which have full USB ports (Viewsonic gTablet), you will be able to use NTFS formatted drives.

milacqua48 wrote:I was looking at this tablet yesterday so this is very timely. However, as much as I think it will serve my purpose, it is refurbished and I have to pay tax. Considering all that, it is not a good deal, especially since Newegg had it recently for $299 new with free shipping and no tax, or at least that what someone said several posts ago. Does anyone know if this thing has the right apps to use my HBO-Go account?

You will not be able to use HBO GO as of present as HBO GO currently only supports devices with IMEI numbers (Aka: Non-Wifi Only tablets and devices).

scubalab wrote:Another VERY nice feature is the orientation lock... meaning by throwing a switch, you can disable the automatic orientation switching (via gravity) to turn pictures, read while lying down, etc.

Didn't know it had this until a sales rep showed me. Haven't seen another tablet with this feature...

I will point out that EVERY single tablet on the market (including Froyo tablets) have this feature. Under Honeycomb, it can be switched from the status bar and the display settings menu. Under Froyo, it can be switched from the settings menu (and is usually the first thing I disable the second I flash my tablets).

abunce12 wrote:So can someone who has used their Thrive with video calls on Skype tell me what I'm missing? Because I have had mine since it came out and when I open Skype it doesn't give me the option of a Video Call.....

It's working on mine - video and all. Just updated os to 3.2 and re-installed Skype.

I just bought the 8GB from bestbuy last week for a gift. Thinking about this one though but still not sure. This reconditioned one only has 90 day warranty where the new ones have a one year. Is it worth the savings for a shorter warranty? Also, the toshiba web site says they have honeycomb 3.2 also. I imagine this is upgradeable to the latest version?

After owning the 703 gram ViewSonic gTablet, one of my top priorities in a new tablet is weight. The thing was just too darn heavy to comfortably browse the interwebs or watch movies for extended periods of time.

Toshiba Thrive is 771 grams. Enjoy your ports, but you have been warned.

I did do a review on this when it first came out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6OAugmdVDo

Thrive glass uses something that is as god as Gorilla Glass (to the other poster who said it uses a lower quality glass) and proof has been given that you can't break it or scratch it with a key:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KY0yZDta6cQ

I own a Thrive and it's pretty good. I also own a Fire for my bed or driving around use and the Fire is pretty good too. Of course, there's some picky people out there

PapaMidnight wrote:Do any current tablets on the market have Infrared?

Yes, according to CNET the Sony Tablet S does

Also -- to the person who said GPS is spotty -- my Thrive works well and got GPS locked a lot better than my own HTC EVO Phone... and it works well on the road.

FYI people. This thing works really well and I love it. You won't be disappointed. So what if it's "weighty".. the first iPad was around that and people were ok with it. This has full ports unlike the iPad and Samsung.

bstu185 wrote:After owning the 703 gram ViewSonic gTablet, one of my top priorities in a new tablet is weight. The thing was just too darn heavy to comfortably browse the interwebs or watch movies for extended periods of time.

Toshiba Thrive is 771 grams. Enjoy your ports, but you have been warned.

I find I use my G-Tab with the case that props it at a good ange on the airline tray with no issues. I fly back and forth from Europe to the US like that with no problems. Works pretty good lkie that at the house too.

pierzinaj wrote:How do you root a nook color? Plss really want to understand...

Check out Cyanogenmod - it's the easiest way I've found. There are some great guides, too, if you do a quick Google search on "root nook color". Don't have access at the moment to find the last one I used, but it was step-by-step and super easy, with links to all the necessary files and everything.

Good luck!

It does NOT support NTFS without rooting, but does support exFAT which Mac supports, XP with a download, the rest of windows, and is available for Linux. exFAT can go to 2TB.

You can format FAT32 to 2TB but the tablet will hiccup if you try to access it (I assume something overflows). I have a 1TB drive powered from the thrive as exFAT and it works perfectly.

There are also apps to provide a desktop feature that turns off rotation. "AutoRotate Switch" seems to work alright, but I believe that some of the apps that provide quick access to multiple settings also have this feature.

reeky wrote:Yes, according to CNET the Sony Tablet S does

Also the Vizio tab that was just on woot last week has IR transmitter.

I have the 32Gb and am really tempted to get today's woot.

Removable battery - they will go after a year or two, but this one doesn't have to go back to the factory and I can keep a spare.

Charges in an hour. It might not sound like much but if it is near zero, a few minutes will let you go an hour. The USB charging tablets take 3+ hours.

Full size USB is convenient - I can use my USB sticks to transfer files. Also plug in game controllers, keyboard or mouse so when I really need to work I can do so. Same with full sized HDMI.

It has exFAT and SDXC (yes, over 32G) support so you can use the larger cards and hard drives (it doesn't like FAT32 much over 32G, but you can get exFAT on everything including Linux). Going directly from camera to tablet is great.

Playback sound is a bit iffy. I have a post at thriveforums.org explaining how to turn up the sound a bit.

I have several VoIP (GrooveIP - Google voice, CSipSimple, textPlus and Skype. Yes it does video calls. I have several media players, MX Video is best for that, Astro Player can do speedups for audiobooks. I also have several office suites - Amazon free app of the day sometimes features one.

Navigation works great - If the GPS isn't broken, and you have it locked the first time it is usually fast. The only problem is a cold start outside of wifi. Mapdroyd has offline maps so if you don't have a portable hotspot you can still navigate.

I use Hacker's keyboard - I also have thumb and others depending on what I need.

Overall I really like it and wouldn't consider any other android tablet, at least not unless they charged as fast as faster or had a replaceable battery. And full sized ports.

Having a thin tablet but having to drag around a large bag of adapters to do what my thrive does by itself defeats the purpose of portability.

Steve Jobs derided the PC as a "truck" - but what do you haul furniture in, your sports car? The Thrive is like a minivan.