Archos 10" Tablet Looking for advice

TheDoc · 26-12-2010 4:19pm #1

http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/catalog_v2.cgi?id=27328&type=product

That looks itneresting

HDMI port and all the bells and whistles?

Supposidly has a 1ghz processor and some nice specs.

The reviews im seeing maybe for an older model, where it was android 1.6 only and wasnt very impressive. Is this a newer model?

Can anyone confirm, can these run froyo and future updates etc?

I'd defo be interested in more more details on this bad boy

So if anyone has one, some information would be awesome

srsly78 · 26-12-2010 4:39pm

Two people confirmed this for you in other thread. Your review may have been on a pre-release version, but more likely was another tablet entirely. This is the best tablet out there right now, and is a bargain at e350. The other tablets are an overpriced joke in comparison.

Support for future versions of android is unknown, the 101s 256mb ram may be a problem. The HDMI port is "mini hdmi", you need an adapter. The fullsize USB port works a treat, plug your keyboard or usb stick in. Archos have not customised Android on this device, it's very close to vanilla, thus 2.3 should be available.

Note: this tablet does not come with Android market. You gotta install it yourself (very very easy). Might put off non-technical users.

Abelloid · 26-12-2010 4:44pm

Is that the one that's due back into Currys in a couple of weeks, @ €299?

srsly78 · 26-12-2010 4:47pm

Possibly. Peats told me they bought the entire Archos stock for Ireland. It's e280 ex-vat, e349,99 with VAT. Peats are the only bricks+mortar store with it in stock at the moment. Very impressed with Peats support, they exchanged my pre-release one no problem (shouldn't have had it on sale tho tbh).

Here is a good review: http://cdnn.lightshedder.com/2010/12/22/archos-internet-tablet-101-very-interesting/

I was a bit apprehensive myself when I learned about this tablet, surely there was no way it could be as good as galaxy/ipad at half the price? Well it is, and more.

TheDoc · 26-12-2010 5:05pm

srsly78 wrote: »

Two people confirmed this for you in other thread. Your review may have been on a pre-release version, but more likely was another tablet entirely. This is the best tablet out there right now, and is a bargain at e350. The other tablets are an overpriced joke in comparison.

Support for future versions of android is unknown, the 101s 256mb ram may be a problem. The HDMI port is "mini hdmi", you need an adapter. The fullsize USB port works a treat, plug your keyboard or usb stick in. Archos have not customised Android on this device, it's very close to vanilla, thus 2.3 should be available.

Note: this tablet does not come with Android market. You gotta install it yourself (very very easy). Might put off non-technical users.

Just wanted to make a new thread instead of clogging a meteor one.

I'm very much intrigued, my main concern is what version of Android it can run, it can run Froyo, then all the better.

And i read into the marketplace thing, it looks easy to solve.

I'm very, very, very tempted by this, I guess the only drawback is the screen, as I havnt had hands on experience

But the price and whats included looks tremendous.

The reviews I've been reading could very well be an older model , it was a 600mhz cpu running android 1.6

I've only seen these in Peats, I think xtravision might do them aswell, anyone have any information on good pricing on these?

TheDoc · 26-12-2010 5:14pm

JustinOval wrote: »

Is that the one that's due back into Currys in a couple of weeks, @ €299?

Might get onto your man in the curries forum

***
Dropped him a thread in the Currys forum to see if I can get any information on the tab, pricewise and specs.

Does seem to be some forums reporting the box says "XYZ" specs, but when they got home and run some tests the specs are " lower quality xyz"

So for the price I want to be sure, but its ticking all the boxes so far, still cant get confirmation on what version of android its running, are you two guys running Froyo?

Was turned right of the galaxy by its size and price, but €300-350 for the specs advertised by Archos and the things im reading are pretty tempting

The HDMI output is also pretty awesome, being able to move movies from my pc to the telly downstairs, pictures aswell, sounds pretty incredible.

TBH sounds like one of those too good to be true purchases.

Convince me men, convince me!

god's toy · 26-12-2010 6:06pm

I wonder if Google would do something to kill the app market 'work around' on the next update of Android for tabs like the Archos?

amby666 · 26-12-2010 6:19pm

srsly78 wrote: »

Possibly. Peats told me they bought the entire Archos stock for Ireland. It's e280 ex-vat, e349,99 with VAT. Peats are the only bricks+mortar store with it in stock at the moment. Very impressed with Peats support, they exchanged my pre-release one no problem (shouldn't have had it on sale tho tbh).

