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A widescreen tablet computer running Android, but with flaws
It’s designed to be used in either portrait or landscape modes
The Archos 101 Internet Tablet is a 10in tablet computer in the mould of Apple's iPad (see sidebar) that uses the Android operating system.
Unfortunately, it was very unimpressive. At the time of going to press, the impending release of the iPad 2 means a first-generation 16GB iPad costs £329, while the 8GB Archos 101 on review costs £275 (a 16GB version is £305).
It looked OK but the whole unit bent and creaked in our hands, and while it's true that it is both thin and light, it shouldn't have felt so fragile. There is a kick-stand that comes out from the back panel but this feels flimsy.
The display, though widescreen, was terrible: it is glossy, so either reflected our face straight back, caught the glare of nearby lights or was too dark to use.
When angled just right it was viewable, but the quality of the screen was much poorer than those of other tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab (see sidebar).
It's designed to be used in either portrait or landscape modes but it never seemed to identify which way around it was being held. Holding it horizontally in landscape mode the screen displayed as portrait and it was slow to change from one to the other. The iPad exhibits the same problem, but less frequently.
The biggest problem was that it crashed frequently. In the first few minutes of using it the web browser crashed four times and the video player crashed too, and resetting it to ‘factory settings' didn't help. Even the setup wizard crashed and when we got it up and running again the icon for the Archos app library had been deleted from the device – the only way to get it back was to hunt for the installation file on Archos' website.
In theory the Archos app library offers access to thousands of downloadable programs, both free and paid-for.
As the Archos 101 doesn't have a mobile phone Sim card slot (it connects to wireless networks and Bluetooth devices) it's not allowed to use the official Android Marketplace for app downloads. Archos's version is a workaround, but some of the apps we tried to get were missing or didn't work.
It has some redeeming features, though: it can play high-definition video and there is a mini-HDMI connection for attaching a flat-screen TV, though the cable costs extra. It can also stream video from other computers in the house. And battery life was fair – it will run for several hours in light use.
Unfortunately, though, the experience of using the Archos 101 was so underwhelming that we can't recommend it.
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Our verdict
A poor screen, missing applications and frequent crashes make this tablet hard to recommend
Slim and light; can play high-definition video
Crashes; terrible screen; no Android Marketplace access; feels flimsy
£275
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Some corrections for your review...
The actual price on Amazon.co.uk, Archos 101 Internet Tablet is £249 vs £429 for the iPad2. Having a kick-stand is a big plus, anyone buying a tablet without a kick-stand will harm their wrist, as it takes 5 minutes and you get tired of holding it when watching movies. The Archos screen does NOT reflect more light than the iPad2 screen. iPad screen may have wider viewing angle (which is not really needed as most common tablet use is by 1 person only facing the tablet from straight ahead), but BOTH are glossy type. Do a side by side comparison, ipad screen also has terrible reflections everywhere. You need to calibrate your accelerometer in settings for it to work as fast as any other tablet's accelerometer. It does not crash if you install the latest firmware on a clean install (hold power+volume and format in recovery menu), also read the ArchosFans forum there are alternative home replacements that work smoother. Video playback is 100x better on Archos than iPad, for one, ALL video codecs found on BitTorrents work on Archos, NONE work on iPad (DivX, MKV, AC3, DTS, Flac, srt, etc..) iTunes is terrible for people who really care about media, serious media lovers prefer a plug-and-play mass storage device that works same on Windows/Mac/Linux as any other removable storage. Do a Google search for "Archos Google Marketplace" or "Archos ArcTools" that single 1-minute install provides FULL Google Marketplace (180'000 Android apps work FINE today on Android tablets), one-click Flash install and all else you need. Try also Dolphin browser, people say that one is faster and more stable (It's like, who uses IE/Safari when buying a new PC/Mac, everyone should install Chrome browser as first thing they do, and most PC don't come with Flash or PDF pre-installed, you cannot blame them for not coming pre-installed, licencing issue with Adobe) Archos is 40% cheaper than iPad2, 30% lighter, comes with kickstand, a real HDMI output, a real USB host (for external hard drives, flash drives, keyboard/mouse/hub...), it works as a normal external storage on any windows/mac/pc, it supports all BitTorrent downloaded files natively no re-encoding needed, it streams like a media streamer on Samba/Upnp, it comes with a real open OS (no need for jailbreak to make it do awesome things), MicroSD card slot for more storage (or 250GB 7" version), oh yeah, finally, it's as thin as iPad2 but was released 6 months ago, and Archos is announcing next Gen in a couple months, also releasing RK29 based version next month even faster and capacitive still for further £100 cheaper. The truth is this, given the choice in the store, 90% of consumers would choose Archos over Apple. Apple fanboys will be very sad that Android tablet domination could come even faster than Android Smartphone domination did. It's happening in France already, 25% of tablet sales last November-December were Archos tablets (would have been more if only they didn't instantly go out of stock all the time because Archos could not afford to manufacture more of them), the 7" and 10.1" being the most popular, but they have all sizes for everyone. Archos is also very popular in the UK, Germany, and is quickly gaining market share in Asia and the US.
Posted by Nicolas Charbonnier, 30 Mar 2011
really ?
Do apple pay you for telling such a load of lies ? or do you do it just to hear your own voice.My archos 101 is fast,responsive and does everything I ask.The screen is shiny,but cured it with a self adhesive film of plastic.I am 72 yrs old,know only the medium of PC technoligy but had it all masterd in 2 days.
Posted by Jack prosser, 11 Aug 2011
Archos 101 8gb
This was my first purchase of a tablet and i am impressed. At first being an android user (htc desire hd). I was looking for the market and google apps and a quick search on the web I found the answer to arctools from the applib. And now I have all google apps like on a android handset. Build quality. It does creak and feel fragile but so do alot of thin phones and devices. Build I have tried to bend it and it doesn't feel like it will snap anytime soon. Android version. It came with 2.1 android but moments after registering the tablet I had an ota update to android 2.2 which is a familiar setup. I paid £149.99 and yes the lack of ram for multitasking was an issue but a simple automated task killer solves that. I have had a few crashes in Internet but only when other apps were running / downloading in background. The screen can be un responsive at times but I can deal with the lag only 1-2 seconds and it catches up. Screen quality is fine as far as I'm concerned. Even with a higher resolution smudges and finger marks get in the way anyhow, and hd films display ok although higher than 720p it is hit and miss. I bought this to use at work primarily for films and media and bought the archos cinema plug in and the tablet will play pretty much any video file In summary Happy with purchase and would recommend, with advisory of minor issues. Dave sheffield Good... Thin, light, good size screen, usb port, kickstand, audio from speakers is better than my laptop. Bad..... needs more ram Creaky. Feels fragile, capacitive touch screen can lag,
Posted by David Sheffield , 12 Sep 2011
A Load of Tosh!
James Temperton-you talk a load of tosh! Have you actually used the Archos 101? Do you get paid to promote Apple? I've had an Archos 101 for a month, paid only £150 for it, have not had one single problem and their technical team can't be faulted, thats more than you can say for Apple! Go and review some knitting needles or something else non-technical!!
Posted by Pete Symonds, 21 Dec 2011