Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Starter Tablet (Black)
by Archos
5.0 out of 5 stars: A very good device... if you are willing to tweak it., March 26, 2010
By Erich Maria Remarque (USA)
This review is from: Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Starter Tablet (Black) (Personal Computers)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
Before I start, I should mention that the current Amazon stock of Archos 9 has the Z515 processor as opposed to the original Z510. Not only do you get a 100MHz increase in clock speed over the original, but you also get Hyper-threading which is bound to help with performance in certain situations. I've also uploaded some CPU-Z and GPU-Z screenshots (found under the main product picture at the top of the page). Now on to my observations:
What was Archos thinking when they decided to put Windows 7 Starter in a tablet PC? It is the only edition of Windows 7 that doesn't include the tablet PC features, such as the much improved on-screen keyboard or touch gestures. So the first thing I did after getting this device was reformat the hard drive, and install Windows 7 Professional.
I used a 4 GB USB flash drive to install 7 Pro, and the installation took about 30 minutes. I got the latest drivers from Archos, Intel, and Realtek websites. The first thing you must install is the video driver. The screen is almost unreadable until you do that. Additionally, make sure you install the latest touchscreen Beta driver found on Archos website (don't even bother downloading the "stable" one), in order to unlock full touch functionality (MAKE SURE you check that "Install PS2 Driver" option during install).
After installing drivers, set your components to run in full speed mode regardless of power source (in the Power Options control panel item). Also, if you open Intel Graphics and then click on the "Options" button, you will see an option called "Performance Mode". Not sure what it does, but it was unchecked by default. So I enabled it. :) With 7 Pro I was able to turn on the Aero interface, and while it is a little sluggish, it works just fine. I also removed some default Windows programs like Media Center and DVD Maker, while adding others like Games (which were disabled by default in 7 pro). After that I ran Windows Update to get everything there was to get for my edition of Windows.
Also make sure you run all calibration options found in the touch screen driver utility (HIDeGalaxTouch).
I then proceeded to install the essential software:
- Adobe Reader --- a good ebook reader if you tweak it a little. Modify the fullscreen options for a better touch experience. Particularly, check the "Show navigation bar" option and set the Mouse cursor to "Always Visible". Also, add a few buttons to the main toolbar to make the interface more touch friendly.
- Firefox --- with "Grab and Drag" add-on for iPhone-like page scrolling.
- Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta 3 --- for hardware accelerated videos. Download and install both Plugin and ActiveX versions. The latest Flash beta actually adds support for the GMA500 video card found in Archos 9. Make sure you use the latest Intel drivers though.
After drivers and software was properly installed and configured, I disabled unnecessary startup programs and services, ran a full check-disk scan, and defragmented the hard drive.
And finally I ran Windows Experience Index. This is what I got:
Processor: 1.7
RAM: 1.8
Graphics (Aero): 2.9
Gaming Graphics: 2.4
Hard Disk: 4.1
About the performance: As expected eBook reading and web browsing is flawless. Even Flash heavy websites such as Grooveshark load fast and work just fine (take that iPad). Youtube videos are smooth as long as you keep the quality at 480p or less. Going fullscreen is not recommended as the video becomes choppy. You can however expand the video horizontally to fill the browser window without any noticeable performance hit.
Hulu is slightly less forgiving even in non-fullscreen mode. The video starts a little choppy at first, but then stabilizes itself after a few seconds. So as long as you don't go in fullscreen mode and keep your video streams in low-res mode, you should be able to enjoy Hulu as well.
****Performance Tip****
The above observations are made when having the display set at the native resolution (1024x600). Here is a Youtube/Hulu performance increase trick: Lower the resolution to 640x480 (and instruct Intel Display Panel to "maintain aspect ratio"), and you will be able to watch smooth Youtube videos in fullscreen mode. Seriously, you will experience no low FPS or choppy video in fullscreen mode. Hulu is a lot better as well, but still a little choppy when in fullscreen mode (though I haven't experimented with that yet).
********************
Those two are Flash based services though, and the new Flash is still in beta, so we might see performance improvements in the future, as it comes closer to a final release.
On the other hand, videos downloaded on your computer (Divx, Xvid, etc) are smooth even in full screen mode.
I wish the screen on this device was a little more sensitive. Manipulating Windows using your fingers is painful due to items being too small and too close to each other. Using a stylus however is perfect. You can also use the built in optical touchpad controls for convenience.