Looks like it may be in Smyths too.
http://toys.ie/Internet-Tablets-!WSCAT411-subcat.aspx

TheDoc · 26-12-2010 6:26pm

For the life of me, I think I saw them for sale in Xtravision too

Declan from Curry's said hed be in touch tomorrow on the thread to fill me in on information he can get

Might be worth checking around as with the sales coming out, they might drop in price some more

srsly78 · 26-12-2010 7:22pm

About the XYZ specs thing:
It has a 1ghz processor. Archos released a firmware update that clocked it down to 800 Mhz, peopled RAGED. Another firmware update came out 2 weeks ago reversing this (setting governor max to 1000). You could run various overclock apps to get your 1000 back anyway. Not an issue anymore.

zod · 26-12-2010 8:15pm

i have one .. they run froyo

all info here : http://forum.archosfans.com/viewforum.php?f=74

all reviews here

main issues:

low ram
screen angles

slowlydownwards · 26-12-2010 9:52pm

Powercity had both 8 and 16gb versions up until last week, but the stocks seem to have dried up.

TheDoc · 26-12-2010 10:08pm

Think I'll take the plunge, looks really good tbh, cheers for putting me on the right track lads

Stokolan · 26-12-2010 10:20pm

I was looking into this myself but after seeing a lot of complaints on archosfans I said id hold off. I think I'm going to wait to see what comes out in the next few months. the motorolla tablet has me interested. But im sure some more tablets will pop up over the year. CES will probably have a preview of some of them.

amby666 · 27-12-2010 11:07pm

Engadget review wasn't great either.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/24/archos-70-and-101-internet-tablet-review/
I think I'll hold off too.

srsly78 · 27-12-2010 11:31pm

amby666 wrote: »

Engadget review wasn't great either.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/24/archos-70-and-101-internet-tablet-review/
I think I'll hold off too.

Engadget are idiots. The only bad things about this tablet are (as already stated):
low ram
bad screen viewing issues

I would contend that neither of these issues are problems at all. When I use the tablet I have it in front of me, moaning about screen angles is just nitpicking. Likewise the RAM problem is a nonissue IF you tweak your tablet slightly. The built-in launcher seems to lag a bit, but you can just use launcher pro instead and wallop -> no lag. Notice how even engadget state this tablet "lags less than the galaxy" which has 512MB ram. Having loads of ram doesn't matter if you have lousy software running on it (hi samsung).

My tablet doesn't lag, everything works. I do not feel it needs more RAM.

Regarding the "cheap and plasticky" build quality, this may indeed be true. However people seem perfectly happy to pay through the nose for plasticky shoddy samsung products that cost twice as much? My response to this: It's fine, quit moaning.... These clowns would only be happy with a gold-plated tablet, and then they would moan about the weight.

Note that the archos 101 has:
Longer battery life than the galaxy
Bigger screen than the ipad
Weights less than the ipad

edit: facts
edit2:
PS: Yeah I am pretty mad with Samsung. They manage to take amazing hardware, amazing software (android) and then completely **** it up when delivered to consumers. The Galaxy S was a travesty, it SHOULD be better than the Desire but it isn't (without serious modding). Only recently have they released 2.2 for galaxy phone. The Galaxy tablet is just repeating all their mistakes. Don't even get me started on having to use Samsung Kies software.....

Why is the Galaxy tab a joke? Because for the price of it you can buy: archos 101 + htc desire.

Venom · 28-12-2010 12:23am

amby666 wrote: »

Engadget review wasn't great either.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/24/archos-70-and-101-internet-tablet-review/
I think I'll hold off too.

+1

Just to many bad reviews of the current Android tablets.

I'm gonna wait to see what HTC's offerings are like before buying a tablet as my Desire has been rock solid since I first got it and a 10" HTC Sense tablet would be just fcuking awesome

long_b · 28-12-2010 12:57am

Peats have the 10 incher reduced to 320 in their sale

TheDoc · 28-12-2010 1:27am

Gamestop selling for €299

Kintarō Hattori · 29-12-2010 10:42am

TheDoc wrote: »

Gamestop selling for €299

That's the 8GB version apparently.

