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Review: Archos 80 Titanium

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What is it?

The Archos 80 Titanium is part of the smaller tablet range. It features an 8 inch tablet, with a 4:3 display, unlike the 16:9 display that is so common on the Android tablets we’re used to. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and offers you in a budget pack (£120 roughly) everything you’d want from an Android tablet.

Look and feel

For something may not cost you a lot, the tablet actually looks and feels quite good. The aluminium back gives it a premium and smooth feel. It weighs 440gm, which puts it just on the higher end for tablets of this family size (the 7″ range, really). It is also 9.9mm wide, and while this might also seem a bit wide, that is because it features a lot of ports on top.

The front has the screen on it, while the top has the mentioned ports on it as well as the power button. The side has the volume rocker key as well as the home button. Nothing on the right side or the bottom, while the back has the logo, the  branding, and some vents for the speakers.

The display is 1024 x 768, 8″, which makes it slightly bigger than most. The display is actually 4:3 instead of the usual 16:9 that we see on tablets these days.

The ports

The top of the tablet features a lot more ports than you normally see on most tablets.

You have a micro-USB, but unfortunately this is only to transfer files across.

The tablet is actually charged using the DC power port, using the adapter provided.

You also have a micro-HDMI port, meaning you can connect this to any display which would accept it. This makes it very handy, and also means you can take this tablet to meetings and use this for presentations.

Then there is a microSD port, which means you can expand the memory by up to 64GB. The tablet itself comes in 8GB or 16GB versions.

You also have a 3.5mm port to put your headphones or speakers in, and a little reset button in case you need to reset your tablet.

The screen

The display is 1024 x 768, 8″, which makes it slightly bigger than most. The display is actually 4:3 instead of the usual 16:9 that we see on tablets these days, and while that means that it doesn’t really look good for wide screen film and video watching, it actually looks quite good while you’re reading stuff on it or browsing the web. We did find that this does make typing on it a little harder.

However, the display is where the budget aspect of the tablet becomes a bit apparent. The resolution is not up to the mark if you compare it to something like full HD tablets, e.g. like Nexus 7, or your iPads. The contrasts and the colours may also not be as sharp as others, but all in all it works for most usage.

The battery life

We found the battery life to vary between 5 and 7 hours on intensive use. This may be a bit less than the equivalents which will give you more than 10, but once again, this is part of what you get as a budget aspect.

Camera

We have never really been big fans of photography by tablets. Yeah, it is handy having a camera on one, but if you’re out and about in Oxford taking photos using your iPad, you probably need something better. As a result of probably this thought, the camera is pretty basic on this. It works, but once again, that is about it. The images do, but if you really want a good camera, this isn’t for you.

Archos Apps

What adds to the charm of this tablet is the fact that Archos packs in some good apps. You have an app that lets you remotely control this tablet using your phone or other Android devices. This will come in handy if you have the tablet connected to a television, or are giving a presentation.

Other apps include the Archos media app, which lets you play items through wireless media sharing, with uPnp and Sambra, or you can stream using the Archos Media Server to a DLNA compatible TV.

 

What is it missing?

Just in the interest of completion, it must be mentioned that the tablet does not have Bluetooth or GPS on it. Depending on your use, this may or may not be a deal breaker for you.

Conclusion

The Archos 80 Titanium is a good tablet that ticks most of the boxes. It offers you great value for money, and while it isn’t the best tablet in the market, for about £60-80 less than its competitors, it is quite brilliant.

For more information on the tablet, and the family, visit the following link:

http://www.archos.com/products/elements/titanium/archos_80titanium/index.html?country=us&lang=en

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