Toshiba's latest entry, the Thrive tablet, which is available for pre-order June 13, takes a different design approach that is both refreshing and predictable, according to Fast Company news.

But in the world of neutral two-tone tablets, the Thrive, with its lime-lollipop greens and sherbet purples, is a welcome alternative.

Toshiba aimed to pack all the benefits of a laptop inside a tablet, which can make the device feel accessible and crammed at the same time. The Thrive features a full-size HDMI port and SD-card reader, USB 2.0 and mini-USB ports, and a replaceable battery. But that also means the tablet's borders are dotted with a slew of slots and removable panels, which require strong fingernails to pry open, the report says.

The device overall, at 1.6 pounds and with 10.1" screen, is heavy and thick for a tablet. It was designed by Toshiba's design team in Tokyo, which is responsible for "everything from mass transit to washing machines."

Toshiba has added an "App Place," for instance, which not to be confused with the Android Marketplace - is just a way for Toshiba to feature its own content. Then there's the "Book Place," an e-book store and reader. Toshiba also threw in QuickOffice, a mobile-productivity app. There's also a media-center app that's supposed to pull all your music and video and photos in one place.

There are no 3G data plans available for the Thrive. The Thrive will ship in mid-July, and comes in models of 8GB ($429.99), 16GB ($479.99), and 32GB ($579.99).