Toshiba Folio 100 review

Annoyingly, the Folio 100 is also missing a whole swathe of Google Android apps. There’s no Gmail app, so you have to use the standard Email app instead. This works, but the Gmail app supports proper push email, which is preferable. Plus, there’s no Google Maps app, which is a really odd omission. There’s no way to install any of these apps, either.

Toshiba Market also provides access to Music (powered by 7Digital), which seems a little pointless as you’re better off using your PC. Internet radio is more useful, although there are no BBC radio stations, bar the World Service and BBC News.

Web browsing is provided by either the Android browser or Opera Mobile. Oddly, neither browser lets you pinch to zoom, despite the multi-touch support: you can pinch-to-zoom in the Gallery app. There’s currently no Flash support, although this should be coming soon.

It’s not all bad news. We quite like the new application menu Toshiba has created, which lets you view Applications, Widgets, Bookmarks and Settings on individual pages. The option to create different home screens based on the network you’re connected to is also a nice touch: you can have one screen for home and one for work. Battery life is pretty good, and the Folio should last around a weekend’s worth of web browsing before you have to charge it with the laptop-style power supply.

We like the fact that there’s a USB port, into which you can plug flash drives. The SD card slot means you can boost the onboard 16GB of storage and is a welcome change from an Micro-SD slot. An HDMI port could be useful for playing videos on an HD TV, too.

Ultimately, the Folio 100 doesn’t feel like a finished product. There few installed apps and no option to use the Android Market. With its unresponsive buttons and screen with poor viewing angles, it’s unpleasant to use. If you want an Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is a far superior product, otherwise the Apple iPad is a better choice.