ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet 8GB

by Archos

• Android 2.2 (Froyo), 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8; 3D OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics accelerator
• 8 GB
• 10.1-inch TFT LCD screen, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Wireless-N (802.11b/g/n)
• 15.8 oz (450g)

Product Description

Amazon.com

Offering a unique tablet design with the latest Android operating system, the ARCHOS 101 Internet tablet features a 10.1-inch multi-touch display with pinch-and-zoom capabilities, a fast 1. GHz processor for fast web browsing, HD multimedia playback, and multitasking across applications. With the Android 2.2 OS (dubbed "Froyo"), the ARCHOS 101 provides support for the Adobe Flash 10.1 player, enabling you to view the web and streaming video sites without compromise.

The Android-powered ARCHOS 101 with 10.1-inch multi-touch display and 8 GB internal memory (see larger image).

 

An integrated kickstand makes it easy to type using the virtual keyboard (see larger image).

The ARCHOS 101 features a patented construction process that uses an over-molded PVD stainless steel structure, enabling the tablet to be smaller, thinner and lighter--and thus even more portable. It measures just 0.47 inches thin and weighs just over 1 pound.

An integrated multi-position kick stand allows for hands-free use, enabling you to set the ARCHOS 101 in a stand-up position (approximately 60 degrees) to use the display as a PC monitor with an external keyboard or in a low position (approximately 30 degrees) for using the virtual keyboard.

With ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, you'll be able to connect to your home or business wireless network as well as hotspots while on the go. A built-in webcam means you can make video calls to family and friends. Additionally, a new feature in the Android settings menu allows the device to be tethered to a 3G phone via Bluetooth or USB for Internet connectivity when on the move.

This version of the ARCHOS 101 offers an internal 8 GB memory, which can be expanded using microSD memory cards up to 32 GB in size. It includes an HDMI port for connecting to a compatible HDTV or monitor and a full-sized USB port for transferring files from your PC as well as connecting an external keyboard. Other features include a variety of pre-loaded app (from the OfficeSuite productivity app to the Raging Thunderlite 3D car game), e-mail client that can handle multiple e-mail accounts, multi-format media player for music and video, and up to 10 hours of battery life when browsing the web.

Key Features

Unique Android Multimedia Applications

On top of Android's latest version, the ARCHOS 101 features several exclusive music, video and photo applications that offer smooth browsing through the album covers and home screen widgets that give instant access and control to your media. One of these functions--the 3D album cover application--allows you to glide through your music by album covers. You can also make your own music playlists or browse your songs and music by favorites, recently played or recently added.

The innovative photo browser.

Because you want to enjoy your videos and TV shows without re-encoding them with complicated software, ARCHOS makes your life easier by supporting audio and video formats beyond the standard ones of Android. It can even display subtitles and alternate audio tracks--all you have to do is drag, drop, and play.

Browse through your photos with a simple flick of your finger or play a slideshow of your last vacation with music and transition effects. You can even display the pictures that your friends uploaded to Facebook or other photo sharing websites. The high-resolution screen perfectly reproduces each picture in such detail that you can easily zoom in to see the tiniest of details, there's no limit.

Other multimedia functions include an internet connected Photo frame application with 3D transitions, and the ability to sync your pictures with your Facebook, Picasa or Flickr account.

Connectivity to TV and PC

With its TV output, the ARCHOS 101 internet tablet displays every Android screen on your compatible widescreen HDTV or monitor. You can then browse your files or the Internet from your couch.

Connect to a compatible HDTV using the HDMI port.

The ARCHOS 101 internet tablet also features Samba and UPnP protocols. This means that you play your movies, videos, and photos on your ARCHOS 101, but these files are really located on your computer in another room. You don't need to store everything on your ARCHOS to enjoy viewing it on your ARCHOS as your files reach your tablet via a Wi-Fi connection.

