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Interesting iPad Competition

B

barkomatic

macrumors 601
Original poster
Aug 8, 2008
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Archos has announced some interesting new Honeycomb tablets. I have to say, the specs at least sound really good--and they have taken a creative approach to 3G connectivity and hard drive space.

They will feature a 250Gb hard drive--yes you read that correctly. They are going with platter drives. Also, the 3G connection, which is optional can be installed after purchase for $49 by sliding a 3G USB stick under the back cover. The screens are high resolution and can play 1080p files apparently. Best of all the prices are awesome, $279 for the 8 inch version and $349 for the 10 incher.

Yes, the iPad is still nicer with better apps, but at those prices I think these tablets will become a compelling option for those in the market for a tablet. Suddenly a wifi only iPad with 16Gb of flash storage for $499 doesn't look so competitive. If successful, I'm thinking this may force Apple into quicker updates with more features. At the very least, other Android tablets will be coming down in price--poor Xoom users. . .

What do you think?

Link:

http://images.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/articleimage/684/2011/06/G9%20Press%20Release%20Final.pdf
 
The 8" and 10" models come in both flash memory models as well as 250gb hard drive models. Just like their gen8 7" did. The prices listed are for the flash models. Add another $100 or so for the hard drives.
 
Yeah i think that an 8 inch screen might be the sweet spot between portability and the screen real estate. I hope these tablets kick off and bring some needed competition to the apple.
 
Decent looking and the price is just great!

It also looks like Archos has finally gotten around to bundling Google Apps / Market with the device - previously you had to hack it in.

Hopefully they aren't all too plastiky and cheap feeling and OS updates are promised and delivered - they should sell a good number of these.
 
Archos? Higher resolution?

It has a higher resolution, but also it has a bigger screen than iPad.

I have seen Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 screens. I have not find those screens to be better than iPad screen at all.

Archos is hardly going to do anything to Ipad.

People don't buy tablets to just watch movies and videos.
 
I just did a quick scan of the pdf and didn't see the thickness, I might have missed it though. In pictures it looks very thick, and with a platter drive I'd have to assume it won't be anywhere near as thin as the ipad2. Seems like the portability of the ipad2 and some of the newer android tablets is contributing greatly to their success and I'm not sure how popular a chunky tablet will be in today's era of sleekness. I could understand and possibly accept a chunky windows 7 tablet, but a chunky ios or android tablet has the seal of death on it IMO.
 
barkomatic said:
Archos has announced some interesting new Honeycomb tablets. I have to say, the specs at least sound really good--and they have taken a creative approach to 3G connectivity and hard drive space.

They will feature a 250Gb hard drive--yes you read that correctly. They are going with platter drives. Also, the 3G connection, which is optional can be installed after purchase for $49 by sliding a 3G USB stick under the back cover. The screens are high resolution and can play 1080p files apparently. Best of all the prices are awesome, $279 for the 8 inch version and $349 for the 10 incher.

Yes, the iPad is still nicer with better apps, but at those prices I think these tablets will become a compelling option for those in the market for a tablet. Suddenly a wifi only iPad with 16Gb of flash storage for $499 doesn't look so competitive. If successful, I'm thinking this may force Apple into quicker updates with more features. At the very least, other Android tablets will be coming down in price--poor Xoom users. . .

What do you think?

Link:

http://images.androidcentral.com/si...eimage/684/2011/06/G9 Press Release Final.pdf
Click to expand...

This looks promising. I wonder, though, how thick or heavy the device is. Also, for me, battery life is crucial in a tablet, and needs to be prominently mentioned in any product announcement.

Also, any device that has a USB port must include USB 3.0 (and Thunderbolt where applicable) or I just am not interested. Every device, laptop, desktop, tablet.

Lastly, while I watch movies and TV shows on my iPad, screen resolution is not a deal breaker. That is, I appreciate higher resolution, but it is a lower priority compared with other features.

By the way, I didn't see a mention of a camera.
 
The HDD for the Archos is 7mm thick, so add at least another 2mm to the overall thickness of the tablet.

And there is a reason mobile devices don't use HDD with spinning platters. Can't wait for people to complain about corrupt files or really slow boot/load times.
 
Mac.World said:
The HDD for the Archos is 7mm thick, so add at least another 2mm to the overall thickness of the tablet.

And there is a reason mobile devices don't use HDD with spinning platters. Can't wait for people to complain about corrupt files or really slow boot/load times.
Click to expand...

It's available with, a 32gb flash, or 250hd.
“32 GB flash or a 250 GB hard drive, it costs us manufacturers the same price, so why should you have to pay a premium for the extra space?” At least that’s what we think at ARCHOS.
Click to expand...
 
Mac.World said:
to make their tablet stand out from the rest of the non-iPad's. I guess this is what desperation does to manufacturers?
Click to expand...
Since you ask, their 8th generation 7" tablet also came in two versions, and it was their success with that model that led them to offer the same options with the gen9s. They've been making tablets longer than anyone else, and it is that experience that tells them to offer far greater codec support than anyone else, a kickstand no one else has, and the 1.5gz dual core processor that no one else is using yet. The gen8s can play far more media than the iPad can, and still were easy enough to add the android market to. That led to record sales for them. These gen9s will also generate record sales for them, I have no doubt. Having the android market and google apps on board is a response to the fact that nearly 100% of their previous generation were hacked to add those features. I don't call that desperation. I call it responding to consumer desires. Please keep in mind this is a small French company. They don't have any need or desire to sell iPad quantities of anything. Being profitable each and every year, and improving their products to stay profitable is enough.
 
