Archos 7 Home Tablet user reviews (Android, 8GB, black)

Pros Nice large screen for watching video, low price, very basic web browsing from the couch

Cons no flash, requires skyfire to view online video and that is iffy at best, no access to the android store, requires archos proprietary store with very little to choose from, slow.

Summary If you want to browse the web from your couch or take movies to go, this is a decent little piece of hardware at a low cost. I had higher hopes of watching my mlb.tv account in the kitchen or for basically anything other than the two things listed above it has proved fairly worthless. Hopefully they upgrade to a higher version of android (currently 1.5) and add some worthwhile apps to the store. Otherwise, I am outta luck.

Pros Video play back is very good
Device doesn't weigh much
Android platform
Screen size is "just right"
E-book reader
$200 price

Cons Poor touch screen
Limited Android apps
Poor Wifi stability
No built in Flash (fixable)

Summary The first thing that every one complains about is the touch screen on this device and I can't say it's perfect But, the reality is that it gets the job done and allows for a device uncluttered by buttons. In this case the touch screen does what it was meant to do and is functional in that respect. I am more upset about the poor quality of the wifi. When other devices can connect this tablet has a hard time and easily drops the connection. Given that this device is billed as built to surf the internet it is a disappointing shortcoming. Another shortcoming is the lack of flash. The built in browser wont run it and browsers that can on android are few and far between. I did install "skyfire" and was able to watch youtube without a hitch, but can't get Hulu to work and that was part of my goal.
While the android platform for this device is stable and very functional there are a limited number of apps that are compatible due to the lack of a keyboard. The device does have it's own app store but the vast majority of those apps are playful at best.
The ebook reader (Aldiko) is a surprisingly useful addition to this device. I have tried several other high end e-readers and find this a more enjoyable experience to read. The reader is linked to a collection of books that are free to download, many of them classics and some hard to find in print.
The screen size is large enough to be a joy to watch movies and videos on, but still small enough that I can carry it in my cargo pants unobtrusively. I am still amazed at how smoothly it plays large movie files and the quality of the image. The built in speakers are surprisingly good but I often have to use headphones so I don't get to use them much.
In the end it is easy to see where the corners were cut to keep the price down (there is a spot on the frame where a web cam should have been that is now covered over). Despite that this tablet has some real uses and at $200 is hard to beat. I enjoy mine and carry it with me most every where. It wont replace a netbook or a laptop, but it has it's own uses and place.

Pros Review the Archos70 at least. This is an old one...the new one is great. CNET is always behind and can't be trusted for latest technology reviews.

Cons 70 is the new one.

Pros It's cheap and widely available.

Cons It doesn't work. It runs slowly freezes, switches off, loses wifi connection, apps suddenly close or do not open. Apps choice is limited and my android smart phone has better apps. The Archos help desk has not helped.

Summary We have a desktop pc, a smartphone, an e-reader and they all run pretty well with a minimum of effort. The Archos 7 rarely runs correctly. It runs slowly, it freezes, switches off, loses wifi connection, apps just suddenly close or will not open. The choice of apps is really limited and my old android smart phone has better apps. The Archos help desk asks that you perform complicated procedures to rectify the problems but that has not helped. It's an expensive paperweight and we will be taking it back to Tesco. Anyone know a better tablet for next time?