Forum.ArchosFans.com

I've had an Archos 5IT since they first came out and still use it and love it. Of course as an early adopter I went through all the hassles with a new product from Archos. I've been away from the Forums for more than a year and I'm wondering if their support has improved? I've had my a GalaxyS phone for a year and love the capacitive touch and ability to watch Flash that my old 5IT lacks.

I'll be in the market to buy my first tablet around April or May to take on a cross country bicycle ride starting mid-June. We'll want it primarily for daily blogging on the road and also all the usually activities of email and surfing, GPS, etc. I want to buy it early enough to know my way around in it and be sure it doesn't have any issues. I'm just starting my research and so far I'm dithering between a Galaxy and an Archos, though the Acer looks pretty good too. I gather the 101-G9 is the newest Archos entry and still in bug-squashing mode? I wasn't sure if I should post this in the 101-G9 area or here. I'm interested in learning about all my options and if I should stick with Archos or not. What's coming out that's hot? What are the key things to consider in a 10" tablet? Any links and tips appreciated. Thank you.

PS: I'm also doing research on carriers. Apparently in the middle sections of the country I'll only have coverage with Verizon. I'm planning to buy one of their hotspots on E-Bay and then just pay for a couple of months of service while cycling.

I can't give specific opinions on what tab is best for the ones your considering but for your needs specifically, on cross country bicycle ride, I can give some input on what I would want:

-light weight (every ounce counts on a bike)
-compact (for me, a 7" tab is perfect for what your describing)
-durability, if you can afford a higher end brand it may give some safe guard against the tough environment but price point is not always an indicator of durability / reliability, is there a "Tough Book" of tablets?
-don't know if I would do it, but I have heard of riders using mounts on handlebars for the 7" tabs

Good Luck on finding the right tablet and on a safe ride!

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do you have any more information on this? I would love to just get an affordable dongle / hotspot device for Verizon towers without a contract, as much as I dislike the greedy V I love there coverage!

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G9 80 16GB 1.5GHz

Thanks for the response. We're doing a supported tour so one thing we need to decide is IF we'll actually carry the device on bike each day or pack it in our transported gear. I'm thinking the later. I'm also trying to figure out what I'd get the most use out of post-trip. Currently I'm leaning toward saving the money on a shiny new tablet despite geek-lust and just borrowing my friends' HP Mini210 for free. It's very sturdy and comes with a padded waterproof case. It's weights 3x a tablet, but if we're packing it for transport that'd be OK and typing on it would be significantly better than any tablet, especially a 7"!

Yes, you can buy a 3G Verizon mobile hotspot on eBay for around $50+/-. Then you pay Verizon $50/mo for 1G/mo or $80 for 5G/mo if I'm reading http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/plans/?page=mobileBroadband correctly. I haven't called them yet. I think there's also a $35 activation fee. You can also buy a new G4 jet pack from them directly for $270.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Verizon-MiF ... d=ViewItem

Oh yea, a support vehicle makes a difference.

If you haven't yet, try using a good 7" or 8" tablet for testing to get the feel of size and function for your needs, I have about a month on a 7" and many hours on a 10" now I'm swapping the 7 for the Archos 80 G9 8", I think the 8" will be the best compromise for me (although I know I will miss my 7" tablet for its portability)

I did some searching also on Verizon, and came up with most of the same, I was hoping to find a plan that i could put "money in the bank/account" so its always available

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G9 80 16GB 1.5GHz

You might look for an HTC Flyer/ EVO View. The flyer and the view are basically the same tablet, but the view has 32gb of storage and cellular radio. The flyer is 16gb and wifi only. The foyer is hard to find right now, but there are fire sales on the view. You may be able to get a new one one ebay for $289 no contract. The flyer /view is 7", but is very sturdy. It has a single core 1.5 processor and 1gb of ram. It also has pen support. It is now upgradable to HC.

Also you might look at the Acer W500. It is a windows 7 tablet and comes with a detachable keyboard. (Edit: this doesn't have built in gps, but you should be able to use a receiver.)

Thanks. I'll check those out. We have GPS on our cycling computer so that would be fine. Interesting options. Glad I posted here. Thank you.

Funny you should mention that HP.
We did a bicycle trip through Bulgaria. It was often hot and hard work.
We tossed our netbook (coincidentally an HP) in our luggage.
In the evenings, after a shower, one could often be connected. The limitation was Bulgarian communications, not our hardware.
Needless to say, there were no issues of crashing (a feature of our archos).
At the end of the trip, we ended up passing the netbook around to the others on the tour so they could do their online check-in for flights home. It was very popular.

Thanks...that's encouraging. We're pretty much decided on the HP at this point. Though I'll take it with me to Florida next month to be sure I like working on it. But I was going to test drive a tablet on that trip and I've talked myself out of it. So thanks all for you valuable input. I imagine eventually the geek in me will still get a tablet. This just won't be the time or the excuse the prompts it.

Still planning on the HP for our bike tour. But last night a friend was over touting his new Nook and reminding me that the HP won't have much battery life. He's encouraged me to re-open my investigations for a 7-8" device. I can get a free b/w Nook but I don't see the point! I'm re-examining how the Archos tablets are getting reviewed here and exploring other options. I love my 5IT but Archos lack of customer service hasn't improved.

Right now the Acer Iconia Tab is looking pretty sweet. It's dual core and I can get a refurb for $200. The main reasons for a second device on the road would be that we could both be doing things at once and it would extend our effective use time. Mostly it'd be email & surfing while the netbook w/ full-sized keyboard would be used for our blogging (http://www.2012.s2cycle.com). Then on return I'd start using it for streaming while exercising which has been my old Archos 5IT's role. It would be awesome to have the larger screen and be able to stream directly. For the 5IT I've had to capture on my PC and transfer. Tedious.

So any thoughts on the Archos 7 or 8 vs others out there? Thanks!

Might be cutting it close with your timeframe, but there should be an announcement for a 7" Google/Asus tablet in the next month or two. You can google "nexus tablet" or "asus memo" for rumors until there is something official.

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A70 8gb Urukdroid 1.6
Nexus 7

Thanks. I think that's what my friend is awaiting. We don't leave until mid-June but I want to have whatever technology we decide on in time for our spring break riding in Austin which is a month away. So I think you're right...too late.

I checked Craig's List and can get a Samsung Galaxy 7" for $250 slightly used but with case, still on warranty. That's tempting. Also found Dell Streak which I'm thinking not since they're discontinued and have some bad reviews and the Acer Iconia A100 for $200 still sealed in box from private party. So there are pretty good options there. Still reading up. Hate to jump too quickly!