I’ll add links in a while, this is a work in progress.

Archos 70

Why buy it?

It’s a fairly cheap 7 inch Android tablet. It’s got capacitive screen, which puts it above the cheaper ones. It’s capable of using the Flash plugin. It’ll at least go to the Froyo version, although it generally comes with Eclair. It plays almost any video (sound volume is better than on my netbook), and although it doesn’t come with Google Market, it’s easily installed via hacks.

It doesn’t have a SIM card slot, but that’s easily solved by choosing a MIFI card if you need it - it’s ready for any wifi enabled gadget, so I’d choose that anyway, I think.

What’s my use for it?

Primarily, it’s a wifi tablet that’s got a bigger screen than the Ipod Touch, which I’ve used quite a bit when travelling to check e-mail and stuff. I have a netbook, so I won’t travel with only the tablet, but the tablet is much smaller and easier to take with me for daytrips and so on. It’s also the perfect unit for watching video on long plane rides. The battery would last the whole trip, allowing for meals and sleeping when it would be turned off.

I also like to have an instant on unit where I can check various things, as well as watch Youtube and video. The Ipod Touch is getting slightly temperamental, and I don’t know how long it’ll last. It’s also very small for browsing the web. It felt like it was time for something bigger, while still keeping the Touch as long as it’ll turn on.

I’ve put song lyrics on my phone and my Ipod Touch 1G in the form of pictures specially made for their resolution. It’s a way to keep song lyrics with me in case I’m asked to sing and don’t have a song book with me. The 7 inch screen allows me to photograph my song book, chords and all, and transfer the pictures directly to the tablet - they display well, and I can set the tablet to not turn off for a long time. It’s the perfect tiny song book. The Ipoid and phone isn’t really big enough for when I play the piano, but the Archos 70 is.

I do read books on it (love Aldiko, especially the free classic books), but prefer the smallness of the Ipod Touch. It would be perfect for a preacher on the pulpit, though. The best Bible app has many Bible translations and enough features to keep a preacher happy (bookmarks, for instance). I no longer carry a physical Bible with me while travelling. I’ve got the app installed on both the Archos and the Ipod Touch. It doesn’t have my favorite Norwegian translation, and NIV is only available while you have a wifi connection, but I make do when travelling.

I will at some point install remote desktop software on it, in case I need to log in to the company server while the netbook is unavailable. I checked that it would be possible before I bought the Archos.

Irritating features

Writing: You don’t get enough feedback from the virtual keys, so be prepared for hitting the wrong keys, seeing double and missing letters. The Archos 70 can take a USB keyboard if you have a USB host cable. I haven’t tested that out, but there are cases on eBay that contains those keyboards, so for some that might be an option. It’s NOT a real computer, though, so if you have a choice, use a netbook or laptop for writing more than a few sentences while travelling. If you have no needs beyond e-mail and a web browser, the Archos might be enough, but I would probably take the netbook if I had a choice. I’m done travelling with my 15,4″  laptop, however, it’s been temperamental since it’s first plane ride.

Software and firmware version

Mine still sports the original firmware and software (2.1). I’ll keep it like that as long as I don’t absolutely need something available in 2.2 (Froyo). It’s not possible to downgrade the Android software, and I heard the firmware breaks things while fixing other things. Right now I can keep the original, and at some point I might upgrade, but not just because it’s there, but because I need to. If you need to decide what to do, go to the forum on archosfans and see what they’re saying before doing anything.

I did install Google Market. I had to in order to get a working Youtube app.

I installed the highest rated piano app also, but it doesn’t work, even though I got it at AppsLib, Archos own software market. All other apps I’ve gotten there have worked.

Accessories

The most important accessory is the USB host cable. While the USB cable that comes with the unit allows you to attach the Archos to your computer to transfer files and whatnot, the host cable allows the Archos to “be the computer”, and you can attach harddrives, keyboards, thumbdrives and other things that can be attached to a computer. It won’t work with all harddrives or thumbdrives. It won’t supply power to a harddrive. It might be possible to get one to work by using a powered USB hub, but you never know which one will work and which one won’t. In the future we might find out exactly what the difference is, but for right now we don’t know. Also, some have found that if they try to attach things several times, it might eventually work. I have a DVD player that is temperamental like that, and a media player I’ve tried is also temperamental. The harddrive needs to spin up the moment you turn the media player on, or it won’t work. USB host cables can be bought from Archos (but few do, maybe there’s limited availability), and on ebay. But you never know if the ebay cable will actually work until it arrives.

Second most important is the case. I bought a neoprene sleeve off ebay - very cheap. Just a generic 7″ sleeve. Works fine, but I’d prefer a hard jacket. There are some on ebay made for the Archos, but they’re expensive compared to ones made for the Kindle 3G, Nook and Nook Color. The Archos is less wide, and 5 mm longer, but some of the cases still work for the Archos - but a tight fit. Again, check the archosfans forum for opinions and pictures.