SYNAPSE CIRCUIT ARCHOS MWC14

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
ARCHOS MWC 2014
#Archos #Handsets #Tablets #MWC2014 #MobileWorldCongress2014

Good late evening / early morning, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope you’ve had a good day and if your day is unravelling where you are... ...there’s still time! 

3 more days for the Mobile World Congress to kick off! There’s no doubt that it is going to be an Android event! The Android onslaught is like a nonstop avalanche!

Archos, the French tech company has been wowing a regular QVC audience with pre-Android for over a decade! When Android came on the scene it made their products dated and they have been trying to catch up with a bunch of products that have been met with mixed reviews.

HELIUM 4G
This is an 8” tablet quad core, 4G tablet for under $250! Gosh! Now there’s a surprise! It’s what I have been asking for! You saw my article on the standard budget Android tablet, right? Here it is: http://synapse-circuit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/synapse-circuit-when-budget-android.html

ARCHOS 80 HELIUM 4G – SPECS:

OS: Android 4.3 “Jelly Bean”
Processor: Qualcomm MSM8926 / Quad Core 1.2Ghz Cortex A7
GPU: Adreno 305
Display: 8” 1024×768 Screen with IPS technology
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 8GB expandable using microSD
Camera: 5MP- Autofocus with LED Flash, 2MP front camera, 1080p Video encoding
Network: 4G/LTE: 800 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 Mhz, LTE cat. 4 150Mbps/50Mbps
Connectivity: Bluetooth: 4.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR
Battery: Li-on 3500mAh
Price: $249

Pretty good spec, huh? I really do think that by now any tablet should have a full 1080p screen as standard. But as this is a 4G quad core I can overlook it! I would like to get my hands on it and inspect the quality!

ARCHOS 50C OXYGEN – SPECS:

Now we’re talking decent budget handset! It’s about time! This Oxygen handset is rocking an octa-core CPU with a 5” screen! Again, I don’t see why this handset should be without a full HD screen! However, we’re talking octo-core here and this looks like it could shake up the budget efforts of the likes of LG! I can’t say that I was overawed with the LG L Series III and the Oxygen could put a spanner in the works of the LG L Series III! It works out to be roughly £119 pounds! I obviously have no clue if the pricing will amount to that when it hits the UK – if it hits the UK!

OS: Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean”
Processor: MediaTek MT6592 / Octo-Core at 1.7GHz Cortex A7
GPU: Mali 450MP4
Display: 5” 1280 x 720 Screen with IPS technology
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 8GB expandable using microSD
Camera: 8MP- Autofocus with LED Flash, 2MP front camera, 1080p Video encoding
Network: HSPA+ 21Mbps/5.76Mbps
Connectivity: Bluetooth: 4.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR
Battery: Li-on 2000mAh
Price: $199

ARCHOS 64 XENON – SPECS:

Ah, I see that this is aimed at the consumer wishing to have a phablet without all the costs involved and therefore they’ve given the Xenon a quad core processor and a 6.4” screen, 1280 x 720! It’s fair! And it’s the same price as the Oxygen!

OS: Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean”
Processor: MediaTek MT6582 / Quad-Core at 1.3Ghz Cortex A7
GPU: Mali 400MP2
Display: 6.4” 1280 x 720  Screen with IPS technology
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 4GB expandable using microSD
Camera: 8MP- Autofocus with LED Flash,2MP front camera, 1080p Video encoding
Network: HSPA+ 21Mbps/5.76Mbps
Connectivity: Bluetooth: 4.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR
Battery: Li-on 2800mAh
Price: $199

ARCHOS 40B TITANIUM – SPECS:

Hmmm... This is the kind of handset that I wished manufacturers would stop making! C’mon, 512MB RAM??? It isn’t gonna fly! I don’t see the point of giving this model a dual core 1.3GHz CPU and it’s only packing 512MB RAM??? Get serious! I have had these types of handsets and everything starts off ok until you upgrade apps like Facebook, etc. But I could be wrong. The Titanium could turn things around! I would imagine that this handset could be an option for the consumer that doesn’t want a feature rich handset and wants the minimal amount of power to run a select few apps.

One of the features of the Titanium is the front-facing speakers to enhance the listening experience. Yes, that could work... It could be seen as an Android iPod that can make calls! I would love to test this one due to my dislike for handsets of the spec! I would like my mind to be changed! Should it arrive in the UK the price should be below £80! This could possibly work! But I have to say it, such low, low handsets must have 1GB RAM as standard! I will happily eat my words if the Titanium lives up to its name!

OS: Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean”
Processor: MediaTek MT6572 / Dual-Core at 1.3Ghz Cortex A7
GPU: Mali 400
Display: 4” 800 x 480 Screen with IPS technology
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 4GB expandable using microSD
Camera: 5MP- Autofocus with LED Flash, VGA front camera, 720p Video encoding
Network: HSPA+ 21Mbps/5.76Mbps
Connectivity: Bluetooth: 4.0 + A2DP + HFP + EDR
Battery: Li-on 1400mAh
Price: $119

GIVE US A BREAK!
Yes, that was a KitKat joke as the tagline for the ads in the UK is, “Have a break. Have a KitKat...” I can do with a KitKat right now! Lol!

What I have noticed about these beautiful looking devices is that none of them have the latest Android, KitKat! I wonder if an upgrade is likely... I reckon when KitKat is installed on those devices it will certainly give them a boost as KitKat is smaller and faster! Seriously, it makes my Samsung Galaxy S2 look like it just came out of the factory as it is that good! Ok, I am running CyanogenMod 11 and if that’s anything to go by I am sure that these Archos offerings will benefit greatly for having KitKat!

All in all I have to say that I am impressed with these products on paper – as it were – and that I am looking forward to reviewing them!

What do you reckon?

Take good care!

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