Archos products should be avoided like the plague.
Good price? yes. Good specs? sure.
Customer service? NON EXISTENT.
I am not making this up...they have NO customer service department. It is outsourced to some weird company that simply takes phone calls but can't fix problems.
I owned an archos once. It broke after a few months. It took 3 days and 10 hours of hold time to simply get someone on the phone.
I had to follow up with them for 3 weeks for an RMA slip.
Once sent, they notified me it arrived. 2 weeks passed and i heard nothing. I called them (again, 2 days to simply get someone to talk to me) and they notified me that the box i sent arrived EMPTY! Keep in mind, they never, ever would have told me about this if i didn't call them.
THey told me since the item was empty, it was my fault (even though it was shipped with their insurance) and that they could not help me any further.

Finally, i found the corporate number on their site.
I called that number and started leaving angry phone messages on about 15 random employees voicemails.
Finally, one called me back. I told her the story. She sent me a replacement.

Yes, nearly FOUR MONTHS later and through about 40 hours of hard work on my end, i finally got a replacement.

Needless to say, i sold the replacement on ebay and will never touch anything by them again.

You have been warned.

mjnk97 wrote:Does anyone know if this device supports Adobe Flash? I purchases a Pandigital tablet for my wife, but was disappointed to find out that she could not watch her favorite shows online.

No you pretty much have to be 2.2 or above for flash

For what it's worth, I have an Archos 5, I expect this is likely similar: I would definitely not buy this. Now, I'm qualifiedly happy with my purchase, but only because I still don't know of anything else better that supports 500gb hard drives, which is why I bought that one. This, on the other hand, doesn't have anything except price going for it, and let me tell you: the UI stinks, the touchscreen stinks, it crashes all the freaking time... I only tolerate mine cause it's got a ginormous hard drive, plus I paid good money for it. :p

(Though, I will say, unlike some reviews will state, it *does* at least have access to the Android market. Officially, even. For a while, it didn't unless you used a not-terribly-difficult hack on it, but that changed about a year ago. Or at least that was true of the Archos 5, I'm only assuming their 7s are the same.)

DEFINITELY not worth it.
It would be great if you want a 7 inch picture frame that could maybe show weather, email notifications and such. Nothing to really be productive with or even surfing with any resemblance of current expectation of normal experiences.

Michael J Fox went back to 2007 and says these are "really cool"

mjnk97 wrote:Does anyone know if this device supports Adobe Flash? I purchases a Pandigital tablet for my wife, but was disappointed to find out that she could not watch her favorite shows online.

No, this does not have native support for Flash. From what I understand, you'll need at least Android 2.2 for Flash support and this has Android 1.6. If this was a vers 2 model of the Archos, it can be updated to Android 2.2. But people have pointed out that this is vers 1, so there is probably no way to upgrade it.

What version of Android does your Pandigital use? If it's 2.2, you may be able to get Flash support by downloading the free Dolphin HD webbrowser. It claims Flash support.

I had an Archos tablet that was really worthless. Nothing worked right, no customer support for the US, never could receive an answer on anything from them. All of the functions seemed to need a paid add-on to work and even when I paid for "extras", the device still wouldn't work right. Not intuitive at all, couldn't get any app to work on a consistent basis. At least the Android OS is a step in the right direction. I use Android for my Samsung Moment and it works for the most part. Archos is not a company worth dealing with unless you like headaches.

I've been looking for a simple little tablet and this one seemed to fit the bill. And then I read the writeup. I'm pretty sure the intended effect was NOT to convince a buyer to reconsider. Oh well, I'll keep looking.

mjnk97 wrote:Does anyone know if this device supports Adobe Flash? I purchases a Pandigital tablet for my wife, but was disappointed to find out that she could not watch her favorite shows online.

Sorry -- no. Look for Android 2.2 or above to run Flash -- easiest way to know.

jacvoyt wrote:
Buy it if you don't plan on sleeping with this tablet. If you want a travel companion for everyday performance usage, buy an ipad.

OM FG I ROFLMAO'd in RL!

can i play "words with friends" on this?

newjerseymax wrote:Wow this is a new low....

