Charge coupled device
Archos quotes identical battery life times for the 101 and 70 but I found the 70 to be a little heavier on the juice - or maybe it has a smaller battery pack. Looping a standard definition H.264 video turned in a figure of just over five and a half hours – 90 minutes shy of Archos’ claims. And irritatingly you have to recharge using the bundled mains adapter, since the 70 won’t suckle at a USB teat.
A tidy tablet at a tidy price
Verdict
While there are no plans from Archos to enable Android OS upgrades, if you want a tablet primarily to watch video, listen to music, read e-Books and keep on top of your e-mail and social networks, then the Archos 70 is probably all the tablet you will ever need. It’s small, light, has a decent battery life and, after a quick trip to Archos Fans, will do most of the things a tablet costing twice the price will do. Hunt around and you can find one for around £195. ®
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Archos 70 Android 7in tablet
COMMENTS
No USB charging?
Really; it won't charge from the micro-USB socket? (Checks Archos site) Nope, the 70 and the 101 require the charger. Bit of a fail there then; if the thing needs mort current than standard USB they could at least have supported USB charging ports so that car chargers with standard USB sockets would work.
Too Late
The Android 3 tabs are on the market now, why bother with a 2.2 tab that won't be upgraded and will always be restricted in comparison. These should have hit the market 6-12 months ago, now their opportunity has passed.
It's not that bad
I agree that the Android 3 tablets are a definite must for most people who read El Reg, but, my friend just bought the 10" version of this tablet which I had a hands-on with last night. I was quite impressed, it was cute and worked well for her. For me, the screen glare was an issue, the lack of USB charge was a bummer but it had a USB socket, HDMI, MicroSD slot and it's own built in stand. Not bad for the money really. Angry birds is awesome on the 10 inch screen.
I nice budget model IMHO.
Charging
Every time I read a tablet review, I get as far as the bit that reads "unfortunately it doesn't charge from USB" and just lose interest. A note to all you manufacturers out there.... check, your calendars guys, we're now in the 21st century.
@rfrovarp
Trickle charge is better than no charge. I leave my Desire HD in a dock all day so it's always topped up.
