Telstra launches 'world's first' 4G Windows 8 tablet with Toshiba

Toshiba Portege Z10t
On contract with Telstra, but better buy it outright

While 4G rollouts are continuing all across the country, finding products to take advantage of the extra speeds is slightly tougher. Telstra has nabbed a three month exclusive on the 4G-enabled Portégé Z10t Windows 8 Pro tablet hybrid, which it's now offering on contract.

The hybrid device, which Telstra claims is the world's first 4G Windows 8 Ultrabook tablet, will launch on Telstra's network on June 11, and come in two different models - one with an Intel Celeron processor and one packing a Core i5.

The tablet itself features an 11.6-inch touchscreen with a detachable keyboard, and includes 4GB RAM and 128GB of SSD storage, which is whittled down to 74.5GB with the OS installed.

The Portégé Z10t becomes the 29th 4G device sold by Telstra since the telco launched 4G back in 2011, and comes just days after the company switched on its 1,500th 4G base station.

Chips aren't cheap

While Telstra has never offered products cheaply, buying the tablet on a contract may not be the smartest financial move. Both versions of the tablet are available for $90 a month over 24 months.

This price includes a $50 tablet plan with 8GB of data each month, and a $40 device repayment. The total minimum cost is $2,160, with excess data charged at 61c/MB.

Compare that to an outright price of $1,199 for the Celeron version and $1,499 for the Core i5, and the value of that 8GB of data a month seems somewhat extortionate.

Having spent the past decade editing some of Australia's leading technology publications, Nick's passion for the latest gadgetry is matched only by his love of watching Australia beat England in the rugby.