lots of reviews (average 3.6 out of 5.0) over at amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Excite-AT305T16-10-1-Inch-Computer/dp/B007OWZRC8
and here’s a review from sitegadget.com
Request for clarification? The product description lists 4.0 Honeycomb. But Android 4.0 is Ice Cream Sandwich, 3.0 is Honeycomb.
Nevermind. After further review, it does list 4.0 ICS under Specs.
[MOD: Features have been fixed. Thanks. ]
some ok reviews over at newegg.com
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214697
[QUOTE=KingLouie951, post:4, topic:380022]
Request for clarification? The product description lists 4.0 Honeycomb. But Android 4.0 is Ice Cream Sandwich, 3.0 is Honeycomb.
Nevermind. After further review, it does list 4.0 ICS under Specs.
[/quote]
I just got mine in from BensOutlet.com. It prompted me for an update to the existing ICS and then an update to 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.
Previous woot also $259.99
http://tech.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=5339335
edit:
Click the other tab for the service bulletins.
If I’m not mistaken you can’t root this, so it’s pretty much useless. You never really own it.
Can anyone tell me how this compares to my Toshiba Thrive, which i love?
[QUOTE=Tyross, post:8, topic:380022]
If I’m not mistaken you can’t root this, so it’s pretty much useless. You never really own it.
[/quote]
This post pretty much confirms your suspicion - it’s not really rootable. 
1staff, you may want to stick to the Thrive if rooting is important. It is to me, since that’s where you get full functionality.
Tyross, at present, the Excite 10 cannot be rooted. Toshiba might have thought they were protecting users, but I think they lost a lot more customers.
Toshiba’s ICS update for the Thrive is really crappy, and you can’t root it. However, a while back one of the thriveforums.org experts remotely rolled me back to Honeycomb. Then I unlocked the bootloader and installed a very stable non-Toshiba ICS ROM.
A few days ago I installed a very unofficial yet very stable version of Jelly Bean, and it’s so smooth. I’d sooner use a tablet that’s a little clunkier but opened up, than a prettier tablet all locked down.
If you buy this be prepared to spend another $25 dollars to send it to Toshiba to get fixed. The one I bought from the last woot sale wasn’t installed right and wouldn’t take any of the system updates that were available. And, since this tablet isn’t hackable you won’t be able to install a custom rom in order to get around the problem.
I still think that sub $300 is an incredible deal for a quad core tablet that will run the newest Android version. I really don’t think that not being able to root the tablet is that big a deal for most users. The form factor of the Excite is MUCH nicer than the Thrive and helps make up for some of the deficiencies.
There is still the light bleed issue that is mentioned in most reviews. It was not excessive on the one I received but definitely noticeable and occasionally annoying in my opinion. There also aren’t a ton of accessories made specifically for the Excite, I do wish there was a dock available like the one for the Thrive.
As long as you understand all the pros/cons ahead of time you will be happy with this tablet in the end.
[QUOTE=lstaff, post:9, topic:380022]
Can anyone tell me how this compares to my Toshiba Thrive, which i love?
[/quote]
The excite has a newer, faster processor with twice the cores. It also has a newer, faster type of memory. It should beat the thrive in performance pretty handily and did quite well in the performance test reviews I read. It also has a much thinner and lighter body. I thought it was quite nice looking, not big and chunky like the thrive.
Sighs…
If I can’t root the device… then no sale!
For a refurb and the listed price it should be 32GB.
[QUOTE=Tyross, post:8, topic:380022]
If I’m not mistaken you can’t root this, so it’s pretty much useless. You never really own it.
[/quote]
To say that something is “useless” because you can’t root it is probably not speaking to the vast populace of potential users out there. It’s true for you, but you are in the minority.
As to the question of whether this is better than a Thrive, I can say that the Excite is noticeably faster, but for me, an inexpensive replaceable battery will keep me using my Thrive for some time to come (and I use it every day at work for email and note-taking). When the battery is the primary cause of natural-death failure in most portable electronics, that means a lot to me.
If you love your Thrive, then keep using it.
Coming from someone who’s not owned a tablet yet, but am very interested in getting something to use with wi-fi to access typical apps, internet, and also to use a reader:
why would i choose this over the very highly rated Google Nexus 10 (or 7)?
[QUOTE=bjmarte, post:12, topic:380022]
If you buy this be prepared to spend another $25 dollars to send it to Toshiba to get fixed. The one I bought from the last woot sale wasn’t installed right and wouldn’t take any of the system updates that were available. And, since this tablet isn’t hackable you won’t be able to install a custom rom in order to get around the problem.
I still think that sub $300 is an incredible deal for a quad core tablet that will run the newest Android version. I really don’t think that not being able to root the tablet is that big a deal for most users. The form factor of the Excite is MUCH nicer than the Thrive and helps make up for some of the deficiencies.
There is still the light bleed issue that is mentioned in most reviews. It was not excessive on the one I received but definitely noticeable and occasionally annoying in my opinion. There also aren’t a ton of accessories made specifically for the Excite, I do wish there was a dock available like the one for the Thrive.
As long as you understand all the pros/cons ahead of time you will be happy with this tablet in the end.
[/quote]
Wow that’s funny you couldn’t update because I also bought an excite from the last woot sale and it had the same problem. I’m still waiting for the box from Toshibas warehouse so I can pack this thing up and ship it for repair. People really need to check every aspect of a refurbished product before trying to sell it.
Did you get a cable with the one from Ben’s Outlet!???
Watch the glass on your thrive. It is NOT gorilla glass and mine shattered 6 months after I purchased it. Glass is not covered by warranty!
This has gorilla glass which is a huge upgrade.
Not everyone has the urge to root.