Archos 32 tablet misses the mark despite Android support

Don't let the name of the Archos 32 Internet Tablet fool you: It's palm-size, and it more closely resembles an Android smartphone than it does a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The Archos 32 Internet Tablet won't disappoint if you're expecting a high-quality music player with smooth video playback. However if you're expecting a device with capabilities that mirror those of an Android smartphone, you may not be satisfied: Yes, it browses the Web and even runs Android apps, yet this mini-tablet misses the mark in several ways.

The first problem

The first problem, the poor screen resolution, is evident upon initial boot-up. The 240-by-400-pixel display is passable for media-player tasks just as viewing photos and videos, as so then as for paging through music cover art. Nevertheless with text, especially in the settings menus--where much of the text is white on a black background--the screen can be downright harsh on the eyes. You can see the dots evidently, and text appears blurry as a result. By contrast, Android smartphones with 3.2-inch screens have 320-by-480-pixel displays, which is much sharper and much easier on the eyes. In fairness, considering the $150 price tag, it's hard to expect the Archos 32 Internet Tablet to keep up with the hardware features of phones costing far more. Yet the iOS-based Apple iPod Touch delivers a far sharper display for not much more.