Archos 7 160 GB Internet Media Tablet

I have not been more excited to receive a digital toy for many years, and after reading up on the capabilities of the Archos 7 according to Archos, I was eagerly anticipating its arrival. However, after playing with the device for a few days I must say that I am terribly disappointed. Perhaps, given that I have been in the tech industry for over 30 years, I have high standards, but I must say, in that 30 years no device has ever come to me so premature as the new Archos PMP.

I can understand in today's economic environment that companies are cash-strapped, and the desire to have items on the market for the Christmas season. However, Archos has lost me as a customer - this device is in no way ready to have been released from their development cycle.

Flash support. Some youtube videos work, though newer formats do not. That said, youtube was the only website from which I was able to view videos. Hulu, Joost, network websites - none of their videos would work. Technical support tells me that its a combination of Adobe flash and the Opera web browser that prevents these videos from working. Since I purchased the device primarily for this purpose, it scores a 0 here.

Connectivity. Abysmal. I can detect my wireless network, go to a website and click on another link, and the device can no longer find a wireless network. So, back completely out, reconnect, go to the website. Sometimes wireless connection stays up, but most often the behavior is as above. Another 0.

Email - crashed the device every time, I never got it to work with any mail server. 0.

Transfer of movies. Why on earth don't companies that develop hardware devices also bundle software to transfer DVDs to their device? In order to do so, multiple other software packages are necessary, making a very cumbersome process.

How many separate docking stations does one device need? This is clearly a method of Archos making more money from the consumer. It is absolutely ridiculous to have multiple addons that "kind of" serve the same purpose. Massive fail here - release one docking station that does it all, charge us for it, and be done with it.

Additional $ for plugins. While I understand that licensing costs must be passed down to customers, Archos should quit nickel and diming consumers to death. Add it to the cost and be done with it. Given that we can purchase fully functioning laptops and netbooks for significantly less money, this device, as it is, is overpriced by a large margin.

Effectively, this device performs at an estimated 15% of its manufacturer's claims. Mine is going to be RMA'ed, and I will be looking at competitive devices. Initially I wanted an iPod Touch, but went with Archos for flash support (that doesn't exist). Maybe Archos will resolve most issues in a few months, and it is possible that I go back to the device once this milestone has reached. That said, at this point in time Archos is high on the list of companies to avoid. I hope they got their needed cash inflow, but in releasing a product altogether too soon, they forgot to understand that the consumer too is cash-strapped, and we are not happy purchasing expensive items that do not live up to company promises.

After paying 600 bucks for this lead weight, you still cannot watch a movie until you pay more. MP4 cost you another 20 bucks and WMV movie cost another 20 bucks. Archos is very slow in support if any! I cannot download the plugins from my Archos, the site is not working. I called them on the phone and they cannot help at this time. More issues with this item is the wi fi connection. it just disconnects for no reason.
All the widgets won't find the info on stocks, weather and updates. Archos won't even let me send it back to them. They offered no help.
Run from this product...as fast as you can.

This thing is awesome. I have been wanting an Archos for so long now, and finally decided to go with the big boy. This does EVERYTHING I want it to do, which is everything it says it does, with only a few minor snags.
- Yes, it did lock up on me within the first 5 minutes, but after updating to the new firmware, no problems since.
- Yes, fingerprints will be all over it in a matter of seconds.
- No, it didn't come with a case, or a stylus.
Aside from those things, and along with the plug-ins and accessories I've also purchased, this is possibly the greatest gadget I've ever owned. I am very pleased with the Archos 7. I'm glad I didn't listen to all the negative reviews because I would have passed on a great product.

Bought the Archos 7/320gb as a gift and have used and updated it so that it is run-ready prior to Christmas morning.

Let me start by saying wireless routers and internet connectivity with personal computers have given me the fits over the years. Not so here. I'm not a tech geek (unfortunately), but I was wireless with a strong, portable signal in literally 3 minutes after the product was out of the box, happily surfing the internet. It detected my home network and the rest was automatic, as long as you remember your WPA password/security code. And within 15 minutes, of which 14 minutes was load time, the Archos 7 had detected all firmware updates and allowed me to install the free Archos plugins (warning, plugins require a PC/laptop...this is a PC supplement, not substitute).

So...super-fast, user-friendly, easy to navigate, great touchscreen action, internet quite literally at your fingertips. So far so good. Some people have complained it's too heavy(???). It's not. What do you want, a frisbee to throw around? If you want a 7-inch screen, it's going to be heavier than a cellphone or iPod touch, sorry. So all-in-all, a no-brainer purchase, right?

Well...a few minor things. First, the alarming potential for system freeze-up other website reviewers have talked about. The device completely froze once prior to installing the latest firmware, within the first 2 minutes of turning it on. Is there an "acceptable" amount of freeze-up on this $500 device? Not in my book. Hopefully the firmware updates continue to solve that.

