Jelly tots
Running the show is Android 4.0.4 in near enough vanilla form and Archos has committed to a Jelly Bean update before the end of the year. Also on the software side you get the excellent OfficeSuite Pro 6, which is worth a tenner and Archos’ own video and music players that not only support UPnP and SMB networking but, in the case of the video player, all manner of file types including VOB and TS and most common subtitle types.
On-board movie player supports a wide range of formats
The battery fitted inside the tablet is rated at a rather puny 6800mAh, another sacrifice to the twin Gods of weight and thinness, which means you are looking at no more than 5 hours 30 of HD video playback or around 7 hours of more general use with the Wi-Fi on.
If the Archos 101 XS sounds like a good idea but one that’s just a bit too big – or at £299 too expensive or has the wrong aspect ratio screen – there will be 16:9 8in and 4:3 9.7in variations on the theme along in the next few months. If the 97XS hits the shelves for £250 or less, I reckon that could be the one to buy.
A likeable and affordable keyblet combo
Verdict
After a week with the Archos 101 XS I find myself rather fond of it. This is thanks mainly to the clever and well executed coverboard design and the keyboard which is impressive for something so thin and light. The tablet part won’t keep the engineers at Asus awake at night, but remember for the price of a Transformer Pad, you can buy an Archos 101 XS and two-thirds of an 8GB Nexus 7. ®
More Tablet Reviews |
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 Samsung
Galaxy Note 10.1 |
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Iconia Tab A510 |
 Asus
Transformer Pad Infinity |
 Android 4.1
Jelly Bean |
 Google
Nexus 7 |
Archos 101 XS 10.1in Android tablet review
COMMENTS
Nothing wrong with the on-screen keyboard, except that it's an on-screen keyboard and somewhat tedious for bashing out a lengthy email or such like. Mine's the one with the Psion in the pocket...
@Lusty
The default Android keyboard is fine, SwiftKey (with amazing prediction) and FlexT9 (with swipe input and good voice recognition) are even better.
But still a physical keyboard is, for most people, still a better option. You can decide for yourself what version of special it makes you that you do not agree.
"bares a resemblance!?"
Even at such a noble rag as el Reg! The state of English these days! It's "bears," folks!
Re: Re:Leona A
I would say you were in the minority there, just a quick look on Amazon at the vertiable cornucopia of Bluetooth keyboards available for the iPad and other tablets tells me there are a few people out there who don't like typing on an OSK.
You may have enough spare time to type a 50 page document on an iPad, however the rest of us have more important things to be getting on with.
'on screen' keyboards do not give any tactile feedback, thus for touch typists like me, they are useless!
I like to have a physical keyboard on both my phone (Xperia Pro) and Tablet, I'll be buying one of these.
I think tactile displays are a long way off from being main stream, that's still Sci-Fi tech at the moment.