Read or Edit Your Office Documents

The ARCHOS 101 internet tablet combined with the pre-loaded OfficeSuite application allows you to easily create, revise or edit all of your Office documents. This office suite, compatible with Microsoft Office, gives you the ability to manage all of your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. This application also serves a central location for managing both online and offline documents. It offers a multitude of improved features that include extraction of ZIP files, zoom mode, downloading files, text encoding options, and more. The ARCHOS 101 is also compatible with other formats such as pdf, rtf, and e-books.

What's in the Box

ARCHOS 101 internet tablet, power charger, USB cable, Quick Start Guide (QSG)

The ARCHOS 101 measures just 0.47 inches thin. Click here for a larger image.

Specifications

• Internal memory: 8 GB
• External memory: microSD/SDHC card slot (up to 32 GB)
• Display: 10.1-inch TFT LCD screen, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Operating system: Android 2.2 (Froyo)
• Pre-installed applications: Aldiko, Ebuddy, Wikipedia, Avecomics, HubKap, Deezer, Mewbox, Raging Thunderlite (a 3D car demo game), WordNewspaper, Touiteur, Fring
• Processor: 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8; 3D OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics accelerator
• Wi-Fi: Wireless-N (802.11b/g/n)
• Bluetooth: Version 2.1+EDR
• Video output: HDMI
• HD video: Up to 720p resolution with compatible format
• Subtitles: Supports files with .srt, .ssa, .smi, .sub extensions
• Video format compatibility: MPEG-4 and MPEG-4 HD; H.264 HD; WMV9/VC1
• Music format compatibility: MP3; WMA; WMA-Pro 5.1; WAV; AAC; AAC+ 5.1; OGG Vorbis; FLAC
• Photo format compatibility: JPEG; BMP; PNG;GIF
• Battery life: Up to 36 hours of music playback; up to 7 hours of video playback; up to 10 hours of web surfing
• Dimensions: 10.65 x 5.91 x 0.47 inches
• Weight: 16.95 ounces

Product Description

The ARCHOS 101 internet tablet is a tablet that you’ll be proud to own. You’ll have the best of the highly desirable AndroidTM technology with a large, high-resolution 10.1’’ screen, a weight of 15 oz (480g) and a thinness of just 0.5” (12 mm). Beyond providing the best Internet and HD multimedia experience, your device is completely customizable with a world of apps to make it your personal tablet. Unique design to serve the latest technology With a slim and light design, you will have the jewel that everybody wants. Thanks to its patented technology with over-molded stainless steel structure the ARCHOS 101 internet tablet weighs only 15.8 oz (450g) and is only .47” (12mm) thin. Connected Android™ device This “must have” connected device has a smooth user interface, 3D graphics accelerator and Wi-Fi connectivity (Android 2.2 and Adobe® Flash 10 support)**. With Android™ multi-tasking has become a reality. The perfect size for full and intuitive web surfing Enjoy the real Internet. Pages in full width, Adobe Flash™ 10 support, accelerometer and high-speed Wi-Fi n connection. Everything you want for an uncompromised web experience. Everything to replace your PC Features include ultra-powerful processor, webcam, email & chat applications, and comfortable keyboard. Once you start using it, you will no longer think about powering on your PC. Video chat with friends and family using the forward facing webcam. Your world of applications Match your ARCHOS to your personality and style by downloading the apps that matter to you (instant messaging, 3D games, newspapers, video chatting…). Hi-definition multimedia at your fingertips All your multimedia in HD quality either on your ARCHOS or on your TV thanks to the HDMI video output.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

136 of 149 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the tablet I've been waiting for! December 5, 2010

By Eric Laffoon

First off I'm not new to Archos. I first bought their gen 5 device that made other personal media players look silly and had wifi and a touch screen. Each new generation impressed me. Last year I bought the first Android tablet I ever saw, the gen 7 Archos 5 IT. It was launched in Oct 2009 with a lot of flaws, but was a compelling device. By early 2010 it had become stable and very impressive but I always wanted a bigger screen. I bought their gen 8 7 inch A70 and the 10.1 inch A101 as soon as they were available on the Archos web site. I wanted to buy on Amazon but the demand for these tablets has been so intense they have been selling out every shipment in hours or days.