This is the equivalent of buying a Atari from the 80's....

No, buying a ColecoVision from the 80s is the equivalent of buying an Atari from the 80s.

Yeah, I purchased one from another company. Battery life sucks, touch screen sucks, even using a modded version of Android to throw on there will make it slightly better, but not usable to the point you would want to purchase it.

To the person who said it's a good purchase if you want a children's toy, dead on.

minocc wrote:not the greatest tablet out there, but if you just want something to do some light internet browsing, or reading on, it works nicely. it will not do flash, so YouTube doesn't work on it, and it cannot use either the android marketplace or the amazon app market. the app market it has access to is limited, but has apps that work on the tablet.

Uhhm, we have an older Archos 5 that I installed the Amazon marketplace on that works great. May not be applicable here but I don't see what would have changed to block it.

People are being a little too dismissive of the resistive touchscreen. Basically, here's the deal:

1. A resistive touchscreen demands that the user apply pressure, which means that you need to use a little force when pressing on icons. If you are used to a capacitive touchscreen, this will initially be annoying. However, within a few days, you will just naturally use your nails to navigate, and it will no longer seem like a big deal.

2. It is a little difficult to apply continuous pressure with a resistive touchscreen. As such, you'll sometimes have trouble scrolling, which might result in you accidentally pushing on the wrong thing.

3. Resisitive touchscreen technology is actually compatible with multitouch gestures, although this particular device does not have such support.

4. If you want to do anything that requires precision, you are definitely going to want a resistive touchscreen. They are actually much more accurate than their capacitive counterparts. In most cases, this doesn't matter--if you are mashing something large like an icon, a capacitive touchscreen gets the job done. However, if you want to write on a device with a capacitive touchscreen, you need to buy a special stylus with large, rounded tip. It's almost like writing with a crayon. In contrast, a stylus on a resistive touchscreen will have a very fine point, which means that it is almost like writing with a pen. (In fact, you can actually use a real pen, provided that you use the side with the cap. Any pointed object with a plastic tip can be used as a stylus). If you are someone who likes to annotate on your books and/or draw, a resisitive touchscreen is definitely the best option.

This tablet has a number of drawbacks. For me, the fact it is running Android 1.6 makes it a difficult sell. But if you're a student looking for a cheap e-book reader, this seems like a compelling option, particularly if you read lots of *.pdf files. Unlike someone who owns an iPad, you'll be able to easily draw all over your documents. I just wouldn't expect this thing to be a multimedia machine.

I wonder what the battery life is if the device is only used for reading .pdf's, ebooks and the like? Anyone who has one already care to say?

Also along the line of reasonable expections. Our Archos 5 is definately not as polished as my old Droid or current Tbird; but for handing off to my children it has a huge screen to watch movies on and most of the game apps I've pulled from Amazon work fine. That will change as developers seem to be aiming for higher and higher hardware specs; but comeon people; who would have though a few years ago for $80 you could have something that could do so much (and if the kid breaks it, oh well).

kennyminot wrote:People are being a little too dismissive of the resistive touchscreen. Basically, here's the deal:

1. A resistive touchscreen demands that the user apply pressure, which means that you need to use a little force when pressing on icons. If you are used to a capacitive touchscreen, this will initially be annoying. However, within a few days, you will just naturally use your nails to navigate, and it will no longer seem like a big deal.

2. It is a little difficult to apply continuous pressure with a resistive touchscreen. As such, you'll sometimes have trouble scrolling, which might result in you accidentally pushing on the wrong thing.

3. Resisitive touchscreen technology is actually compatible with multitouch gestures, although this particular device does not have such support.

4. If you want to do anything that requires precision, you are definitely going to want a resistive touchscreen. They are actually much more accurate than their capacitive counterparts. In most cases, this doesn't matter--if you are mashing something large like an icon, a capacitive touchscreen gets the job done. However, if you want to write on a device with a capacitive touchscreen, you need to buy a special stylus with large, rounded tip. It's almost like writing with a crayon. In contrast, a stylus on a resistive touchscreen can have a very fine point, which means that it is almost like writing with a pen. (In fact, you can actually use a real pen, provided that you use the side with the cap. Any pointed object with a plastic tip can be used as a stylus). If you are someone who likes to annotate on your books and/or draw, a resisitive touchscreen is definitely the best option.

