Looked for some sort of hinge or something to pop it open or a button to unclip the top. Turns out itâs magnetic, this may sound a little dubious but the magnets are pretty strong and hold the protective cover over the screen fairly well. Iâm not entirely convinced Iâd feel too comfortable leaving it in a bag while traveling around as it could twist off, but for everyday use itâs a great feature.
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The protective cover has a second function, it also houses the slim line keyboard that the Archos can dock to provide you with a decent word processing device. Saying the keyboard is thin is an understatement, Archos has built the 101XS and gone for a ultra-thin design to the point where I feel I could easily accidently damage it, if I were to have a Hulk moment. The tablet glides down and sits on QWERTY keyboard using magnetic strips on a foldaway prop which holds the Archos in its upright position, itâs a low budget design but its sturdy and thatâs all I care about.
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That being said, the profile of the device is pretty good, it sits at a little steep an angle when idle in the dock so you canât really type comfortably with the device too close. The aluminum and white plastic design is fairly striking however the quality of materials used does leave the outer casing susceptible to scratching and superficial damage. You can call it cheap if you like but if the money is better used elsewhere then this can easily be over looked.
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More frustrating however is the fact you need to charge the Archos 101 XS through the keyboard when its docked/closed (ensure you put the cover the right way up also) this may seem like something petty to most people but I feel I shouldnât have to prepare a device for charging I should be able to chuck the cable in and come back to it later with minimal fuss.
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The speaker and camera are both front facing; there is nothing on the back, nice and simple. On the left hand edge you have a Mini HMDI, micro USB, audio jack and expandable memory slot. On the right you have a volume rocker, which is a little awkward to find with your hand if youâre trying to adjust the volume in the middle of a film and can easily be mixed up the power button, which itself isnât built too well. The placement of the camera on the left side of the screen isnât exactly optimal either. These are only tiny niggles in what looks to be a pretty stream lined, light and elegant design.
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The screen itself isnât awful, but not great either itâs 1280 x 800 so by no means is it going to blow you away and you can spot the pixels which I know will turn off some people. However for itâs intended purpose and the tasks the general population will use it for (browsing, music, playing the odd game) its fit for purpose.
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Itâs pretty vanilla to look but humming under the surface is some muscle that can surprise you. Expect the Archos 101 XS to be nippy! The multicore processor does pack some punch but even then you do get a little lag here and there, itâs mostly sporadic however. The touch screen not responding as quickly as Iâd like at some points is a prime example of this inconsistency. Having to prod the screen a couple more times than necessary in a world where we expect information at our fingertips immediately can be a drag but itâs not going to kill me either.
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The screen quality itself is pretty good, itâs not top end so donât expect the world form it. The colour is a little dull, however if you tilt the tablet to a sharper viewing angle you donât get much wash out of colour which is great. I didnât expect the world to start with so this fell within my expectations and as I said for my intended purposes itâs adequate.
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The dash is Vanilla android affair and again feels very generic, fortunately as standard it doesnât come pre-installed with too much bloat ware, you get a couple of games, a few useful programs, media bits and some cool Archos tools. Personally I prefer Stock android, over any type of android.
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The camera can record at 720p which is decent enough for skype calls with distant relatives and friends, I am happy that Archos chose to omit a rear facing camera, often they are of questionable quality and are often a big point of ridicule of tablets in generalâŠ.plus you look a proper David Bailey want to be taking pictures with a tablet and you will no doubt drop it at some point, use a camera!
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Music, Video and Other Cool Stuff
The worst feature of the Archos 101 XS for me is the poor sound quality, I will be using it with a headset for fear of making my ears bleed with the âwasp in a tinâ sound effect you get no matter how low or high your volume is set there is no sweet spot. If you do decide to invest in the Archos 101 XS I highly recommend picking up the speaker dock form the Archos store and get the sound running through some nice speakers instead. The dock actually holds the tablet at a decent viewing angle also, much more comfortable than the pitch of the keyboard stand.
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The Archos media player is decent, nice browser and it collects all your videos in a user friendly way. Yeah it can be a bit slow to get the videos booted up initially but they run smooth once loaded. You can connect to a few media streaming options and can conveniently jump in and out of movies to the dash with the program remembering where you were and you can rejoin the action where you left off.
