Archos 70 Reader
Introduction
Archos has already rolled out a number of tablets, but the 70c marks the company’s first attempt to tap into the e-reading market. Indeed, the Archos 70c is billed as a color eReader even though it behaves more like its tablet siblings. The device plays videos and music, surfs the web, downloads apps, displays photos and slideshows, and many more. Overall, though, the 70c is a dime a dozen, as it has no impressive or outstanding features to make it stand out from other color eReaders. Is under pricing rivals enough to catapult the Archos 70c to the top of the color eReader line?
Features – Hardware and Software
Given the Archos 70c’s minimalist design, the design shouldn’t feel heavy. The device features two physical buttons only, and they are used for turning book pages forward or backward. All other types of navigation are handled by the touch display. Since the display is a resistive touchscreen, user interface may be closer in quality to the iPod or iPhone than the iPad or Nook Color.
Like most Android color readers, the Archos 70c also sports a 7-inch TFT screen display. However, images may not be particularly vivid or rich. Sharpness of screen display won’t likely be a match to the Nook Color’s. Screen resolution, after all, is a poor 800 x 480.
Storage space amounts to 4GB, and it can hold up to 16GB more of files via an external device. It has minimum 600MHz CPU spec, which is the same as the iPhone 3G’s, but is it enough to keep up with the performance of rival color eReaders like the Nook Color?
Browsing the web and downloading of content is via WiFi. Archos has announced a battery life of 10 hours of e-reading. Other activities, like surfing the web or playing music, can considerably cut down the battery life quickly.
The Bottom Line
The Archos 70c is already available for pre-order for $149 at JR.com.com. If the specs are any indication, we may be seeing a decent device but not a great one. However, if you are looking for a budget device that packs a lot of function, the Archos 70c may fit the bill. We will reserve full judgment, though, until we get our hands on the device.
Pros If you’re looking for a color eReader with a unique style, the Archos 7 comes with a rectangular gray casing instead of the usual black aluminum cover sported by most color eReaders. Cons The Archos comes with a unique physical look, but it is rather generic on the inside. Apparently, the battery life is very limited, especially for reading purposes. As an eReader, there are lots of details we don’t know yet, including supported formats, bookstore, and text customization options. What we know so far is that it will have a built-in accelerometer, support for Adobe DRM, and a Bookmarks Manager for managing personal library and a G-sensor.
Main Features: • 7-inch TFT color touchscreen • Up to 10 hours of battery life • Internal storage of 4GB Key Features: • A multi-purpose color eReader • Minimalist design • Supports multiple music formats: MP3, FLAC,WAV, and OGG • Supports video formats: MPEG-4 AVI, RM, RMVB, MP4, FLV, VOB, DAT, VOB, MKV, MOV
i bought an archos 70c e reader and it worked ok for about the first 2 weeks. then out of the blue it just quit working. the battery was charged this morning. was reading a book at lunch, and when i went to read tonight, it would not turn on. when i put it back on the charger, it should turn on, but doesn’t and when i plug it into my pc, my pc does not reconize it either. can’t say i really happy about this product. it’s not the most expensive e reader out there, but it should have lasted a little longer than it did. long story short, don’t think that i will be purchasing anymore archos products. don’t like getting burned.