Also, no case or cover included..which is a pain because the finish is 1) slippery and 2) leaves prints EVERYWHERE. My hands were clean and dry, and within 10 minutes of use, the Archos 7 looked like I had been eating a bucket of BBQ wings and using the Archos as a napkin. Cheapest cover with screen access I've seen is $35. And the display requires a (not included) stylus to avoid some serious backtracking.

Plus, to really get the most out of the 7, the DVR add-on is a must. Cha-ching, $90 more. (Plus side: it's well worth the $$$ to transform the Archos 7 from very cool to absolutely awesome).

And, the screen seems a little fuzzy to me despite all possible adjustments -- just slightly, but again for $500, the screen should be fuzz-less. Some reviewers have said they prefer the Archos 5 because the resolution is better. It's borderline to me whether I should give up the extra 2 screen inches and hope for better resolution from the Archos 5. I will let the gift recipient decide that one.

Finally: Does anyone know why this product is advertised as Flash Player 9 compatible? I installed all possible firmware updates and plug-ins. I still get a solitary "F9" icon when I try to watch video episodes of 30 Rock or NCIS. In other words, I can't watch my favorite shows on it! If anyone has an answer or can post assistance, I'd sure appreciate it. A UK reviewer also posted this exact same problem. Comments welcome, as this Flash 9 issue could be a deal-breaker.

I'm sure Archos' attitude is: don't like it? Fine, try another 7-inch internet media tablet that can do all this stuff. Oh what's that, there's not one? Exactly. All-in-all I'd recommend it for sure -- definitely for its uniqueness and "cool factor" -- but hopefully they keep the firmware coming, to iron out all the bugs.

As an owner of both the new Archos 7 as well as last year's model (the 705), I wanted to provide some points of comparison between the two for anyone trying to decide whether to save some money on the older model. In general, the two are very similar -- they provide essentially the same functionality, although the new 7 includes a couple of new features (and includes for free some of the plugins that you had to pay for before with the 705).

Here's a quick rundown of the positive changes in the 7 vs the 705:

* Speed -- particularly of the web browser. The new 7 has a much faster CPU and renders web content at a much better pace (probably 3x the speed of the 705). Using the browser on the 705 was often painful except on pages that were geared to mobile devices. The 7 can handle even most complex pages without a problem. Since I use the device for browsing quite a bit, this is a HUGE plus for the 7.

* Email -- The 7 includes a native email client that supports GMail, Yahoo mail or any POP/IMAP server. It's very simple but usable. It's also free (i.e. not a plugin).

* Better screen -- The screen on the 7 definitely is crisper than that on the 705. And the colors are rendered more accurately (at least from my subjective point of view).

* Better responsiveness -- The touchscreen on the 7 is more responsive than on the 705. The increased sensitivity really helps the usability. That said, people who use other touchscreen devices (e.g. iPhone) may find that the screen is still not as sensitive/responsive as other devices.

* Size -- although the screen is the same size between the 2 units, the 7 is slightly shorter and thinner than the 705 (but not by much). The 7's glossy case does collect fingerprints rather quickly, but that's purely an aesthetic issue.

Advantages of the 705 over the 7:

* Archos dropped the mini-USB plug that was used to connect the Archos to your computer. It now uses a proprietary connector for this purpose.

* They also dropped the USB host port from that came with the 705. The 7 includes the USB host capability, but to use it you must purchase the DVR station or mini-dock add-ons. This was built-in directly in the 705 unit. This makes using the device to dump pictures from your digital camera more of a hassle as one more attachment must be carried just for this.

* They also dropped the video out connecter that was standard in the 705. Again, to use this feature with the 7 you'll need the DVR station or mini-dock.

* No stylus or case included -- I've found that using my finger generally works fine but a stylus is still better/more accurate on the screen. Luckily, the 705 came with 2 of them, so I use the spare with my 7. As for the case, you'll have to buy one from Archos to a third party if you want/need one.

Things I wish they would have improved:

* Weight -- this is one heavy device at nearly 1.5 lbs. Granted, the size makes carrying it in a pocket prohibitive, but the weight would do you in otherwise. Fine for a travel bag though and definitely much lighter than a laptop.

* Most plugins still not free -- The browser plugin and "web radio/tv" plugins are now free, but to view many online videos and items ripped from DVD, you'll need to plunk down extra $ for those plugins.

For me, I use the 7/705 as a travel companion so I can watch videos, browse the web and store digital pictures. For web use, the 7 is a huge improvement. For videos, the better screen is a nice improvement, but for picture storage, the lack of the built-in USB host port and the need to carry the mini-dock is a bummer.