Toshiba excited about jumbo tablet - Updated

With Samsung finding success with its tablet/smartphone crossover, it was only a matter of time before someone launched a jumbo tablet for users who find the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen just a little too little.

Turns out it’s Toshiba, which has unveiled its three-pronged Excite tablet range, including a massive 13.3-inch version.

The jumbo Excite 13 will be sold alongside the 10.1-inch Excite 10 and 7.7-inch Excite 7.7, with Toshiba vice president of product development Carl Pinto saying the range is a reflection that one size does not fit all.

"We are carefully considering how and where people are using tablets and designing form factors to best suit various needs,” Pinto says.

All three tablets will be powered by Android 4.0 – aka Ice Cream Sandwich – and feature scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, NVIDIA Tegra 3 processors, and two cameras, a five-megapixel camera on the back and a two-megapixel camera on the front.

The Excite 13 will come with a special stand so that it can be set up easily around the house. The device also boasts a four-speaker sound system.

Of course, that size of tablet will come with its own unique problems – as well as being harder to fit into a bag or briefcase, it’s also a lot to hold in your hands, meaning it’s not only less portable, it’s more breakable too.

Update: Toshiba NZ has launched the trio of Excite tablets here, rebranding them as the AT270 (7.7-inch), AT300 (10.1-inch) and AT330 (13.3-inch).

Due to arrive in late June, the tablets all run on Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich. The smaller units offer screen resolution of 1280x800, while the larger model offer 1600x900.

As for price, both the smaller models will retail for $699, with the 13.3-inch device to sell for $999.

Still, there’s bound to be a market for the user who doesn’t want to take their tablet on the bus or the train, but just wants to take it from the kitchen to the living room.

Have you ever wished your iPad was a little bigger? Do you think you’d be interested in a 13.3-inch Toshiba tablet instead? Post your comments below.