Update 6/14/11: All 3 Thrive variations are now on Amazon as well, for those who prefer themselves some tax-free shopping.

Ever since we saw Toshiba's then-unnamed tablet at CES in January, we've carefully put our ears to the ground to learn all we can about this surprisingly capable device. Today's Thrive news, then, has us excited - pre-orders have started, and all iterations of the tablet (8/16/32GB) will be shipping on the same yet-to-be-announced date next month (Toshiba's site now says "Mid-July").

Unlike the Office Depot pre-order, Toshiba Direct allows you to order the thriftier 8GB model, which comes in at a very reasonable $429. Will the Thrive impress? We've never actually had a chance to really use one, so it's hard to say. But with full HDMI and USB connectivity along with an SD card slot, the Thrive offers some compelling features over much of its budget-tablet competition. Still, with the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer's rather surprising sales success story, a price tag that comes in $30 cheaper (and with 16GB of storage to boot), the Thrive isn't entering a marketplace full of pushovers.

Thanks, Zaigham!