Folks,
I've seen a few Archos Android tablet reviews here - mostly based on early models.
Thought I'd chip in with a review of one of the hard disk models. I purchased this about 6 weeks ago. I was specifically after a device that would fit in a pocket. One that would supplant my HP iPaq 4700 (4 inch 640x480 screen). A reasonable amount of storage, and a fairly modern OS (my iPaq used Windows Mobile 2003 2nd Edition).
Needed to be able to read books on it (natch - all my devices except my work phone have to be able to show books - and the only reason the work phone doesn't is that I need it to be a charged phone). Wanted to be able to use it as a calculator, and it would be nice to watch video podcasts as a 5" screen is larger than my iPod Touch.
The Archos 5" looked a fairly good match. Reading reviews - mostly written in 2009 tended to be positive - except that the OS was buggy and rebooted a lot. I went to the site and saw a
lot of updates and there were a few comments that it was more stable.
eBay showed costs of $A333 (8GB) to $A650'ish) 500GB. Hmm - there was one for $A400 including postage that was a 160GB hard disk version. Weight seemed OK and that is what I purchased.
OK - enough background - what is it like. So far -
really good. The screen is indeed a nice compromise between my ipod Touch and my old UMPC (7"). Resolution (800x480) is fine at that size and weight is around 290 grams (10-odd ounces). I normally wear a Scottevest jacket or vest and it fits into the outside zipped breast pocket of all the ones that I have. (the other breast pocket always has an iPod Touch and earphones.)
The current Android on the system is 1.6 (donut). I had that as soon as it arrived and immediately updated it to the latest patch level. Which brings up access to wi-fi. I use a 802.11n router with a rather rotten (long) WPA2 key. Once I finally typed it in correctly, it linked up and has been solid ever since. The device has been remarkably stable with the latest patches. Frankly, I only reboot it when I patch it or to check that an uninstall worked OK. I saw 119 hours up, just before I booted it for the latest patch a day ago.
Once registered with Archos - which is a straightforward process involving making at account on the site, then using it from one of the setting dialogs on the device - I could run most video formats without issue. Music plays quite well. I am fairly sure that the sound quality is better than my iPod Touch (2nd Gen) using the same earphones.
But the focus of this site is books. And that is a big part of any device I own.
eReader - first on and hooked it into my Fictionwise account. It downloaded my purchased books fine. It works quite well - I left the page animations on, and they are a bit odd - not slow so much as you see a series of lines pass rapidly over the page. Somewhat configuratable. You can adjust font and colour slightly - but you are restricted to a few choices on the colour - fonts are pretty versatile though.
Aldiko - epub reader. Connects to feedbooks Smashwords and O'Reilly. Also has access to Romance books (
not really my scene). You can add new ones - and I hacked in Webscriptions - but the download process for those doesn't really work well. You can, however, cross load epub books into an import directory - then import them from there. I now have a fair raft of Baen Webscription books in place. Nice reader and
very configurable.
Laputa - looks good but offers Harry Potter et al. Umm - seems to be a pipeline straight into the darknet - I'd avoid it.
Kindle - I had high hopes for this. I use it a lot on my 2 main tablet PC's, and it works well when you load the Kindle directory with .Mobi's and .PRC's (the mobi's show the cover - the PRC's don't). Any attempt to load the Kindle driectory on the Archos resulted in the application shutting down violently. You can only use purchased content. Not happy Amazon (checked around and this is universal on Android devices). But - for my 3 purchased Amazon books - its a good reader. <edit> The new version of the Kindle doesn't crash with seld-supplied content. Covers don't show up - but I have been enjoying Baen books without problems. 3rd most used reader.
Kobo - seems restricted to Borders and feedbooks.
So - I use eReader or Aldiko at present - and its a good reader with those. Movies and video podcasts play well. I have a really good calculator app and I can use it as a bedside clock when I'm in hotels.
Downsides - some minor and some not so minor. Apparently, Android 1.6 allows around 138MB for apps. So instead of being able to load anything I want (a la iPod Touch/iPhone) until I run out of (a lot of) mass storage - I have to be careful.
By default - you can't use the Google Market - you need to use Appslib - which is an Archos approved subset.
www.archosfans.com have a method to hack the Market in. Which is how I have Kindle and Kobo.
Battery life is given as 22 hours for music and 7 hours for video. Ahhh - not really. Book reading - about 5-6 hours (same problem as video - but less disk access). Dunno what video would be - but similar. You can feel the buzz of the little hard drive as you start up and access the device - it has got to be draining more than the flash models.
Other items of information - there is no SD slot on the hard drive models - which means that you have to copy files over via the USB cable. Works for Win 7 - but not with XP. Sometimes means that I have to transfer Win XP desktop->Win 7 notebook->Archos. Volume buttons and power buttons are pretty close. I bought a silicone case, and the button indents are now more prominent. This is a good thing.
Screen is resistive, and even through a screen protector, works pretty well with your fingers. I sometimes use a stylus (not supplied - but I've had PDA's for years so I have extra) for precise work.
The little kickstand at the back is surprisingly useful..
If you want piccies or more comments, let us know.
Ross.