Toshiba AT200 Tablet Review | Discount Toshiba AT200 Tablets

Toshiba is releasing its AT200 tablet this month, becoming the latest firm to try and take on Apple at the top end of the market. The AT200 is noteworthy because it is currently the thinnest tablet on the planet, measuring in at just 7.7 millimetres and managing to beat even the iPad 2 when it comes to slenderness. This is particularly impressive given that it still has a 10.1 inch display with a 1280x800 resolution, along with a host of other high-tech innards to make it an appealing proposition. A 1.2GHz dual core processor will keep the Android 3.2 operating system ticking along nicely, although hopefully Toshiba will stick with its original promise and deliver an Android 4.0 update shortly after the AT200 hits shelves.

On the back of the tablet you will find a five megapixel camera, while its front surface has its own two megapixel secondary camera which will make it possible to conduct video calls over a Wi-Fi connection. The 16GB edition of the AT200 from Toshiba will retail for roughly the same price as the entry level 16GB iPad 2. However, the AT200 has another advantage in this area because it has a microSD memory card slot, allowing users to expand the storage capacity at a later date. Given that a lot of people simply browse the web and stream media files over broadband, storage is becoming less of a concern in the world of tablets, but expandability is a nice touch. To help make the AT200 a good all-rounder it has an HDMI output as well as USB inputs, letting you easily connect it to an HDTV, computer or compatible peripheral without much trouble.

While the 10.1 inch end of the market is contested by Apple, Toshiba, Samsung and many others, BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion is still trying to capture the attention of those who want a smaller seven inch device like its Playbook. This month RIM`s new chief exec Thorston Heins got in front of a crowd of developers at the Devcon Europe event to talk about the future of this tablet and RIM in general. Serious price cuts and a surplus of unsold Playbooks have resulted in some heralding RIM`s attempts to crack the market as a failure. However, Mr Heins said that he was confident that the upcoming launch of the Playbook OS 2.0 would help remedy many of the issues and get people interested in the tablet once more.

In particular he emphasised the importance of the new Runtime Android feature, which will allow the Playbook to emulate Android applications in order to bolster the relatively under stocked shelves of the tablet`s current digital download platform. Along with this the Playbook OS 2.0 software will bring new ways for BlackBerry smartphone owners to use their mobiles in conjunction with the tablet. Of course the impending launch of the iPad 3 and the eventual arrival of the iPhone 5 will probably put the Playbook updates to the back of the minds of most consumers.