Archos has been experimenting with Android for a while now. Dan did not like the Archos 5 and from what I have read from across the internet that was universal. A friend of mine purchased a Archos 70 to use as an adjunct to his Sprint Hero since he still has a year on contract. I was able to play with it for a few minutes, and what follows are some of the impressions I got while using it.
The thing that most impressed me was how thin this thing is. It’s thinner than an iPad and a lot lighter. The case is made mostly of plastic, but it’s not a cheap feeling plastic. It’s a tick below the iPad and above most of the cheap tablets out there in quality. Overall, I was pretty impressed with how this thing felt in the hands. The kickstand actually was pretty beefy and worked well to keep it standing up.
The screen is spacious and beautiful. This has Android 2.2 on it and it felt like Archos had spent some time tweaking the interface to work for the larger screen. Since there are none of the normal buttons on it, Archos added them via software. Whenever they are not on screen, you simply tap on the screen and they come up even when playing a video full screen.
It does not ship with the Marketplace, but my friend had already side-loaded some programs over. I tried Angry Birds Seasons, and it ran just as well on the Archos as it does on my Droid 2. The 720p video he had loaded on it played flawlessly.
While I can’t be 100 percent sure until I have used one for longer than 5 minutes, I think Archos has done a wonderful job with the Archos 70, and I would love to get one and do an in-depth review! You can get it with 8GB of flash from Amazon.com or with a 250 GB hard drive from B&H Photo.