What we liked: The Toshiba Excite 13 is not only a great desktop companion but its NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor provides an immersive gaming experience. Android 4.0 is a plus, and the front-facing camera is better than expected. The full SD card slot is also a welcome inclusion.
Room for improvement: At 13 inches, it’s not meant for much use outside the living room or office. Select apps and video don’t scale well to the screen size. The $649 sticker will turn most buyers away.
Review at a glance: As powerful as any tablet reviewed, the Excite 13 is a polarizing experience. Perfect for the couch or the desk, it offers nothing portable. It works well as a second screen in the office and more permanent settings. Toshiba is headed in the right direction, but this won’t see mass adoption.
Make no mistakes about this tablet: it’s massive. Compared to a 10-inch device it’s night and day. At $650, the size needs to work for you. That means setting it on a tablet stand, pairing a Bluetooth keyboard, and using it next to your monitor. In that context, apps like Gmail, Twitter, Hootsuite, Chrome, Pocket, Kindle, and Nook work wonderfully. Netflix and Google Play Movies genuinely shine on the 13.3-inch display.
Specs include 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, a 5-megapixel rear camera, front-facing camera, headphone jack, microHDMI, and microUSB. Weighing 2.2 pounds at 13.5 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches, it’s an effort to hold for any extended period. Portrait mode brings to mind Moses carrying stone tablets.
On a lap it’s awkward; in a crowd or at a school event it would look ridiculous to hold up for photos. The front-facing camera, however, is excellent for Google+ and Skype. Games run without a hitch on the Tegra 3, but titles that require button presses on a 13.3-inch screen feel off; a Bluetooth game controller changes that equation entirely.
Battery life is rated at 13 hours and held up well during all-day outings. Additional highlights include a screen orientation lock button, microHDMI, SD card slot, SRS sound settings, and an Ambient Noise Equalizer. Speakers were loud and clear. The preloaded app selection from Toshiba is a reasonable mix of function and entertainment.
For anyone considering the Excite 13, budget for a tablet stand and Bluetooth keyboard alongside the $650 tablet. It’s a case-by-case recommendation, but in the right setup, it’s a genuinely impressive experience.
