Annual tablet shopping trip: went with a 70b for 2012.

[oj829]

Almost all of the online retailers now have the 70b IT @ $(US)179.

I love my 70IT but I'm ready for higher screen resolution. So I bit tonight. Awaiting delivery.

I wish it weren't heavier than the 70IT, though. (330g vs. 300g. Bleah.). My 70IT has made me "anorexic": weight has turned out to be the number 1 thing I look at in a 7" tablet. This time out, I almost went for the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7" (Dual Core, Ice Cream Sandwich, competitively priced, smoothed edges for comfortable holding, and not deal-killingly heavy), but Samsung STILL insists on their proprietary cables! I know that sounds like a minor thing to worry about, but it was the number 1 reason I left the Apple universe years ago: tired of procuring and accommodating specialized cables to transfer data. (I mistakenly believed that USB-charging was possible with the 70b, but I see now that the AC Adapter is required for charging. That is a mild disappointment.)

Another contender was the ViewSonic 7x, but I can't quit those front-facing speakers found on all of my Archos devices (and soon, the 70b). Even while reading, I usually have musical accompaniment going on. Also, it was still on the pricey side. (FWIW, anyone interested in a refurb'ed Acer A100 7", Newegg has some for $199. FYI.)

Will review my experiences soon as the owner of three other Archos devices: A7HT, A7HTv2, and A70IT.

[ColinTaylor]

(I mistakenly believed that USB-charging was possible with the 70b, but I see now that the AC Adapter is required for charging. That is a mild disappointment.)

I'm sure you'll be pleased to discover that the 70b does use USB-charging. Using the supplied USB charger is faster than using a PC's USB port.

[mrew44]

(I mistakenly believed that USB-charging was possible with the 70b, but I see now that the AC Adapter is required for charging. That is a mild disappointment.)

I'm sure you'll be pleased to discover that the 70b does use USB-charging. Using the supplied USB charger is faster than using a PC's USB port.

Much faster @ 1.5v

[oj829]

(I mistakenly believed that USB-charging was possible with the 70b, but I see now that the AC Adapter is required for charging. That is a mild disappointment.)

I'm sure you'll be pleased to discover that the 70b does use USB-charging. Using the supplied USB charger is faster than using a PC's USB port.

Much faster @ 1.5v

Well, I've made an interesting discovery - when using my Amazon basics USB power adapter, the Archos thinks it's just being charged up on a plain old USB port (and had the courtesy to tell me it was on a slow charge cycle). This doesn't entirely surprise me. I think I read something once about pin assignments on certain chargers which are cut so that the charged hardware knows it is not in a data port.

What surprises me is that charging up WITH the official adapter, from <5% charged, results in only about a 10% charge per HOUR. The Archos doesn't tell me it's on a slow charge cycle, but it sure seems that way.