Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Starter Tablet (Black)
date : August 17th, 2011Laptop & Tablet PC
Review : 3 Reviews
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Tags : Archos, Black, Starter, Tablet, Windows
- Play all your multimedia content including HD videos
- Use all your daily software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, LiveTM Messenger or Skype with Windows 7
- Stay connected to Internet and your emails with the built-in connectivity
- Includes integrated 1.3MP webcam
- Slenderness and low weight have been the two important characteristics in the mobility market. Only 0.7″ thick and weighing only 800 grams.
- It’s the perfect companion to carry along from room to room or train to plane
ARCHOS once again is leading the way in innovation with the introduction of the Netbook of the future, the ARCHOS 9 PCtablet. The new ARCHOS 9 PCtablet combines the performance of a high end netbook with breathtaking aesthetics, excellent ergonomics and a tactile interface on a superb screen.Pure lines, extreme thinness (0.67″), 800g and a stunning black finish, the ARCHOS 9 PC tablet pushes the boundaries of elegance and simplicity on a Netbook, fulfilling the expectations of the most mobile us
List Price: $ 549.99
Price: [wpramaprice asin="B002V3C4F8"]
Buy it for what it is, not for what it isn’t.,
What it is:
The Archos 9 is a highly portable Netbook, without a Keyboard making it smaller and lighter weight. It has the touch screen functions of a Tablet/Slate Computer.
What it isn’t:
It isn’t a Notebook or Desktop PC. (Though if all you use your Desktop for is to play Free Cell, surf the web and check your E-Mail, then this will do the job in place of a full computer, but it isn’t one, nor is it designed to be one. It also isn’t a phone with delusions of grandeur. (Android Tablets and iPads.)
The Good:
It is light weight, small and portable, what you would expect from a Netbook or a Slate computer.
More power than an iPad or Android tablet at a cheaper cost than the iPad.
1. It does run Windows 7, with all that implies, to include:
a. Multi-tasking,
b. Full web browser
c. Full Flash support
d. Quicktime/iTunes
e. Real Productivity software like Open Office or MS Office, so not only can you show your Powerpoint presentation but you can edit it if you need to.
2. It has a USB Port and can add a couple more.
a. This means you can run USB drives, USB DVD drives, keyboards and mice as well as other USB uses.
3. It has a 60GB Harddrive, which is large for this class of product.
4. It uses an Atom 1.2 ghz (Multi-threaded) processor, which is typical for Netbooks of its age. Windows Experience Index is 1.7 when running Windows 7 Home Premium which is on par with other Netbooks.
5. It is available now at a great price.
a. Unlike other Windows Slate computers, which aren’t available and keep getting pushed back and Android Tablets, which the OS isn’t quite up to running a computer, yet, you can have this now.
b. It is significantly cheaper than the iPad, which isn’t even in this class.
c. The only tablet in this class and price range that is currently available are the ASUS and Lenovo touch screen Netbooks and they are a bit larger with similar performance. (We also have a 9″ ASUS.)
6. The Trackpad/Mouse buttons. While these strictly aren’t needed, I find them very useful to have available. One thing I don’t like about the ASUS is the need to open it to get to the touchpad/mouse buttons.
7. Built in camera for VOIP video chat.
8. A touch Screen that accepts stylus entry, and, with Windows 7 Home Premium+, very nice hand writing recognition software.
9. The Beta version of the Touch Screen tools at Archos: The calibration tools are really well done. Significantly better than those that came with the ASUS.
The Bad:
1. No SD Card slot. One would think having one of these would be a no brainer. (Oops.)
2. When they upgraded the processor they didn’t upgrade the cooling. It gets a little warm on the left side which could have been avoided by simply venting the case.
3. It doesn’t appear to accept Multi-touch even with Windows 7 Home Premium installed. This seems to be a lack of forethought on the part of Archos since Windows 7 handles Multi-touch very nicely.
4. The built in on screen keyboard. I hate it, YMMV but the Windows 7 Home Premium pop-up keyboard is smaller and on a 9″ screen that is important.
