It’s a tablet world, and Toshiba doesn’t want to be the one company left behind. Toshiba has already made a stab at the tablet market with some success, but this time around the company has put out a smaller tablet that may appeal to some consumers. The 7-inch Toshiba Thrive is thinner, easier to carry, and comes with some interesting features. If you are in the tablet market (and it’s hard to find someone who’s not), you may want to set your sights on Toshiba’s latest offering.

The first thing you’ll notice about this tablet is the design. Toshiba did not skimp on design this time around, and the Thrive is simple and elegant. The second thing you’ll notice is the price of the new Toshiba Thrive. At $379 (16GB) this tablet isn’t the cheapest on the market, but you may find that this is a fair price for everything that Toshiba has included in the 7-inch Thrive version.

What to Expect

The first thing to not like about the 7-inch Thrive is that you can’t remove the battery that comes with this tablet in order to replace it with a new one. This is a strange move on Toshiba’s part, since the ten-inch version of the Thrive comes with a removable battery (which is why many people like the Thrive). The obvious problem with a battery that can’t be removed is that once that battery is finished, you will have to replace the entire device. Batteries aside, the Thrive has an HDMI, mini-USB, and a micro-SD slot. If you’re the type who liked to take tablet photos, the smaller version of the Thrive comes with a two-megapixel camera on the front and a five-megapixel camera on the back.

As far as the meat of the Thrive goes, you’ll find Honeycomb 3.2.1 installed, a few simple games, access to all of Google’s best, and plenty of options from the Android marketplace. If you’re familiar with Honeycomb, you know that it’s quick, responsive, and easy to use.

In fact, if you are used to Honeycomb, you won’t have any trouble picking up the Thrive and getting to work right away. If you’re a gamer, this might not be the tablet for you. While the Thrive 7-inch will get the job done, it’s not the best gaming tablet on the market. Again, the price of the 7-inch Thrive is not inexpensive, though it depends on your budget. Some reviewers have also reported that the seven-inch Thrive comes with an oddly placed camera that may present some problems when shooting pictures.

Worth the Price?

As with any other gadget out there, you should head to your closest electronics store in order to play around with the 7-inch Thrive prior to purchase. You may just find that this tablet has everything you need right where you want it. Or, you may discover that other seven-inch tablet offerings have more than the Thrive. Either way, this is a tablet that’s worth taking a look at just to know what Toshiba is offering in the smaller tablet market.