Archos 9 PC Tablet (Black) Review

This device is Archos’ answer to the iPad and other tablets, and it suceeds on most levels. First, the screen is matte, which while is not as OMG looking as glossy screens, makes the screen more readable since it reduces glare. The screen is pretty responsive for a resistive screen, but the styles is the worst I’ve seen. The tablet has a webcam and USB port, but you’ll have to buy Archos’ dock to get video out and more USB ports. The device is solidly built. Programs start up pretty quickly (a couple seconds). Google Earth runs fairly well (until you add variables like weather, etc, then it slows down). Flash is iffy, while regular resolution Youtube videos run okay, Hulu and Crunchyroll videos running badly (I guess Adobe will fix that with 10.1). I’ve tried Bejeweled 2, which runs slowly, but still playable. HD videos are a big problem because the device uses hardware acceleration, so you can’t use VLC or Mplayer to play mkv files. Regular DVD resolution video runs fine. This device makes a great ereader since you can install your own reader programs like Kindle, BN, whatever. This device really shines a comic viewer–just install your favorite comic viewer, right click on the screen to get to graphics options and rotate it 90 degrees, viola, awesome comic book/manga reader. PDFs load quickly and nicely too.