Before I get to the good and bad let me address some comments here. It is important to realize with technology that your experience may or may not be the norm. Some people said they have trouble with wifi. I have had this on my home system with 35 Mbps Fios and WPA2, my Clear WiMax with WEP and my Rooted Vibrant mobile AP with WPA2. It is brilliant at finding, locking and holding signal and can find signal farther than other devices. Having said that Archos recently acknowledged a problem with WPA AES they are working on with the chip set manufacturer. Also the touch screen is very sensitive, some have said more so then their phone. Now for the bad...

The screen has to be the worst thing, and at that nobody I have showed it to has complained. Unlike my A70 which has excellent viewing angles the A101 I received not only has limited angles but it seems to favor being tipped away from me and gets bad from straight on in landscape mode. It also has a lot of glare under lights. I'm going to get an anti glare screen protector. There is also a cross hatch pattern visible when it is off and black. This is the first Archos product I considered exchanging, but oddly enough once I started using it I didn't seem to notice. In use it is bright and sharp. Showing it to people nobody said anything about viewing angles or screen problems. I frequent archosfans forum and I'm not confident my viewing angle observations are universal to all A101 tablets. Ironically before updating my A70 was not as crisp as my A101 as far as lag. Keep in mind my phone is blazingly fast. The Froyo update made things faster but some people noted it was under clocked at 800 Mhz, though performance is the same or better. I used Z4Root to temporarily root and another program to set the CPU max back to 1 GHz and it is quite smooth. Additionally Flash on the Froyo release is less than perfect but Archos announced they are waiting for their agreement with Adobe to be finalized to release their authorized Flash that is hardware optimized. If you're not a geek that means once the legal contracts are in order instead of using the central processor for intense calculations it passes it off to the graphics processor which can handle it with less work and frees up everything else at the same time. The net result should be much nicer and smoother.

Now for the good. First off Archos is known for buggy initial releases that get a lot better with a few of their continued updates. Several months in with their last tablet they released hardware graphics drivers that netted the tablet among the very best scores of any Android device for graphics. This release has been good and should get even better. Still it helps if you are willing to putter around a bit, install the market hack and go to archosfans.com if you have a problem. Archos has decent support, but the community support is awesome. The new media players are excellent. Other Android devices are left wanting but Archos has been working on the core media player for 10 years and it shows with a wide variety of codecs handled flawlessly. Archos also performs to the battery specs they list. For this tablet you can play with it all day long, browse the web and watch videos and not have to charge until late. Charging is very fast with the AC adapter.

The best part of this device is the huge screen real estate for a tablet and how responsive it is. The built in stereo speakers are surprisingly good, full and loud. The kick stand is great. What really gets impressive though is what it can do extra. Yes, you can add memory with Micro SD. You can also play media over UPnP and SMB. Beyond that you have a full size USB host plug. Take your nice high end camera, take some pictures and plug it in to your A101 to download and see it in big screen glory, or grab a 500 GB drive and take your entire media collection with you. Get a micro HDMI cable and you can not only play movies out to your TV but your entire experience moves to the TV with the Archos becoming a touch pad. Get a game control or Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, even a USB controller. You can browse the web in 720p on your big screen from the couch or do a slide show or whatever for friends.

I had the A70 in my booth at a holiday show and a lady asked about it as I was recording sales over wifi and said she had an iPad. I asked her to give me an opinion of my A101. She was interested and I handed it to her and she was amazed how light it was. It is actually 20% smaller and 30% lighter as well as thinner and 16x9 instead of 4x3... even though the iPad has a smaller screen technically at 9.7 inches. She didn't see a problem with how the screen looked, though the iPad has a nicer screen. However when she saw the connectivity options and expandability she immediately asked where she could get one. She had the look of someone who had spent too much money for too many limitations.

Tablets are hot items. Once you try one you will realize that you may not drag your laptop around the house but you will with a tablet. Other companies will produce more impressive hardware lists or do one thing or another better, but the people who have bought some of the new dream spec sheet units are also on the Archos forum and resigned to the fact that the experience Archos has means they have the more polished user experience. Additionally while some new start up may or may not support the device and provide updates Archos has updated my devices regularly for the opening months and has released updates at over a year after launch on the last 3 generations of devices. Archos listens to customers better than one might imagine for a little French company and they know how to make compelling devices.

