Archos 43 Android PMP First Impression

At 4.3 inches, I wouldn’t really call the Archos 43 an internet
tablet but more like a personal media player (PMP). In a way, it’s
pretty close to the iPod Touch (more like the Android equivalent
really).





Compared to the other smartphones which are also in the 4.3-inch
category, the Archos 43 seems a bit taller than the rest. It’s got a
slender built though and a slimmer frame.


Archos 43
4.3-inch display @ 480×854 pixel resistive screen
1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU
720p HD video playback
VGA camera
HDMI, USB ports
8GB or 16GB model
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1
It’s pretty intriguing why Archos would put a resistive screen on the
4.3 inch tablet when all the other models in the line-up are using
capacitive screens.





Placed side-by-side the 4.3″ Desire HD and the 4.0″ Galaxy S, the Archos 43
is much taller than the two but since the display is typically measured
via the the diagonal length, the width ended up a little narrower than
the other Android smartphones (some principles of trigonometry at work
here).





Just like its bigger siblings, the Archos 43 comes with small
kickstand at the back for when playing a movie or watching a photo
slideshow. Battery life seemed pretty impressive. Let it for 7.5 hours
on standby and got back to it at 55% battery life.


The device runs on Android 2.1 Eclair out of the box but is ready for 2.2 Froyo anytime. Just has to be done manually.





It comes built-in with 16GB of internal storage but the inclusion of a
microSD card slot allows it to be upgraded with a 32GB card as an
option.


Played Angry Birds on the device just fine (actually runs very
smoothly). However, since the display is a resistive screen, there’s no
multi-touch and I could not zoom in or out of the game scene.





I would not call it a serious challenger to the iPod Touch
considering the prices and specs but it’s an Android alternative
nonetheless.


The suggested retail price is Php12,990 and pretty much puts it in the same price range as the 8GB iPod Touch 4G.