And now this handsome device is available in the UK, with the Carphone Warehouse scoring the exclusive launch deal. The 16GB tablet could be yours for 399 GBP (about $633), while the 32GB version is selling for 50 GBP more (449 GBP ~ $712).

Specs wise, Toshiba’s baby rocks TI’s 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi connectivity, 10.1-inch 1280×800 pixels screen, mini-HDMI, mini-USB, microSD card slot, while Android 3.2 Honeycomb is running the show. Yep, it will definitely get its serving of the Ice Cream Sandwich, though at the moment we can’t tell when exactly that will happen…

[Via: EuroDroid]

Unfortunately we’ve no clue whether these babies will ever be launched. We do hope to see more competition in the tablet space, though I’m not sure the screen size is that crucial. Rather Toshiba (and other tablet makers for that matter) are better off focusing on some additional gizmos to make their products more appealing to the general public. Asus figured this out hence the original Transformer is one of the most successful Android tablets released thus far.

In any case, we look forward to more options and will be watching for any press material Toshiba pushes through the wires. Stay tuned…

And while I doubt their Thrive and Excite tablets sell in volumes — no matter how fancy they may seem — the Japanese company must be thinking this is just a start and that sales will come later (this year?).

Aside from tablets, Toshiba also had its laptops and TVs at display, as you’re about to see from our gallery. Enjoy!

Upon first glance, the Excite doesn’t look like much more than your run of the mill, “us to” Android tablet. Then again, there’s only so much you can do with the front of a tablet when the screen dominates the face. Once you pick it up and look at the back of the Excite, its name becomes a little more befitting.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the Excite feels incredibly light in the hands, and while it’s just a hair lighter than most tablets of the 10.1 inch variety (1.2 lbs.), it certainly feels much lighter. Couple the Excite’s lightness with its stupid-thin profile of just 7.7mm and our ears have perks up like no other. Turning the tablet over will bring another nice surprise – the entire back has a very bright and sexy brushed aluminum finish that really makes the Excite stand out.

The 10.1 inch Excite sports the standard 1280×800 resolution but this IPS panel also sports Resolution Plus+ for enhanced color saturation through and through. This is most noticeable when viewing videos, as colors and crisp and really shine. Gorilla Glass also finds itself as the guardian of all the pixels on the beautiful screen.

While you won’t find a quad-core processor running the show on the Excite, most will be more than pleased with the 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor on board. You’ll also get all of the now standard Micro HDMI and micro USB ports, along with a micro SD card slot (expandable to 32GB), stereo speakers, 2 megapixel front-facing camera, and 5 megapixel rear camera.

Shipping with Android Honeycomb, the Excite will receive the Ice Cream Sandwich update shortly after it launches. The 16GB version will run you $530 and the 32GB version will cost $599. While that’s a bit on the pricier side for tablets, the Excite is definitely a head turner and the price may be easily justified for some. Expect to see this tablet ship sometime this quarter.

Check out the gallery below!

Our friends at Phandroid are saying that this tablet should be called the Excite and it will sport a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display and the device will be just 7.7 mm thick. That makes it even thinner than the super-thin iPad 2 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1. We can also look forward to a 1.2 GHz dual-core OMAP processor, multiple cameras and various storage capabilities.

Toshiba also supposedly will show off another 7-inch tablet but this one will be a budget device. Look for this to also be powered by Android and I’m hoping it lands at an aggressive price – maybe this will be a real Kindle Fire competitor.

[Via Phandroid]

• Improved compatibility mode enhancing the way applications originally designed for smaller screen devices appear and function on the larger tablet display.
• Improved screen rotation acceleration.
• Added extended screen support API, giving developers more precise control over the user interface across a range of Android-powered devices.

On the downside though, this release is said to block the root method that was found earlier on so if you like your Android devices rooted, you better wait for few more weeks until the hacking community finds its way around this firmware, too.

In any case, it’s good to see Toshiba taking care of its existing customers and in that sense the Thrive will be a great buy at the upcoming Black Friday – the rumor is that Best Buy will sell it for $280, making for an awesome deal.

[Via: phandroid]

By the looks of things, RIM could score higher in future report cards simply by disclosing more of what it’s doing in particular fields, but as is, this is yet another PR headache BlackBerry could do without. RIM already has investors breathing down their neck for a BlackBerry that doesn’t look like the same thing they launched three years ago, and they’re still doling out free apps for the massive service outage a few weeks ago – do they really need eco-activists picketing the brand too?

You can read up on RIM’s Greenpeace report card over here, or see how the rest of the manufacturers did here.