Hands-on with the new Archos 101 XS Android tablet

The Coverboard and Tablet together

Docking the tablet and the Coverboard is easy, it’s just a case of touching them together and the magnets do the rest.

Accessories

To begin with there will be two accessories – the Boom Box and the Cradle.

We got to see and play with the Cradle and it works very well. The Cradle is an ingenious little product which allows you to charge your tablet. It includes USB ports and Audio ports to plug in hard drives and your existing stereo system to your tablet.

And it looks really good when the tablet is docked!

Software

The 101 XS is running Ice Cream Sandwich. Archos told us that they plan on releasing an OTA update to Jelly Bean before the end of November, and in fact they hope it to be much sooner than that.

One interesting thing about the 101 XS is that it doesn’t have any on-screen branding. Archos told us that this is for two reasons. The first is that it speeds up the software, and secondly they don’t actually like things branded in that way.

There are a number of software applications available on the 101 XS, including Angry Birds and a full copy of Office Suite Pro 6. Unlike other tablets, each application is optional and can be installed or not installed during the initial configuration, so no more apps that you don’t want or need by default.

There are also a number of Archos Media Center apps for playing back all of your content, and the 101 XS comes with support for all major codecs, including X264.

There is even a remote control app that turns your Android smartphone into a fully functional remote control for the tablet, and it works very well.

Final Thoughts

The Archos 101 XS tablet will be available in mid September with a retail price of £299 for the 16GB model. Later in the year Archos will release an 8” and a 9.7” model.

For the short time we got to play with the 101 XS we were rather impressed. We are looking forward to doing a more in-depth review in the next few weeks and also to getting Jelly Bean running on it.

Archos also told us that the battery life should rival that of a certain other popular tablet!

So what do you think of the Archos 101 XS? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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