Archos 9 Windows 7 tablet does a little hands-on time

Looks like the Archos 9 Windows 7 tablet has made it out of the labs (and controlled show floor settings) and into the hands of Crave UK, where that seemingly-amazing resistive touchscreen continues to impress -- so much so that they initially thought it was a capacitive unit. We actually pinged Crave ed Nate Lanxon to find out what was up, and the real story appears to be a mystery -- either Archos PR is mistaken in telling everyone that it's a resistive screen, or the company has somehow improved the tech to the point where it's virtually indistinguishable from a capacitive display. Given our experience with previous Archos resistive touchscreen devices that felt like mush, we've got to say we're going with Occam's Razor on this and that it's really capacitive, but we're definitely ready to be proven wrong -- hey Archos, you feel like sending us a new toy to play with?

[The new Apple cheese slicer @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:19PM]

All this Atom based netbooks should merge into this form factor. Then I am getting one.

[jason @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:04PM]

Agreed, it's the only way I would ever get "Netbook" is if it was a "Netpad".

[Sloth @ Jul 2nd 2009 8:38PM]

Or a Smartbook. Something like the Smart Devices Q7 but with beefier specs, ARM 11 or XScale processor, a Pixel Qi screen, a commercial scale Batacitor to replace the Li-ion battery, multi-touch. Wifi, bluetooth. And running Moblin, not Android, and not WIndows CE. Moblin is actually designed for netbooks, smartbooks, and devices like this.

Hell I wish someone would port a lite version of Moblin to ARM so that I could put it on my Smart Q7.

[TMac @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:47PM]

Get an old slate tablet PC. I have a motion computing M1400 that runs windows 7 with 2 gigs of ram and a 1.12 centrino processor. It is about as powerful as netbooks are and about 1" thick with no fans so its almost silent. I didn't like the pen input so I swapped the glass screen with a resistive touch screen. It is now my favorite device for web browsing. This Archos will cost significantly more money, but it looks awesome.

[loosely_coupled @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:38PM]

@Slot
"Something like the Smart Devices Q7 but with beefier specs, ARM 11 or XScale processor"

Are you stuck in 2007? After all this waiting, we finally have products coming out using the next-gen ARM Cortex-A8 core and Qualcomm's custom Snapdragon core (both ARMv7 architecture), and you are asking for the (ARMv6) ARM11 and (ARMv5) XScale.

[unzarjones @ Jul 3rd 2009 1:36AM]

When every car is a two door with black paint, then I'll get one.
When every flavor of ice cream is cookies and cream, then I'll eat some.
When every comment makes sense, then I'll read them.

[Alan Strangis @ Jul 3rd 2009 9:51AM]

"All this Atom based netbooks should merge into this form factor."

Well, thank god you're not the final arbiter of how netbooks should evolve.

I'll take a convertible tablet like the EEE T91 over something without a physical keyboard any day. Even with a hinge, the T91 is pretty slim, and actually useful for doing more than poking at big fat media icons and social networking widgets (not that there's anything wrong with that).

@unzarjones: LMFAO

[Roboticmayhem @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:22PM]

Can't you test it by seeing if it responds to something besides your finger? If it responds to a finger nail or stylus, it has to be resistive, right?

[Frank @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:27PM]

right

[Amrosorma @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:29PM]

I don't think most blogporters know how to tell the two apart.

[GingerFox @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:39PM]

That sounds logical

[o29 @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:43PM]

My thoughts exactly. And since it's a tablet, it's presumably meant to work with a stylus, meaning that capacitive would be useless. Unless there's something I'm missing here?

[skyblaze @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:51PM]

all it takes is a finger to be able to tell.

skin and fingernail: resistive

skin and skin only: capacitive

[skyblaze @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:55PM]

(ahk, you said fingernail... sry. half awake right now.)

[loosely_coupled @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:34PM]

Right, but you can also tell immediately by the sensitivity. After buying an iPod Touch 2 years ago and understanding the difference, I will never use another resistive POS touchscreen again. Its like night and day.

[patriotsn1 @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:39PM]

loosley.... it's hardly a "POS" I use mine quite a bit to take hand written notes and there are many other benefits.

[Chris @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:43PM]

Well tablets are often known to use active digitizers which respond only to a stylus.

[Jeremy @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:29PM]

Need, Want, NOW. Can't wait till "later in year."

;-)

[jsa @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:35PM]

They use it with a stylus in that "Archos 9 pctablet resistive touchscreen impresses" video.

[y3k.nik @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:37PM]

I am sure there are capacitive loving people here, but as far as I am concerned, a tablet would be useless without some kind of stylus input method.