5. No button to easily rotate the screen. With the buttons attached, one would think that would be one of them. they include a button for their keyboard and one for turning off the Wifi/bluetooth, at least they could have included one for rotating the screen, or allowed those buttons to be programmed to do it.
6. Windows Starter: While that is considered to be the standard OS for a Netbook, at least to get you started and to lower the cost, Windows 7 Home Premium is the cheapest version where the Touch Screen goodness is included. (Factor that upgrade into your cost.)
The Ugly:
Archos Customer Support pushed me off onto Microsoft when my Windows 7 Anytime upgrade wouldn’t run. (“We don’t support that upgrade.”) Microsoft pushed it back on Archos. If either had read their own forums the answers are there. (Found them afterwards.)
So you don’t run into the same issue here are the steps.
1. Plug your Archos in, it will take longer than the battery will last.
2. Adjust your power settings to not go to sleep, and not shut down.
3. Uninstall your virus checking software. (Simply turning it off may not do the job.)
4. Install the Drivers and Bios Updates from Archos’ site.
5. Install all of the Windows updates for Windows 7 Starter.
6. Run Windows Anytime upgrade.
6a. Let it sit. Don’t believe it has hung up just because it seems to be hanging. (Look at the HD light.)
6b. Don’t try to do anything else while it is running.
7. Once you are rebooted into Windows 7 Home Premium reinstall your Virus Checker software.
8. Back up your hard drive. (Use that USB…
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|A neat little device, but NOT an “iPad killer”,
Note: This is a total revamp of this review, after having had it a few days.
The Archos 9 in a neat little device. While it’s not going to be an “iPad killer”, it does seem to straddle the middle ground between a pc and a mobile device a little better.
The Archos 9 is effectively an EXTREMELY compact pc. And by extreme, I mean this thing is SMALL! And by PC, I mean it runs Windows 7, so in theory if the app works on a home pc, it’ll work on this. There are obvious performance issues which we’ll get to, but in general, it’s code compatible with all Windows 7 software.
First off let me say I really like this device, but it is not flawless. The main flaws seem to be in the preinstalled software, which frankly suck, and the touch sensitive screen, which is only `alright’, although I want to talk about what I like about the Archos 9 first, since, after all, I do like it.
What’s good about this thing is the aforementioned PC-compatibility, the similarly aforementioned compactness, & the ton of built in hardware. This thing has built in WiFi & Bluetooth, which pretty much lets you connect it to anything you need to connect it to, even without the (sold separately) port replicator. The built in face-forward webcam is nice, I suppose, but not something I would really use. Same goes with the built in microphone, although I could see this getting more use. The built in speakers sound good considering their size. It has an HDMI output on the bottom of the device, which is strangely NOT advertised! Considering the potential of this device as a media player, I don’t understand that at all. Also, the display is true 16×9. Despite all this, it seems to get some serious life out of the batteries – while I haven’t totally drained mine, the 5 hour advertised lifespan seems reasonable given my experiences. What’s missing here is a DVD drive, which of course makes sense for a device like this – and you can plug an external USB drive into the single USB port if necessary.
Now here’s the bad news. The 32-bit, single-core Intel Atom Z510 processor is pretty lame, and gets a Windows rating of only 1.3. Now the Atom line of processors are designed for power savings, and compactness, but for those looking for a laptop replacement, beware: this puts it on par with 6 year old machines. The single gigabyte of (non-upgradable) ram isn’t overly generous either, and leads to page-flipping, which further bogs the machine down. The 60 gb drive feels a little claustrophobic by today’s standards, and is made more so by the ridiculous partitioning of the factory install, leaving only 25 gigs of useable space, and lastly the screen is only “OK” by today’s standards, although those standards have been set by the iPhone and the forthcoming iPad, which legitimately have fantastic touchpads. Speaking of which, the touchpad on this device is resistive, which means single-touch (unlike the i-stuff), and feels a little “mushy”, for lack of a better word. Again, think of a 6 year old PDA in this respect. The Archos 9 comes with a built in stylus, which given technology on display here, makes sense. One other hardware-related issue I’ve had is occasionally plugging a drive into the USB port seems to short the whole machine out randomly, forcing a cold reboot. Sometimes this happens, sometimes it doesn’t, and I can’t seem to determine what causes it. It’s happened both when plugged in and on batteries, with a USB hard drive, and a USB DVD drive, but at other times (most of the time in fact), worked fine with both devices.
