Archos 7
The basics
A whopping 320GB Linux PMP with seven-inch touchscreen, Opera web browser (supporting Flash 9), email client, Wi-Fi and multiple plug-ins and accessories. It measures 190x110x16mm and weighs 640g.
The good
Upgrade your life to Club Class with this portable entertainment powerhouse. The seven-inch, stretch-VGA display gives a genuinely cinematic experience from a gargantuan hard drive that can store hundreds of movies. Adobe Flash web browsing means you can genuinely surf the web, including BBC iPlayer and YouTube playback. A decent graphics chip enables the 7 to render menus, web pages, movies and even (basic) games smoother than Roger Moore sipping G&T on a yacht in Antigua.
The bad
Transporting the Archos 7 is like carrying a particularly expensive and fragile house brick in your bag, and the touchscreen is neither as crisp nor as responsive as an iPod Touch. Despite the 7’s Business Class pricing, Archos piles on the extras - £12 to play podcasts or AAC files, £12 to play MPEG-2 files and surround sound, £80 to record video and another £12 (probably) to play HD files, when Archos finally gets round to making the plug-in available.
The bottom line
A gorgeous display, good video playback and monstrous hard drive means this over-achieving PMP strays dangerously close to a netbook’s price – but with few of a netbook’s capabilities.
User comments (7)
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Trees22 November 2009
PLease can you tell me whether you can purchase a tv snapon for the Archos 7 to receive freeview tv. I know the Archos 5 has it but I can't seem to find out whether the & has the same feature.
Report as inappropriateArronT22 December 2009
I don't know about the, freeview add-on. However you can pick one of these bad boys up for just under £260 off of the interweb (The Internet) from this web site http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php?xProd=1713. Also you can get the 160GB one from almost any Curry's Store or on their website for £250. If you are worried about the website I gave above it is a company called GPSK Ltd and they are registered at Companies House and have been incorporated since 2003. I personal think thanks from the Gadget Show team are in order as they should update the review to state, its new price especially when it is so much cheap from www.handtec.co.uk
Report as inappropriateTrees05 January 2010
Just to say thankyou to Arron for replying to my question, I'll take a look at Handtec to check out the prices. Cheers
Report as inappropriatefinbar hannaford25 March 2010
really want this but now the apple ipad is on the way gonna get that much better but does alow flash
Report as inappropriateadambarrow11 September 2010
Does anyone know where to get one off these in a normal high street shop??
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