douglasboyd

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Its an okay product for certain people

Apr 5, 2009

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: Plays movies well
Cons: Expensive in both $$ and setup time
Opinion:
The first reviewer really panned this product, and with good reason. It is too expensive and it is delivered incomplete. It takes hours to get it set up. You have to purchase at least two plug-ins ($20 each) before you can use it and this is a very painful process. The online store requires you to type in your name and address twice for each purchase. Then you have to enter your credit card number again once for each. The worst part is entering the various codes from the unit and the case. The serial number code in in microscopic lettering that requires a 10X loupe to read. You will probably have to make a trip to the drugstore to get one before you can download the plug-ins. There is an endless list of these kinds of gotchas in the user experience.

HOWEVER, this is also the charm of the device. The high price and horrible user experience guaranties that not many of these will be sold. Therefore you will have a really unique device that will be a conversation piece. Not only that, once everything is setup, it actually works! The battery is good enough for several hours of use on longer airline flights. Probably 9 hours or more of video and endless hours of audio. The screen is good, and the sound is good. The sound is good even without headphones, since the internal speakers are loud enough and okay quality.

Several reviewers have commented on the poor touch screen for internet browsing. There is a good work-around, naturally not mentioned by Archos. Use a stylus. With a stylus, typing on the screen and using tiny pull-down menus is a breeze. The complaints refer to typing with your fingers that is difficult. With a stylus (I use a wooden chop stick), the internet experience with the Archos 7 is good.

==Doug