Hecklar · 29-12-2010 12:42pm

I suppose its a bit unfair to compare it to the Galaxy Tab considering the price difference, but its a lot more slow, laggy and jumpy when scrolling it. I was tempted to get it before hand but not after seeing it in the flesh yesterday. I still think the galaxy tab is better sized for what you need from it so i reckon i'll end up getting that myself, unless something else decent comes around.

srsly78 · 29-12-2010 12:45pm

It isn't slower than the Galaxy Tab. Both tablets have teething problems, but the archos can be tweaked to be smooth. Engadget review above says archos is "less laggy than galaxy tab". Also the Archos has a much larger screen, is lighter than the ipad, and has a kickstand. So you are right, it's not fair at all: Galaxy Tab+iPad loses on all counts. Galaxy has 256MB of extra RAM, but same speed processor (1GHz Cortex A8 processor).

Note that the archos display models in shops are possibly not updated. If I could show you my tablet right now, you would change your mind very quickly about "slow, laggy, jumpy".

@other posters: Aha, yeah the price difference is down to it being either 8 or 16gb version. You can also stick a 32gb sdcard in, or just use fullsize usb stick or external drive. Some guys are even trying to get USB 3G dongles working (no joy yet).

Guide to making Archos 101 ultra smooth:
Install latest firmware update (should popup automatically and prompt user to upgrade)
Settings -> About Device -> Power Management -> Set to Overdrive (this will use full 1000mhz all the time, but eat battery faster)
Install launcher pro
Launcher pro preferences -> advanced settings -> keep in memory -> enable
Tablet is now as smooth as the iPad, note no "rooting" or serious hacking required. If you run z4root you can temproot + overclock to 1200Mhz to make it even faster if you want.

Yes I agree that the end-user should not have to go through these steps, hopefully archos will fix the default launcher in next update.

The "form factor" thing we could debate about. I'm not sure 7" -> 10" makes any difference, I would still need to put the thing in a bag! Maybe these tablet things just aren't for blokes?

If you can fit the galaxy tab in your pocket then your pants must be a lot bigger than mine tbh! Still, can get htc desire + archos 101 together for the price of the galaxy tab, not worth it imo.

tl;dr: There was a dodgy firmware update last month, it's now fixed. Tablet is not laggy. Try using launcher pro or zeam to make it even smoother.

edit: Fixed factual inaccuracy (again lol): archos isnt lighter than the galaxy, its the same weight I think 400g (because of plastic construction that people complain about). It is a lot lighter than the ipad tho.

Kitty approves of psx4droid running XCOM TFTD on archos 101: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4436079/images/IMG_0060.JPG

Hecklar · 29-12-2010 3:14pm

Well i wouldn't say the galaxy tab "looses on all accounts" with being smaller at 7 inch. Who said bigger is better? personally, (and thats the key word here) I much prefer the 7 inch screen over a 10 inch, the main reason i never bothered with the ipad. The iPad is also years ahead of both the others in terms of external quality, naturally its going to be heavier. I don't see that as a bad thing myself. as much as i hate using iOS, (despite being a long time jailbreaker) you have to hand it to apple for the build quality of their iPad.

The Archos i used was on 2.2, the galaxy tab on 2.1. As far as im aware, theres no 2.3 for the archos yet so its on the latest firmware. The galaxy tab certainly isnt flawless by any account, but overall i found it to be a lot more fluent than the archos.

srsly78 · 29-12-2010 4:09pm

Yes I said the form factor thing was another debate altogether. The firmware I'm talking about is not the android version, it's the archos firmware. The first 2.2 update they released had the dodgy 800mhz underclock, new 2.2 update fixed that. Hilariously if you had used one with 2.1 you would have found it silky smooth, this is what made many archos users quite angry (company fixed it within 2 weeks).

The "build quality" for the ipad IS a bad thing, because it's too feckin heavy -.- Not to mention lack of usb port/hdmi out etc.

Trust me, you used a buggy archos. I know because I had one (bought in november). Have since watched it improve dramatically with the updates and a bit of tweaking.

Hecklar · 29-12-2010 10:17pm

Well im glad you got yours working better, and i hope to hear more from other owners to see if they find the same results, but i can only go on personal experience with it at the moment and mine wasnt very impressive. thats reviews for ya though. opinions will vary.

ps, weight, lack of USB ports, HDMI ports etc have nothing, at all to do with build quality.
The iPad is king when it comes to build quality, if nothing else. If it did have more ports like ya said then it would interest me a lot more and id concider one. but eve still, it would be running apples chastity belt of an operating system and wouldn't be all that appealing unless it could be jailbroken.

slowlydownwards · 30-12-2010 12:43am

@srsly78 Thanks for that handy streamlining howto. Just wondering, is there any application scaling issues on 101?