I would love to have something like this in class and then write my notes on it, instead of fumbling around on a touch screen keyboard.. My laptops keyboard will be wayyy better than a keyboard on that tablet.

So, no resistive, no deal!

[Dayne @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:41PM]

It's about time the Star Trek pad got here. Now I just need that jet-pack.

[Clyde Berry @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:59PM]

Only 2 steps away from a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[iRoc @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:56PM]

Umm dude you can have a jet pack right now! You might only be able to fly a few hundred yards down the street, and then you will have to walk that heavy thing back home.

[Technogen @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:43PM]

if you look at the back of it from the read link it's got a stylus so yes it is resistive not cap.

[CraigJ @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:43PM]

They make styluses that work with capacitive touch screens you know...

For example: http://www.tenonedesign.com/

[azerk1 @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:49PM]

To be honest, no I didn't know that...

[CraigJ @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:52PM]

Yep. I don't think you can say for sure that stylus = capacitive. It probably is, but maybe not...

[CraigJ @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:53PM]

Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.

[abu @ Jul 2nd 2009 8:57PM]

actually the pogo stylus has a huge soft tip, which means:
- it's easy to tell it apart from styluses for resistive screens
- if your UI is designed for stylus interaction, or if you need it for precise drawing, it won't work well. Think of it more as a fingertip replacement than as a proper stylus.

[John @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:00PM]

For the love of god, I AM SICK OF THAT FISH. Please, will people start using one of the other backgrounds that come with Windows 7 when they do these things???

[Mark @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:01PM]

No.

[Rocky @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:35PM]

I like the beta :/

[benahad @ Jul 4th 2009 3:33PM]

@Rocky - Ah, beta. I see what you did there.

[Nils @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:09PM]

Wow, it couldn't have been that long since Stantum wowed everybody on the internet with their amazing multitouch resistive touch tech, right? Have you all forgot?
It only makes sense they've got *some* customers... although they have been marketing the 3.5" form factor, their previous projects (most notably the Lemur) were at least as big as the Archos 9, if not bigger, and those were finger-friendly multitouch devices as well.

Actually, one way to find out for sure might be putting some (again, SOME) water on it (a larger-than-normal drop should do). If that makes it freak out, it's capacitive, if not, it's resistive.
That's only if you want to be dramatic though, the fingernail still works as a test ;)

[thomasklaer @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:55PM]

Humor me hear, is possible to be both?

[iRoc @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:58PM]

Yes it's poss to be both. The new Dell tablets can tell between your finger and a pen, and disregard all palm touches.

[Nils @ Jul 5th 2009 2:18PM]

No, it's not possible to do both resistive and capacitive in one... well, it's possible, but rather pointless. The Dell tablets you talk about use a electromagnetic digitizer for the pen and a capacitive touchscreen for fingers ;)

[thomasklaer @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:56PM]

OOps..here

[GRAMMAR POLICE @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:43PM]

How is the start menu button protruding from the taskbar in Windows 7...?

[Nohone @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:02PM]

Right click on the pearl, Properties, Taskbar, Use small icons

[Jacob @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:11PM]

small icons

[nowayman @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:07PM]

now THATS nice. not cheapo, stupid, useless netbooks.

[BChau @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:38PM]

Resistive screen has come a long way. It is really the best of both worlds. Precise and sensitive response.

I want this baby. Only thing I would need to that this unit can add more memory. 1G RAM is not enough for me. I want 2 GB if not 4 GB.

[JohnTech @ Jul 3rd 2009 12:01AM]

How many of you critics have done anything more than heard about Windows 7, I was lucky enough to be a Beta tester.

[Woody @ Jul 3rd 2009 12:31AM]

Running it right now on my Dell XPS 1330 (gotta love the outlet). Win7 simply rocks Vista's world.

[danotoriousb @ Jul 3rd 2009 1:19AM]

Yep, Windows 7 is indeed awesome. Vista's criticism was fair, on the other hand I dont think you will find many honest critics of Windows 7. When I heard about it I said "sure sure" but after having used it for awhile now theres no way I could go back to either XP or Vista.

[Stig___ @ Jul 3rd 2009 4:48AM]

You do realise there is a completely free and legit Release Candidate available until next year?

[Oli D @ Jul 3rd 2009 2:13AM]

lucky enough to be a beta tester?

You and about 10 million other people...

[cjschrissouth @ Jul 3rd 2009 2:20AM]

Is it just me or is, on the tablets screen, the windows button sorta off the bar like in windows vista but not in windows 7 rc.

[bublik @ Jul 3rd 2009 6:14AM]

lovin it...