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The pre-installed music app on the Archos like the movie app has a nice UI. You use a rotating carousel of album artwork to browse and select from your music collection, easy to use and more importantly enjoyable interface. Also like the video app you can get all the information you need about each track/movie individually.
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The screen quality is also big enough to enjoy Magazines on Google Play, which I know will appeal to some people. Its quick and efficient, you can zoom in and yeah it does exactly what it says on the tin.
GAMES
Load times for some games can be quite considerable and you can experience slight lag during some games, this is only slight and is in no way a deal breaker, I recommend you kill any apps you have open to let the Archos put all that processing power to good work as you shooting your way through Xenomorphs or Chopping flying fruit in half.
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Archos Mapping tool can also add to your gaming experience, it will allow you to map touch screen controls to actual buttons on the keyboard. This way you can play while docked and almost feels like youâre using a controller. Again not for everyone but itâs something for some people.
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WORK
The device is quick, moving through menus, apps and using the various software is where the system comes into its element, itâs easy to use and easy to navigate.
The browser for me is crucial for working as well as recreational use and the Archos is just too slow, it handles sites sell enough but the initial load up is frustrating to a point where I almost got out my phone instead.
The Archos having an attachable keyboard is really handy when it comes to using browsers, sending emails and all that jazz. It took a while for me to adjust to a keyboard that was bound to android functions but for regular users this is a quick and painless process.
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Itâs not the fastest, itâs pretty standard that said, it works that fairly sums up the Archos 101 xs when you use it in the same manner as I have been.
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SUMMARY
Being an Android tablet I feel is the devices main downfall, itâs laggy in places because it Android, the hardware doesnât let it down otherwise and the 101 proves to a nippy little beastie. Media presentation has been done really well and itâs a genuine pleasure to engage with some of the tools you have at your disposal.
Archos canât be faulted for trying something a little different as keyboards are becoming more and more popular. The cost I feel is pretty much on the money, itâs got some muscle underneath the surface but Archos have saved some money on the build quality. I have to honestly say it is a viable alternative to a laptop and packs a decent amount of power in a fairly robust tablet that looks half decent. The problem you going to have is that there is a lot of competition with tablets around the ÂŁ200 mark. I canât see myself wanting to choose this over a laptop but I certainly would use one regularly for personal use if I had one to hand.
Archos has in the past had bit of a ropey track record with tablets especially when balancing cost with quality, this time round they have done just that, the problem is other companies have done it better.
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Pros
Stock Android experience
Nippy Processor
Keboard dock/protective cover
Affordable
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Cons
Average Display
Rubbish sound
Build quality inconsistent
Tabletm coverboard, charger, USB data cable, documentation
Android 4.0.3 âIce Cream Sandwishâ upgradeable to 4.1
Smart multicore OMAP4470 Processor 1.5GHz (ARM Coretex âA9) with a PowerCR SGX544 GPU
H.264 HD (HP L4.2, up to 1080p @30fps and 1080i/720p @60fps)
MPEG-42Â HD (SP/ASP@L6, up to 1080p@30 fps)
With optional plug-in: MPEG2 HD (MP/HL, 1080p@30 fps)
With the above codecs, the device can play video files with the following extensions: AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, MPG, PS, TS, VOB, MKV, FLV, RM, RMVB, ASF
With optional plug-in: AC3 5.1
.srt, .ssa, .smi, .sub formats supported
720p front camera with 720p encoding
Micro USB 2.0: Mobile Transfer Protocol (MTP)
USB host: Mass Storage Class (MSC) (USB 2.0/USB Host cable sold separately)
Proprietary USB docking connector
microSD (compatible with 64 GB cards)
mini HDMI output (mini HDMI / HDMI cable sold separately)
Internal: Lithium Polymer battery
External: Power adapter/charger
Tablet: 273 mm x 170 mm x 8mm (10.7ââ x 6.7ââ x 0.31ââ)
Coverboard: 273 mm x 170 mm x 5mm (10.7ââ x 6.7ââ x 0.2ââ)
Music playback time: up to 40 hrs
Video playback time: up to 7 hrs
Internet navigation time: up to 10 hrs
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