We will continue seeing more tablets with better specs than the iPad in the next few months yet they will continue selling poorly with their clunky interface, terrible app stores, and ridiculously high prices (I know this is not highly priced but others)
 
4DThinker said:
Since you ask, their 8th generation 7" tablet also came in two versions, and it was their success with that model that led them to offer the same options with the gen9s. They've been making tablets longer than anyone else, and it is that experience that tells them to offer far greater codec support than anyone else, a kickstand no one else has, and the 1.5gz dual core processor that no one else is using yet. The gen8s can play far more media than the iPad can, and still were easy enough to add the android market to. That led to record sales for them. These gen9s will also generate record sales for them, I have no doubt. Having the android market and google apps on board is a response to the fact that nearly 100% of their previous generation were hacked to add those features. I don't call that desperation. I call it responding to consumer desires. Please keep in mind this is a small French company. They don't have any need or desire to sell iPad quantities of anything. Being profitable each and every year, and improving their products to stay profitable is enough.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I have yet to find a file type that can't be played on my iPad. Avi, mp4, mkv, mov, divx, xvid, mp3, PDF, doc, ppt, etc... Can all be played on my iPad. Of course this requires 3rd party apps, but same can be said for the Archos.

And Archos has been making tablets longer than anyone else? I think the French side of you has been making stuff up. Might want to check your facts next time. He'll the Newton MessagePad tablet was in consumer hands before Archos ever made a tablet. Not to mention all those Windows tablets out long before Archos thought about the tablet market.

But hey, you got a kickstand on those tablets, so you got that going for ya.
 
Last edited:
Mac.World said:
Interesting. I have yet to find a file type that can't be played on my iPad.
Click to expand...
Great! Could you point me to an iApp that can play TS and VOB (DVD) files without conversion? As for longer, I'll be more specific so you can understand it: More consecutive years. iPad (2) vs Gen (9). How many generations of the newton were there?
 
4DThinker said:
Great! Could you point me to an iApp that can play TS and VOB (DVD) files without conversion? As for longer, I'll be more specific so you can understand it: More consecutive years. iPad (2) vs Gen (9). How many generations of the newton were there?
Click to expand...

Honestly don't know if AVPlayer can play TS or VOB files. Never tried, as I don't use DVDs any more. Antiquated technology. But why would you want to? Just rip the DVD to avi or mkv, and save drive space. Of course, if you are stupid enough to do it your way, then maybe an Archos is the tablet for you.

And you stated that Archos has been making tablets longer than "anyone else", not longer than "Apple". Apparently you have trouble with the English language. If you're French, I'll excuse your ignorance.

And the Newton was around for 11 years, with development starting in 1987. How long has Archos been making tablets for now? I think you need to do some fact checking and read your posts again before responding.
 
hcho3 said:
People don't buy tablets to just watch movies and videos.
Click to expand...

Never say never :)

My wife sometimes uses a 10" widescreen Archos 101 Android tablet with Slingplayer just to watch her movies and shows on.

No email. No web browsing. She prefers a desktop, mouse and keyboard for those things. Go figure.

I've also put short kid videos on it and used it on airplane rides to keep them quiet.

The point is, it was fairly inexpensive and works quite well. It's also fairly light, has a built-in kickstand, and because of the price, I don't care that much if it gets lost or broken. And it was not bought for any apps except the ones for viewing movies, videos and TV.

This is the beauty of cheap tablets: you don't feel obligated to use them as do-everything devices. Sometimes they can just do one thing. Heck, I'm thinking of getting a bunch of cheap Android tablets just to put as control panels around the house, or even as a video intercom system.
 
singlestick said:
This looks promising. I wonder, though, how thick or heavy the device is.
Click to expand...

Pretty chunky, nearly 28 ounces for the 10" with HDD and 22 ounces for the 8". With an "up to 7 hours" of use with video.

http://www.archos.com/products/gen9/specs.html?country=us&lang=en

It will appeal to some, but it's not competing with the iPad. Archos can afford to throw the kitchen sink into the equation because they run no risk of cannibalizing their other products. But anyone complaining that the iPad is heavy will have to reevaluate that position with a device that's not much under 2 lbs.
 
Mac.World said:
Honestly don't know ... Of course, if you are stupid,... I'll excuse your ignorance. ... I think you need to do some fact checking...
Click to expand...
Hey, thanks for putting me in my place! Nice to know I can count on a regular spanking from the official Apple representative here! You do your religion (OK, cult) proud.

Any chance you have something constructive to say now that you have that off your chest? If not, don't worry. It's just nice to see you come out to play when there is a serious danger something other than an Apple product might steal some attention here.

Sincerely,
Hugs and kisses!
4D
 
Mac.World said:
The HDD for the Archos is 7mm thick, so add at least another 2mm to the overall thickness of the tablet.

And there is a reason mobile devices don't use HDD with spinning platters. Can't wait for people to complain about corrupt files or really slow boot/load times.
Click to expand...

Just what I was thinking. Platters won't do good for hyper mobile devices (as in, you swing your iPad more around than you do a laptop), so the 250 GB is only a juicy number to attract "spec-over-function" geeks.
 
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