The biggest failure however isn’t the hardware, it’s the pre-installed software, which is terrible. Windows 7 Starter sucks. While the Archos is capable of running the Aero theme, windows 7 starter doesn’t come with it, you need to upgrade. There are a handful of other missing features, but that’s definitely the most visible. The installed media software is called vTuner, which in my opinion isn’t terribly interesting. Going back to the lack of hard drive space, there’s a 20 gb partition for backups, but from the factory there’s NOTHING IN IT! In the fine print of the manual (really, it’s all fine print, another gripe), you will find that it says to do a backup upon first starting the machine, but that’s just lazy on Archos’s part. If you’re going to provide a backup partition, it should come with a “factory presets” image, ESPECIALLY if your device doesn’t come with a DVD drive! I found this out the hard way when I tried to update the operating system to windows 7 ultimate and had a failure – I ended it having the wipe the machine and install from scratch, which also meant all my preinstalled software was gone, with no way of recovering it.
In the end I DID succeed in installing Windows 7 Ultimate, along with a standard suite of productivity apps (office 2007, adobe reader, itunes, chrome), and after…
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|On the Go.,
Bought this for minor word processing and spreadsheet work. Watching movies and Wifi was just a side bonus.
Screen: You can watch movies on it, very clear in door screen/monitor. however Glare is bit of a problem when you are outside. Even when screen is at brightest, you will have some difficulty with the screen when you are outside. Touch screen isnt as sensitive as the ipod. You are going to need your stylus or push bit harder w your fingers.
Also get a screen cloth if you dont want smudges on your screen.
Opitcal mouse: really pointless. but better than nothing.
Camera. good for on the go video conferencing. emergency photo taking; i suppose.
Speakers: Not really worth mentioning. although its better than what i expected. Buy seperate speakers if you plan on watching movies/mp3s or buy a good set of ear phones.
Processor: bit disappointed at the lack of CPU power. cheaper tablet modles have more powerful CPU. but is more bulkier. its a give and take.
Noise: no fan = no noise. minus some hard drive noise the unit is noiseless.
Heat: left side of the tablet gets warm. just bit annoying. guess thats where the processor or video card is located.
WiFi: Solid at home. Avg outside, was 2-3 bars at starbucks and slow data DL/UL. maybe Starbucks wifi sucked.
Battery: With normal use (running 2-3 programs, word) lasts about 2.5 hours; also takes 2 hours to fully charge. Havent really tried Stand-by. Only can be charged via wall outlet.
Kick Stand: looks very flimsy. probably end up breaking in the near future.
Comment: When you use the touchscreen keyboard. you lose 1/2 the screen. keyboard size can be adjusted, its still bit annoying. Wish it was bit lighter so i can hold it in 1 hand comfortably.
The system Hard Drive is partitioned. 15g for backup. and 40 or so for main. you hae 25gigs free on your main patition. After your Win-7 update. ull have 24gigs free. You might wanna get a larger HD/USB drive.
Also, you will need to buy a USB DVD Rom. you cant install any programs w/o it. i recommend [...]usually 55 bucks. on sale for 40 bucks. glossy black is nice.
Boot up takes longer than i thought it would cause of system security program. Also went into setting and put it on Best Performance rather than look. Only comes w 1 USB port. if you might want to get a USB spliter. It comes with a coupon for 35 free MP3s off of archos’s site.
Over all. I wouldnt recommend this to a business looking for tablet PC. BUT i would recommend this to the general public who wants portable/stylish media player/ w some computer capabilities. THIS IS NOTHING like ipad. iPad is designed for solely entertainment/multimedia. if anything. Archos is better; simply because it does everything ipod does + it can do word/spreadsheet processing. that and it costs less. If you want to wait, you can get the MS-Courier, which looks awesome.
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