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Hi all,

I just purchased a 70b tablet from HSN. I've been reading this forum for the last couple days to make sure that I had all the information I needed before making this purchase. This will be my first tablet. I decided to buy it instead of the Nook tablet that I was originally planning to get. The main reason I bought the 70b was to have a portable e-reader. I do have some questions about using the tablet:

1. Regarding MicroSD cards, can the 70b handle 16 GB Class 4 or should I get a 16 GB Class 2 card instead?

2. Should I use the unit without the charger and let the battery run down a certain amount, say 50 percent, before charging it, or should I leave it on the charger when not in use?

3. Can anyone recommend a good Stylus to get for the 70b?

4. Does anyone here use Calibre for e-books? I read that Word Player will transfer books wirelessly to/from your Calibre library.

5. Besides Aldiko, what are the best e-reader apps for the 70b? I had Aldiko on my Droid, and wasn't too happy with it, but that may have been partially due to the screen size of my phone.

6. Regarding the touch screen, is it similar to using the touch screen on an Android phone? I currently have a Motorola Droid. I'm asking about this because I have a slight tremor in my hands. It has taken some practice, but I manage ok with the screen on my phone. If the touch screen on the 70b is similar, I should be able to use it with some practice as well.

Thanks for reading,

SusanG

Hi SusanG,

I see that nobody has replied, so I thought I’d give you my thoughts on your first two questions.

1) I can think of no reason why you shouldn’t go for the faster MicroSD card. As far as I know faster cards can always be read/written at slower speeds if necessary.

2) Personally, I just leave my tablet connected to my PC when it’s not in use, so it’s always on slow charge. The idea of running the battery down low before charging is a throw back to the old NiCad days. Having said that, the charging characteristics of LiPo cells (used in the Archos) is rather complicated and you have to rely on the electronics inside the tablet to sort it out rather than second-guess it yourself.

I can’t comment on your other questions as I don’t use my tablet as an eReader. Perhaps you could share your experiences with us.

Regards,

Colin

2. The archos runs on a Li-ion battery. You should do some research on this in order to prolong your battery life, but the most important things are never let your battery get completely empty and never let it stay too long on 100%/overcharge your battery.

3. I use this one http://dx.com/p/2-in-1-universal-capaci ... 445?item=2. It's cheap and does the job overall.

6. It's the same in my opinion.

Whilst technically correct I don't believe these are things that can be controlled by the end user these days, that's why I said "you have to rely on the electronics inside the tablet to sort it out".

The era of "trickle chargers" and "overcharging", etc are long gone. Unless of course, you were to somehow bypass the charging circuitry inside the tablet.