Get All Access for $5/mo

Toshiba's Thrive Tablet: A Better Bet for Small Businesses Want a tablet PC but can't justify the expense? Toshiba's Thrive will be more business-friendly than others on the market.

By Jonathan Blum

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Toshibas Thrive Tablet: A Better Bet for Small BusinessesTablet computers are a tricky call for small businesses. While they are a lower-cost investment and can support business-friendly software, they just don't do much. They have no disc drives for CDs or DVDs, have significantly less memory than notebook PCs and have few, if any, connections for such business peripherals as projectors and printers.

But that's changing.

Toshiba's Thrive tablet, due out in July, will have several small-business friendly tools. With extensive gaming and audio features, the Thrive is expected to play well as a consumer device, but the unit can also work as a productivity tool for small businesses.

The price is competitive. The 8GB version of the 10.1-inch tablet will cost $429, compared to the entry-level 16GB Apple iPad 2, which starts at $499.

Toshiba recently offered pre-release demos, so we gave it a spin. Here's the low-down for the small-business user.

What works: The prime feature of the Thrive is the relatively big 10.1-inch high-resolution LED screen, which supports the new Android 3.1 operating system, also known as Honeycomb. Honeycomb supports full access to the Android Market, which now features some high-quality business apps like Quickoffice Pro HD ($15) for using documents. The Thrive also sports front and back cameras that make the tablet a viable video-conferencing option.

There is a useful HDMI connector that can connect to a portable projector, a USB output, and a replaceable battery. The tablet's memory can also be supplemented with low-cost memory cards: 32 GB of extra storage costs roughly $50. And there is solid support for printing. An app called PrinterShare ships with the device.

What doesn't work: No cellular service, its large size, and a display that's second-rate by iPad standards.

Though the Thrive offers a nice mix of value and features, you will miss some things. Because there is no cellular option, it can be used only within a working Wi-Fi network. What's more, because it's big, you're unlikely to put it in your pocket or use it with one hand, say, in the car. And, though the screen looks perfectly good, I found the display quality to be step down from other tablets, such as the BlackBerry PlayBook and the iPad 2.

Bottom line: The Thrive offers small firms the benefits of a tablet computer with some flexibility built in, at a favorable price. When the device comes into stores mid-summer, if you are in the tablet market, it will be worth considering.

Jonathan Blum is a freelance writer and the principal of Blumsday LLC, a Web-based content company specializing in technology news.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Business News

'I'm Not Trying to Land on Mars': Mark Cuban Takes Dig at Elon Musk to Explain Why His Online Pharmacy Isn't Trying to Make More Money

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. is an online pharmacy co-founded by Cuban and radiologist Alex Oshmyansky.

Business News

'It's Not About You': How to Fire Someone Effectively, According to Kevin O'Leary

O'Leary says that if you can't fire someone, you aren't the right leader for the organization.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Meta Makes $1 Million Dollar Donation to Donald Trump's Inaugural Fund

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also reportedly gave Trump a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Marketing

Your Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Is Hiding in the Finance Department — Here's Why

Transform your marketing leadership by turning finance from a barrier into a strategic ally. Learn how aligning with your finance team can drive unprecedented growth and innovation.