However, in my opinion this is better device than the iPad, due to having a full Windows OS, and expansion capabilities via USB. You can do EVERYTHING the iPad can do, plus a lot more. Granted, the iPad has a slightly larger screen which also supports multitouch. But what good is multitouch when you can't even multitask? ;)
Overall, the Archos 9 is a good alternative to the iPad, at least until HP Slate is released. You have to consider the price as well, which is pretty low amongst full size slates. The Archos 9 costs about the same as the 16Gb iPad, and (judging by the rumors) it's going to be about 50% cheaper than the HP Slate PC. So, for the price you are getting a very good machine, as long as you are willing to tweak it a little. You must also understand that this is not a productivity device. It's a media-consumption device. It's meant to browse the web, read books, listen to music, and watch movies. Yes, there is no instant gratification here like in certain Apple products. You have to charge it for at least two hours before using it for the first time. And when you do turn it on that first time, you have to go through the initial Windows configuration and activation. However, compared to Apple handhelds, you are also getting a superior machine with a full fledged OS.
by Archos
 |
| Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Starter Tablet (Black) |
By Erich Maria Remarque (USA)
This review is from: Archos 9 PC Windows 7 Starter Tablet (Black) (Personal Computers)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
Before I start, I should mention that the current Amazon stock of Archos 9 has the Z515 processor as opposed to the original Z510. Not only do you get a 100MHz increase in clock speed over the original, but you also get Hyper-threading which is bound to help with performance in certain situations. I've also uploaded some CPU-Z and GPU-Z screenshots (found under the main product picture at the top of the page). Now on to my observations:
I used a 4 GB USB flash drive to install 7 Pro, and the installation took about 30 minutes. I got the latest drivers from Archos, Intel, and Realtek websites. The first thing you must install is the video driver. The screen is almost unreadable until you do that. Additionally, make sure you install the latest touchscreen Beta driver found on Archos website (don't even bother downloading the "stable" one), in order to unlock full touch functionality (MAKE SURE you check that "Install PS2 Driver" option during install).
After installing drivers, set your components to run in full speed mode regardless of power source (in the Power Options control panel item). Also, if you open Intel Graphics and then click on the "Options" button, you will see an option called "Performance Mode". Not sure what it does, but it was unchecked by default. So I enabled it. :) With 7 Pro I was able to turn on the Aero interface, and while it is a little sluggish, it works just fine. I also removed some default Windows programs like Media Center and DVD Maker, while adding others like Games (which were disabled by default in 7 pro). After that I ran Windows Update to get everything there was to get for my edition of Windows.
Also make sure you run all calibration options found in the touch screen driver utility (HIDeGalaxTouch).
I then proceeded to install the essential software:
- Adobe Reader --- a good ebook reader if you tweak it a little. Modify the fullscreen options for a better touch experience. Particularly, check the "Show navigation bar" option and set the Mouse cursor to "Always Visible". Also, add a few buttons to the main toolbar to make the interface more touch friendly.
- Firefox --- with "Grab and Drag" add-on for iPhone-like page scrolling.
- Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta 3 --- for hardware accelerated videos. Download and install both Plugin and ActiveX versions. The latest Flash beta actually adds support for the GMA500 video card found in Archos 9. Make sure you use the latest Intel drivers though. After drivers and software was properly installed and configured, I disabled unnecessary startup programs and services, ran a full check-disk scan, and defragmented the hard drive.
And finally I ran Windows Experience Index. This is what I got:
Processor: 1.7
RAM: 1.8
Graphics (Aero): 2.9
Gaming Graphics: 2.4
Hard Disk: 4.1
About the performance: As expected eBook reading and web browsing is flawless. Even Flash heavy websites such as Grooveshark load fast and work just fine (take that iPad). Youtube videos are smooth as long as you keep the quality at 480p or less. Going fullscreen is not recommended as the video becomes choppy. You can however expand the video horizontally to fill the browser window without any noticeable performance hit.
Hulu is slightly less forgiving even in non-fullscreen mode. The video starts a little choppy at first, but then stabilizes itself after a few seconds. So as long as you don't go in fullscreen mode and keep your video streams in low-res mode, you should be able to enjoy Hulu as well.
****Performance Tip****
The above observations are made when having the display set at the native resolution (1024x600). Here is a Youtube/Hulu performance increase trick: Lower the resolution to 640x480 (and instruct Intel Display Panel to "maintain aspect ratio"), and you will be able to watch smooth Youtube videos in fullscreen mode. Seriously, you will experience no low FPS or choppy video in fullscreen mode. Hulu is a lot better as well, but still a little choppy when in fullscreen mode (though I haven't experimented with that yet).
********************
Those two are Flash based services though, and the new Flash is still in beta, so we might see performance improvements in the future, as it comes closer to a final release.
On the other hand, videos downloaded on your computer (Divx, Xvid, etc) are smooth even in full screen mode.
However, in my opinion this is better device than the iPad, due to having a full Windows OS, and expansion capabilities via USB. You can do EVERYTHING the iPad can do, plus a lot more. Granted, the iPad has a slightly larger screen which also supports multitouch. But what good is multitouch when you can't even multitask? ;)
Overall, the Archos 9 is a good alternative to the iPad, at least until HP Slate is released. You have to consider the price as well, which is pretty low amongst full size slates. The Archos 9 costs about the same as the 16Gb iPad, and (judging by the rumors) it's going to be about 50% cheaper than the HP Slate PC. So, for the price you are getting a very good machine, as long as you are willing to tweak it a little. You must also understand that this is not a productivity device. It's a media-consumption device. It's meant to browse the web, read books, listen to music, and watch movies. Yes, there is no instant gratification here like in certain Apple products. You have to charge it for at least two hours before using it for the first time. And when you do turn it on that first time, you have to go through the initial Windows configuration and activation. However, compared to Apple handhelds, you are also getting a superior machine with a full fledged OS.
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