I am very disappointed. I love the idea of a 7" Android tablet - especially one costing $200. But the hardware and software choices that Archos made make this one DOA in my book. On the hardware side it needs to have a capacitive multitouch display, a real SD slot, it needs bluetooth and it would be nice to have VGA or HDMI out. On the software side it needs an up-to-date OS and the promise of future upgrades, and it needs access to every Android app. Otherwise there's almost no point in having an Android machine in the first place. I'm glad I didn't pre-order this.
@weatherman That's why it costs only $200. With all the "extras" that you want to see, no way it could still be $200... Find anything equivalent at that price... good luck...
@wywywywy I don't think that what I 'm suggesting would cost much money at all; a capacitive screen maybe adds a few bucks, but bluetooth and real SD slot wouldn't add more than $10 to the final retail cost. And updated OS and access the full catalog of Apps? That's free.
@TWiz and the updated O/S and Market aren't 'free'.
They'd have to spend time testing out 2.1 ie money, and if you want the Market you have to ask Google very nicely to sign off on the build - I presume this also costs money.
@TWiz Bullshit. Cost estimates of the iPad's screen are about $65, not $100. Second, the iPad screen is 9.7" with a 4:3 ratio, which is roughly 45 square inches of display, compared to this which is a 7" widescreen with a total area of about 20 inches - less than half that of the iPad. One can't obviously say there's a 1:1 ratio of price of prodution and screen size, so a similar capacitive screen for the Archos might not be quite $32.50, but I bet it would be close.
@Karnak a cost I'm sure would be outweighed by actually creating a product that people might want to actually buy instead of one that most people will dismiss as crap. Apple showed that people will pay a HUGE premium for a device that is done very well. Archos easily could have made a $250 device that would have competed on a quality and functionality level, but instead they chose to cut corners and shovel out the crapware like some Chinese KIRF maker. That's just idiotic business planning in my book.
@weatherman 7" capacitive screen just doesn't exist on the market. If ipad does a capacitive, first it's the most expensive component of the ipad, second they can only do it because they order millions of custom made screens from the screen manufacturer. For now, using a resistive screen costs about $100 less than using a capacitive. Would you pay $100 extra just for a capacitive option?
@weatherman the Archos 5 Android, has bluetooth so I can't see why Archos would take that out of the A7. Actually, the Archos 5 has a few key features that the Archos 7 doesn't. If Archos did this to get the A7 in at $200 they've made a big mistake. This device isn't better than the Archos 5 Android other than the fact that the screen is bigger. Lame.
The device is aimed at gamers and TV watchers, generating a 3D image with use of a pair of 0.7-inch OLED panels, which each display separate images, doing away with the ghost imagery that often comes along with 3D displays.
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I am very disappointed. I love the idea of a 7" Android tablet - especially one costing $200. But the hardware and software choices that Archos made make this one DOA in my book. On the hardware side it needs to have a capacitive multitouch display, a real SD slot, it needs bluetooth and it would be nice to have VGA or HDMI out. On the software side it needs an up-to-date OS and the promise of future upgrades, and it needs access to every Android app. Otherwise there's almost no point in having an Android machine in the first place. I'm glad I didn't pre-order this.
@weatherman
That's why it costs only $200. With all the "extras" that you want to see, no way it could still be $200... Find anything equivalent at that price... good luck...
@weatherman But then if it had all those, it wouldn't have been $200.
@wywywywy I don't think that what I 'm suggesting would cost much money at all; a capacitive screen maybe adds a few bucks, but bluetooth and real SD slot wouldn't add more than $10 to the final retail cost. And updated OS and access the full catalog of Apps? That's free.
@weatherman
Uhh the capacitive screen in the ipad was almost $100 bux by itself. I suggest you research a bit and stop just assuming things.
@TWiz and the updated O/S and Market aren't 'free'.
They'd have to spend time testing out 2.1 ie money, and if you want the Market you have to ask Google very nicely to sign off on the build - I presume this also costs money.
@TWiz Bullshit. Cost estimates of the iPad's screen are about $65, not $100. Second, the iPad screen is 9.7" with a 4:3 ratio, which is roughly 45 square inches of display, compared to this which is a 7" widescreen with a total area of about 20 inches - less than half that of the iPad. One can't obviously say there's a 1:1 ratio of price of prodution and screen size, so a similar capacitive screen for the Archos might not be quite $32.50, but I bet it would be close.
@Karnak a cost I'm sure would be outweighed by actually creating a product that people might want to actually buy instead of one that most people will dismiss as crap. Apple showed that people will pay a HUGE premium for a device that is done very well. Archos easily could have made a $250 device that would have competed on a quality and functionality level, but instead they chose to cut corners and shovel out the crapware like some Chinese KIRF maker. That's just idiotic business planning in my book.
@weatherman
Archos made a mistake choosing $200 price point. I would buy this tablet for $300 if they added capacitive touchscreen and accelerometer.
@weatherman 7" capacitive screen just doesn't exist on the market. If ipad does a capacitive, first it's the most expensive component of the ipad, second they can only do it because they order millions of custom made screens from the screen manufacturer. For now, using a resistive screen costs about $100 less than using a capacitive. Would you pay $100 extra just for a capacitive option?
@weatherman the Archos 5 Android, has bluetooth so I can't see why Archos would take that out of the A7. Actually, the Archos 5 has a few key features that the Archos 7 doesn't. If Archos did this to get the A7 in at $200 they've made a big mistake. This device isn't better than the Archos 5 Android other than the fact that the screen is bigger. Lame.