I close with this. After ditching my BlackBerry for a Galaxy S variant (Samsung Vibrant) I thought I would move away from Archos for the Galaxy Tab. While it is an impressive device it is too expensive, and I also heard the rounded back made it slide off things too easy. I realized I could get two Archos tablets for that price, a 7 and a 10, so I did. Last year I paid $370 each for 32 GB 5 inch tablets. This year I paid $275 and $300. Next year I expect these tablets to be working just fine, but being a gadget whore I know Archos will have a new Eagle quad core tablet running Honeycomb and I will just have to buy it. My A101 will not be seeing as much love and won't be worth selling, but might make an awesome gift to someone who has been lusting after it. The important point is I won't be paying $25-$40 a month for a $600 device on 2 year contract consumed with lust and remorse. I will plop down $250-$350 for the new one.

If you can find this in stock get it and enjoy!

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars This would be a great tablet, if the screen wasn't so awful December 16, 2010

By Tom Digiurco

I owned an Archos 101 for a few hours before quickly returning it. For me, the device did not live up to expectations nor was it an acceptable product for my intended use. The caveat to this is that this type of device is intended to be used in a variety of ways (gaming, Internet browsing, eBook reader, general time killer, etc.) and not everyone is going to have the same user experience as me. Having said that, I intended to use this device as a comic book reader, eBook reader and web browser. For the most part, the Archos 101's 1Ghz Hummingbird processor, 256MB of RAM, and Android 2.2 (Froyo) lived up to expectations. I thought the guts of this thing performed admirable, other than some wifi issues (the 101 does not like WEP security ... but then, Archos states that explicitly in the user guide - the user guide even recommends a wifi security type). Browsing the web was speedy, comics loaded quickly using my favorite Android comic viewer (Comic Reader Mobi) and I had zero issues watching YouTube videos.

HOWEVER, (and it's an all caps HOWEVER), the viewing angles of this screen are abysmal. I did my homework on the 101 before I bought it, and knew that this was a common complaint. But, stating that "some viewing angles are bad" is an understatement. Unless you hold the 101 in landscape mode at a very specific angle, the colors shift and, in particular, black colors appear to be what I would call "solarized". When holding the 101 in portrait mode, this is noticeable at ALL angles, which makes it very difficult to read anything on it (much less comics or eBooks).

I find it unfortunate that Archos chose to use a 1024x600 TFT LCD screen for this device. Everything else about the 101 is excellent. It feels sturdy, even though it weighs in at just over 1 pound, and the kickstand is a nice feature. The processor was peppy enough to handle its advertised functionality and the software (including Flash) operated smoothly. (At least for me. I have an Android phone and am used to Android's "quirks." Users of other operating systems may feel differently about this.) But, ultimately it is the screen that you end up staring at when you use the 101, and on that front (pun intended) this device is a failure to me. Hopefully Archos' gen 9 round of tablets will feature improved screens. If they get that right, I believe that they'll have a decent product at a reasonable price point. Unfortunately, the potential for future releases of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and 3.0 (Honeycomb) for the 101 is lost because the screen is just too difficult to look at.

As an aside, there have been many reviewers that have commented about the lack of Google Market and how easy it is to side load. I had zero issues installing Market and installing apps from it. There are a couple different solutions for getting Market on the 101 - one worked for me and one didn't. If you're trying to install market and the first one doesn't work for you, don't give up. And, be sure to read the installation instructions because it is not as straightforward as simply sideloading an .apk.

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Archos 101 Internet Tablet March 26, 2011

By Dennis Ayer

Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 3:54 Mins

This is a review of the Archos 101 Internet Tablet. I purchased the 8GB tablet ARCHOS 101 Internet Tablet 8GBand purchased an 8GB SD Card. I found most Apps will load directly to the SD Card saving space on the tablet.