Archos 50 Diamond review: Emerald cut

Chrome at the helm

The Archos 50 Diamond comes with Google Chrome as the default web browser out of box instead of the generic Android browser. While the minimalist interface hasn't changed since Chrome launched on Android, the browser is being constantly refined by Google, and this has resulted in one of the smoothest and most powerful browsing experiences we've encountered on a mobile.

Of course, one of Chrome's strengths is its ability to seamlessly sync with the desktop version, using nothing but your Google account. This allows you to open an article on your PC and finish reading it on your mobile phone. It also syncs your bookmarks and favorite sites.

Google Chrome is generous with the available settings as well. You can control almost every aspect of your web browsing from choosing what content you want to allow to load like JavaScript, images, cookies and pop-ups.

Chrome

The Reduce data usage option does what it says on the tin - Google servers compress the webpage (using Google-developed tech like SPDY and WebP) before sending them to your phone thus saving you data traffic volume and bandwidth.

Opening the tabs area reveals a list of tabs which can be closed, again with a left or right swipe. The animation accompanying this action is neat, too.

Tabs

Incognito tabs, which lets you browse without saving history or cookies, show up right next to regular tabs.

Incognito mode

Organizer and other apps

Google Calendar received a major overhaul. The app features sleek new look that features different graphic for each month. It can automatically add events straight from your Gmail account, so you don't need to worry about flights, dinner reservations and the likes.

You can now add photos and maps to your calendar events. A button to add events can be seen at the bottom right of the app.

Calendar

Google Keep is preinstalled on the Archos 50 Diamond. It begun as a note-taking app but has evolved into a note and to-do app with color coding, reminders with time and even location markers and syncs effortlessly to any other device that supports Keep - even your PC or Chrome browser though an extension.

Google Keep

Archos also supplies its own file manager aptly named Files. It does a good job of moving and copying apps as well as the basic renaming, creating a folder and checking the contents of folders.

Files

You could also handle files through Google Drive and it gives you 15GB of free storage for all of your files.

Google Drive

The Clock app (with stopwatch, world clock and timer) is available by default.

Clock

There's also a trusty calculator aboard the Archos 50 Diamond.

Calculator

Finally, you get the Google Play store and Google Maps, concluding the app package.