Toshiba Thrive review: Heft earned?

We review the Toshiba Thrive tablet, and attempt to answer the question: Is a bulky tablet inherently a bad thing or can a tablet justify its extra mass?

by Eric Franklin

July 13, 2011 3:23 PM PDT Follow @nidopal

The Toshiba Thrive is a Honeycomb tablet. Just check out those icons if you're in doubt.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Tablets are generally expected to be "thin and light" small computers with unobtrusive interfaces. Some tablets are thinner and lighter than others, however.

While we've praised tablets like the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 for their sleekness, and dinged the HP TouchPad for being too bulky, the Thrive poses an interesting question. Is a bulky tablet inherently a bad thing or can a tablet justify its extra mass?

Toshiba Thrive (photos)

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In an attempt to answer that question I take a long hard look at the Thrive, including its full ports, swappable battery, and removable back panel. I then attempt to justify the hours I spent just staring at the thing, by attempting to convey my impressions via written communication.

I've compiled my thoughts on the Toshiba Thrive here.

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