Corholio · 30-12-2010 4:47am

srsly78 wrote: »

It isn't slower than the Galaxy Tab. Both tablets have teething problems, but the archos can be tweaked to be smooth. Engadget review above says archos is "less laggy than galaxy tab". Also the Archos has a much larger screen, is lighter than the ipad, and has a kickstand. So you are right, it's not fair at all: Galaxy Tab+iPad loses on all counts. Galaxy has 256MB of extra RAM, but same speed processor (1GHz Cortex A8 processor).

Note that the archos display models in shops are possibly not updated. If I could show you my tablet right now, you would change your mind very quickly about "slow, laggy, jumpy".

@other posters: Aha, yeah the price difference is down to it being either 8 or 16gb version. You can also stick a 32gb sdcard in, or just use fullsize usb stick or external drive. Some guys are even trying to get USB 3G dongles working (no joy yet).

Guide to making Archos 101 ultra smooth:
Install latest firmware update (should popup automatically and prompt user to upgrade)
Settings -> About Device -> Power Management -> Set to Overdrive (this will use full 1000mhz all the time, but eat battery faster)
Install launcher pro
Launcher pro preferences -> advanced settings -> keep in memory -> enable
Tablet is now as smooth as the iPad, note no "rooting" or serious hacking required. If you run z4root you can temproot + overclock to 1200Mhz to make it even faster if you want.

Yes I agree that the end-user should not have to go through these steps, hopefully archos will fix the default launcher in next update.

The "form factor" thing we could debate about. I'm not sure 7" -> 10" makes any difference, I would still need to put the thing in a bag! Maybe these tablet things just aren't for blokes? If you can fit the galaxy tab in your pocket then your pants must be a lot bigger than mine tbh! Still, can get htc desire + archos 101 together for the price of the galaxy tab, not worth it imo.

tl;dr: There was a dodgy firmware update last month, it's now fixed. Tablet is not laggy. Try using launcher pro or zeam to make it even smoother.

edit: Fixed factual inaccuracy (again lol): archos isnt lighter than the galaxy, its the same weight I think 400g (because of plastic construction that people complain about). It is a lot lighter than the ipad tho.

Kitty approves of psx4droid running XCOM TFTD on archos 101: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4436079/images/IMG_0060.JPG

Fantastic information on this, thanks a lot. I am seriously considering buying one.

One thing though, I notice you say it cant use a USB 3G dongle, is there any chance it might do so in the near future? I use my Vodafone dongle a lot, and I think this not working on it is the one thing thats currently stopping me buying it right now.

mickoneill30 · 30-12-2010 10:40am

Corholio wrote: »

One thing though, I notice you say it cant use a USB 3G dongle, is there any chance it might do so in the near future? I use my Vodafone dongle a lot, and I think this not working on it is the one thing thats currently stopping me buying it right now.

I don't know if the 3G dongle will ever work plugged in but you could investigate this.
http://www.vodafone.ie/df/mobilebroadband/devices/devices_plans.jsp

It turns your 3G modem into a WiFi device so you'll be able to connect up to 4 devices to it using normal WiFi. No need for messing around with drivers.

srsly78 · 30-12-2010 11:31am

Regarding 3g dongles, there are modders working on this, no solution as of yet.

Regarding screen scaling issues, none that I can see. 800x480 being scaled to 1024x600 isn't noticeable at all. Android 2.3 will release proper support for higher resolutions.

Also, regarding form factor, there is the Archos 70, pretty much the same tablet but with 7" screen. Maybe even cheaper too?

Corholio · 30-12-2010 5:15pm

mickoneill30 wrote: »

I don't know if the 3G dongle will ever work plugged in but you could investigate this.
http://www.vodafone.ie/df/mobilebroadband/devices/devices_plans.jsp

It turns your 3G modem into a WiFi device so you'll be able to connect up to 4 devices to it using normal WiFi. No need for messing around with drivers.

Thats a very interesting option. How does it work with topping up on pay as you go etc if there's no software to install? Does it just pick up the vodafone signal and bring up a top up page or something?

If this worked on the Archos it'd be a clincher definitely

srsly78 · 30-12-2010 5:18pm

It will tether via bluetooth / usb / wifi to most phones as well.

Archos 10" Tablet Looking for advice

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