This tablet has a number of drawbacks. For me, the fact it is running Android 1.6 makes it a difficult sell. But if you're a student looking for a cheap e-book reader, this seems like a compelling option, particularly if you read lots of *.pdf files. Unlike someone who owns an iPad, you'll be able to easily draw all over your documents. I just wouldn't expect this thing to be a multimedia machine.

Good post.

tankueray wrote:I would buy an Atari 2600 in a heartbeat. And sell my first born for the game "Adventure."

Think this thing could emulate it?

I was thinking the same thing (about buying an Atari in a heartbeat). I loved Adventure. Also Tank Battle and the Journey game (where you had to rescue Steve Perry from the throngs of groupies!)

nava2468 wrote:I wonder what the battery life is if the device is only used for reading .pdf's, ebooks and the like? Anyone who has one already care to say?

Hi there,
The battery life on this tablet is actually pretty good:

Music playback time: up to 42 hours
Video playback time: up to 7 hours

umm.... no.

The CPU was conveniently left out of the description (660 Mhz). My android phone has a faster processor. No accelerometer, Android 1.6, no bluetooth, limited video support, limited audio support, no flash support... and this isn't me spouting off of my opinion, this is right from archOS's own site!!

Click "Home tablet vs Internet tablet"

http://www.archos.com/products/ta/archos_7/index.html?country=us&lang=en

Check out the story on Tom's Hardware

Archos Unveils $99 'Arnova 7' Android Tablet

Now this isn't out yet, so this is still Vaporware. Specs say Android 2.2

thomas998 wrote: Did I mention that mine is currently collecting dust in a draw while my Ipad is getting constant use?

Please don't get sucked in by this one, it would only be worth it if it was free.

Did you mention that an Ipad costs $600 and this one costs $80?

You're comparing a moped to a Ferrari!

A moped gets you there if you have no money.

Doh...nut!!

sdc100 wrote: But people have pointed out that this is vers 1, so there is probably no way to upgrade it.

If true, then maybe a bicycle.

minocc wrote:not the greatest tablet out there, but if you just want something to do some light internet browsing, or reading on, it works nicely. it will not do flash, so YouTube doesn't work on it, and it cannot use either the android marketplace or the amazon app market. the app market it has access to is limited, but has apps that work on the tablet.

It should work with Amazon's Android Market. Oneof my tablets had Android 1.6 and Amazon app worked flawlessly.

I would rather have a pet rock!

For the price, you can't beat it, even if the reviews aren't great. The reviews were for a $200 table, not a $79 one. And, you can upgrade it using Arctools and get the Android Market and 2.1 OS.

sdc100 wrote:And btw, you won't need to buy a special stylus for a resistive screen. I've always just used my fingers. But if I ever did want a stylus, a toothpick or capped pen is just fine. If you need to do intricate drawing or fine handwriting recognition on a capacitive screen, however, you'll need to buy a special expensive stylus.

or, if like me, you like somewhere where 6-8 out of 12 months of the year you are likely to be wearing gloves... I can use my (resistive) screen Touch Pro 2... and haven't upgraded yet partially because I don't look forward to taking my gloves off to answer a call when it's not summer.

Bealz wrote:Did you mention that an Ipad costs $600 and this one costs $80?

You're comparing a moped to a Ferrari!

A moped gets you there if you have no money.

Walking gets you there when you have no money a broken moped just gives you something heavy to push while walking.

Ipad was 399... when I bought the Archos it was 199... so yeah it was always cheaper... but so what if it doesn't work you would have been better off saving more money and buying the ipad later.... and please don't compare a Ipad to a Ferrari, if I could do it all over again I would probably not get either one... the lack of flash on ipad is maddening (like selling Ferraris without passenger seat)

Can this read comic files (cbr,cbz)?

do you have to have wireless internet to use this? can you buy a wifi data card to use it if you don't have internet?

thomas998 wrote:Walking gets you there when you have no money a broken moped just gives you something heavy to push while walking.

