While there certainly is no shortage of choice when it comes to tablets, the price of some models are way out of the reach of the practical consumer. Like it or not, price will always be major factor when it comes to purchase decisions for a majority of consumers, which is something that tablet manufacturer Archos wants to exploit. The Archos 101 isn’t the fastest nor the best looking of the bunch, but it’s capable of fulfilling most of the functions a tablet performs and for a lot of people, that’s what counts.
Like we said, the Archos 101 isn’t the fastest tablet in block – it has a single core 1.0GHz ARM processor with 16GB of internal memory and sports a 10.1-inch capacitive screen capable of 1024×600 pixel resolution. You can connect to the internet via the built-in WiFi, and it’s able to accept USB sticks through the USB Slave/USB Host connection on the device.
It’s able to handle a wide range of multimedia formats, and is fully capable of playing back 720p content. It’s pretty light, and only tips the scales at 480 g. Sadly, it’s only powered by Android 2.2 (Froyo) but to be honest, I don’t think that’s a big issue anymore. Sure, you miss out on excellent user experience that Honeycomb puts out but the tradeoff is that you get access to a bigger app library. Hopefully the Archos 101 will be able to take the Ice Cream Sandwich update when it’s ready.
There’s a deploy-able stand on the back that allows the Archos 101 to tilt all the way down and any position in between, allowing you to watch your content and type on the device comfortably.
As we mentioned earlier, the Archos 101 is a device that’s aimed for the practical consumer. It doesn’t have the fastest processor or the latest OS, but with a sticker price of Php 15,999, it’s hard to ignore.