The tablets are coming to market at an increasingly affordable price and but no worse for it with quality, a clear example of this is the model of the manufacturer Archos, model Archos 101 XS Android tablet that comes in with a 10.1-inch keyboard that serves as a base and lid for transport.
Technical Specs of Archos 101 XS:
• Manufacturer: ARCHOS
• Model: 101 XS
• Web: www.archos.com
• Price: €349.
• Processor: OMAP 4470, dual-core 1.5 GHz
• Memory: 1 GB RAM, 16 GB storage.
• Display: 10.1″, 1280 x 800 pixels MVA.
• Connections: microUSB, Wi-Fi N, BT, GPS, microSD, miniHDMI.
• Battery life: up to 10 hours.
• Size: 273 x 170 x 8 mm.
• Weight: 600 grams.
There are other manufacturers like ASUS which have released their similar option like ASUS Transformer with a keyboard / DockStation as an extra you have to buy separately. But Archos has decided to be a bonus that comes standard with the tablet.
External appearance of Archos 101 XS
Model Archos 101 XS arrives with a keyboard which is subject to magnetically screen and serve as a protective cover during transport. Still, the whole is quite thin.
When using it, split the tablet and place the keyboard in place and is secured via a support for the rear plastic, perhaps the weakest part of the whole.
The Archos 101 XS tablet has 10.1 inches diagonally and the keyboard is in line with that size, i.e., talk about a netbook-style keyboard, with keys of size smaller than a traditional laptop, although its design chiclet somewhat easier to use. It has integrated common keys for Android such as Home, list of open applications, previous search, notifications and brightness controls, connectivity and volume.
Unlike the solution of ASUS, Archos has opted for portability, and offers no connectivity or extra battery.
The tablet Archos 101 XS housing combines plastic and metal material and is able to maintain the weight in approximately 600 grams – 8 mm thick-the tablet itself and the keyboard 200 grams.
Performance of Archos 101 XS:
Archos offers Android 4.0.4 as the base operating system and on its website announcing that it will be upgraded to Android 4.1. The hardware that is capable of moving it integrates seamlessly is a SoC OMAP 4470 riding two processors Cortex A9 at 1.5 GHz with GPU PowerVR SGX544. Moreover it has 16 Gbytes of storage and is expandable via microSD cards.
The hardware combination performs well for office use and improved productivity over tablets of competition by using the keyboard.
Connectivity
The tablet has an array of connectivity via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, microHDMI, microSD and microUSB undoubtedly much more complete than other solutions including tablets Google Nexus and Apple iPad.
Multimedia
Archos offers great multimedia support natively with its video player is capable of playing videos even via DLNA (UPnP) and remove them through HDMI format 1080p.
Screen
The screen in Archos 101 XS using MVA technology and has resolution 1280 x 800 pixels with a diagonal size of 10.1 inches. There is no definition display viewing angles with IPS technology, AMOLED or similar, but for use at a distance of 30 to 40 inches is more than adequate.
The screen has enough contrast viewing angles being the weak point of it. But in normal everyday use of a tablet, it’s all good.
Camera
Archos has integrated a front camera with 720p video, perfect for either via Skype, Google Hangouts, etc. It is the same action taken by Google with its Nexus 7.
Conclusions for Archos 101 XS
The tablet Archos 101 XS boasts a great balance between price and performance and that for 349€ acquire hardware with great connectivity, Android, with a physical QWERTY keyboard, and it promises to provide hours of operation, fun and entertainment.
It is true that Google has broken the market with its Nexus 10, offering far superior machine specifications at a price slightly higher, but of course, this is a tablet with a different approach. Archos 101 XS is a tablet for the whole family allowing great office productivity with its keyboard, fun for the children with enough power for any 3D game and hours of entertainment playing 1080p content.
