Archos ChefPad

In terms of specialization, the folks at Archos may have hit upon a brilliant idea here: As the trade name indicates, the ChefPad 10” tablet has been crafted with kitchen use in mind – although it’s a fairly high-quality product regardless of special features.

A decent looking tablet, the Archos ChefPad features a picture frame-like bezel which allows maximum space for the touchscreen display; this silicon piece extends all the way around the back for some extra protection against moisture as well as easy cleaning. The introductory models put forth by Archos have all featured the bezel in red, but this is available in a few other colors as well – all the better to accent the kitchen with, one supposes.

In terms of specs, standard to above-average hardware is in place: a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor runs the show with 1 GB of RAM. Internal storage is limited to 8 GB and, since the Archos is relatively light on ports, no upgrade with micro SD cards is possible. Also in the “not included” category is Bluetooth connectivity. On the other hand, front and rear cameras do make the package and nice high-speed 1080-pixel playback is available “out of the box.”

Of course, the main selling point is all in the wide range of kitchen-based apps and direct links to cooking-centric TV programming. Chef Apps Selection is an exclusive bit of software licensed to Archos for the ChefPad and gourmands will certainly find the goodies included here a boon.

Additionally serving the cook in the ChefPad is the handy bendable stand which can fold out from the back of the tablet and be set at any number of angles for display.

Suitably impressed, we give kudos to the folks at Archos for following through on what might have been simply glittering generalities of advertising. There is simply no better kitchen-specific such device out there today.