Ipad was 399... when I bought the Archos it was 199... so yeah it was always cheaper... but so what if it doesn't work you would have been better off saving more money and buying the ipad later.... and please don't compare a Ipad to a Ferrari, if I could do it all over again I would probably not get either one... the lack of flash on ipad is maddening (like selling Ferraris without passenger seat)

OK - the Ferrari/moped comparison is getting ridiculous. You are getting an absurdly cheap piece of first generation hardware. If you remember correctly, this baby came out BEFORE the iPad established the standard market expectations. As such, don't be surprised if it's a little buggy.

kennyminot wrote:OK - the Ferrari/moped comparison is getting ridiculous. You are getting an absurdly cheap piece of first generation hardware. If you remember correctly, this baby came out BEFORE the iPad established the standard market expectations. As such, don't be surprised if it's a little buggy.

Ok so in reality it's worth paying $80 for a collectors item.

Hello there. I am an owner of an Archos 7 HT v1. It was under my impression that no official version of android OS 1.6 was ever released. Instead, the tablet which I have only runs 1.5. I have e-mailed numerous people within your company and they have all said that there is no news of such an update.

My question... how is it that this woot deal for the Archos 7 HT has android 1.6? If so, how can existing customers of this tablet get the much needed firmware update they have been asking for the past year?

Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks

craigarchos wrote:I work for ARCHOS and I can assure you that this is not the case. We care about our customers and just recently have made tremendous efforts to improve our customer and technical support. Check out our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ARCHOS.EntertainmentYourWay and ask.

excuse my ignorance, what version of Android would be able to play flash, .mp4, divx videos?

dglawless wrote:do you have to have wireless internet to use this? can you buy a wifi data card to use it if you don't have internet?

I'm not sure what you mean by Wireless Internet. Are you talking about 3G and 4G? You won't need that at all. In fact, this probably won't have a 3G/4G option although there may be some Android USB dongle you can use.

As for Wifi data card, I think you're confusing 3G/4G with WiFi. There is no such thing as a WiFi datacard because WiFi is not a service like 3G/4G is (there are, however, WiFi network cards). WiFi is simply a way to wirelessly connect your computer or tablet to your home network, i.e. printer, external hard drive, or the Internet. You can have WiFi with or without the Internet.

So, in answer to your question, there is no need for a WiFi [network] card because this tablet has WiFi card built-in. Again, this does not mean that it has the Internet built in. You'll have to find somewhere that has Internet service sent over WiFi to be able to surf the web, i.e. public libraries. Furthermore, the service has to be unprotected or you'll need a password. Think of it this way: WiFi is the antenna on your radio, while the Internet is the radio station. The antenna will help you receive the station, but you'd still need the station to be in your area. Having an antenna (aka WiFi) is useless, for example, on a remote desert island or the moon because there are no nearby radio stations. (for you techie Geeks, I am referring to ordinary FM radio not long range AM or short waves!!!)

And no, you don't need the Internet to use this tablet but you'll seriously limit the capabilities of this tablet -- or any tablet -- if you have no Internet access. All of the upgrades and patching, for example, is done through the Internet. So are acquiring apps and ebooks. You can potentially get upgrades through your PC/Mac and save the data on an SD card or USB memory to transport to the Archos. Or you might be able to do it directly through an USB connection. But trust me, having WiFi makes everything much easier. And of course, you can't websurf without WiFi.

jaypnguyen wrote:Hello there. I am an owner of an Archos 7 HT v1. It was under my impression that no official version of android OS 1.6 was ever released. Instead, the tablet which I have only runs 1.5. I have e-mailed numerous people within your company and they have all said that there is no news of such an update.

My question... how is it that this woot deal for the Archos 7 HT has android 1.6? If so, how can existing customers of this tablet get the much needed firmware update they have been asking for the past year?

Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks

I'm pretty sure Android 1.6 was an official release because I've seen several tablets with it. In fact, my Entourage Edge (which is not a cheap Chinese device) came with Android 1.6. I just recently upgraded it to Android 2.2.