iPad or Archos Tablet

A

Adam

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jan 9, 2003
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Sooo heres the question... xmas is coming should my GF get me an iPad or an archos tablet (if she can find one)

Archos tablet is way cheaper, but runs android (lil sluggish compared to apples os) but its basically open source in a way... so lots of potential

Downside is that no 3G modem, so i'd have to bascially tether off my iphones 3g signal somehow (few programs out there to do it).. im afraid of updates thoguh..

Sooo what does everybody think/suggest? I already have a few iPad programs id want to use (logmein, camera viewing program we use, exchange [i like the format on the iPad])... i knmow android has a few, and id have to install the market on the archos tablet... but thoughts???
 
android seems to be the hot ticket being open source, just like you stated. And no putting up with apple. That sells it for me right there.
 
I'm not an Apple fan but there's little compelling on this generation of Android tablets that I've seen. I was about to buy a Viewsonic G Tablet on Black Friday just because, it's a well built device but I've not heard good things about it. Glad l didn't however as my HP Slate arrived five days latter. I love writing posts in pen with this thing, it's like having the web on a yellow pad.

I'd go for the iPad though I'll probably never buy one
 
I went from wanting an iPad to wanting an apad to wanting an ipad again... then to an archos... then i went back to an ipad after i saw some archos videos tonight, THEN im back at an archos bigtime after seeing the new 2.2 froyo... can't wait to see 2.3 gingerbread in action.

2.2 is a lot smoother is seems then 2.1, a LOT smoother, apple ipad smooth even.... so thats got me sold right there... plus its more of a tinkering device then apple is... can't do much with apples os, but android has tons of hacks/mods out there and a bigger support base it seems with the community.

sent the gf a link to a website she can order it from, which states it'll be available on 12/11 so im hoping she gets it for me
 
The new archos 101 is better.

Some people think the Archos 5 and Archos 7 are ipad comparable (and much cheaper than the ipad) but others might disagree here.... it depends on your tastes and whinyness.

Apple is a little overpriced... its cool just very overpriced compared to other stuff that's better.

If you truly want something better than the ipad, check out the new Samsung Galaxy. It's definitely better than the ipad as many, many, many people claim this (people whom own both tablets)
 
It boils down to what you want. I'm not an Apple fan but the iPad has its strengths. Android tablets are great to hack on. Something like the HP Slate would be great for a professional or someone needing to take hand written notes.
 
honestly, if you already have an iphone, going with the ipad seems like a no brainer.


however with that said, if you already have an iOS device and want to play around with android, then maybe an archos tablet would be the better buy. The iPad is a really nice device though... it has a shit load of AAA software avalible and via jailbreaking, makes it just as open as any android device IMO. They build quality is also top notch (and will probably hold it's value a little better).

Either one you go with should be a pretty cool toy though. I'm sure ya wont be disappointed with either product.
 
Adam said:
plus its more of a tinkering device then apple is... can't do much with apples os, but android has tons of hacks/mods out there and a bigger support base it seems with the community.
Click to expand...

there are literally thousands of hacks and mods avalible for iOS :) check out www.modmyi.com. The jailbreak and homebrew scene for the idevice is huge
 
Jailbreaking doesn't come without it's consequences as it does open up the device to malware. Not saying that it's a big deal in the iOS world but it is something to be mindful of.
 
So either way im getting a winner... lol... im not sure what shes getting me, i have a feeling its an iPad but it could be an archos tablet... im leaning towards iPad since they were available when we talked about it... i hope its the 3g model so i dont have to bother tethering, we shall see.
 
Would you consider a Galaxy Tab? I don't have one so I don't have an opinion about it but it has 3G.
 
Galaxy tab is expensive, might as well buy a iPad if it was my money, lol.
 
Adam said:
Galaxy tab is expensive, might as well buy a iPad if it was my money, lol.
Click to expand...

some people don't have any iCrap to begin with so what would be the appeal of an iPad over an Android Tablet... nothing...
 
android vs iOS: which has better media support?

ipad has hulu plus (can you do regular hulu? and can a hulu plus account be used on multiple devices?) and netflix. no official release date for these two services on androidOS devices (tablets).

which devices would be better suited for accessing media on a media server? ipad's codecs are limited. vlc player helps but apparently apple doesn't allow it to use hardware acceleration for smoother playback. something like tversity could be used to transcode on the fly for either device though.
 
iOS: Very limited media capability, AAC/MP3 for audio (has Apple Lossless and WAV also), for video it's primarily MPEG4 content (h.264, etc) in mp4 containers (or m4v), that's about it

Archos: plays pretty much anything you can throw at it, requires a plugin to handle MPEG2/AC3 5.1 soundtracks, that's about it

As a media playback device (audio-video) the Archos stuff is lightyears ahead of iOS and always will be.

Web-related content (Hulu, Netflix, etc): You already covered it yourself, clients are in the works but aren't there yet for Android

One of the major MAJOR strong points for Archos devices is almost seamless accessing of media content on local networks for streaming purposes. Browsing local shares is apparently pretty damned quick and snappy.
 
I really wanted to go down the Google path on our tablet but at the time we bought iPad, it was really the only good choice. We are extremely pleased with the iPad and have unlimited data with it but that is no longer available. For me seeing how Google can now run iPad/iPhone/iTouch apps and is finally becoming a strong OS I would look strongly at it if I bought today. The overriding factor for me might just be the data plan I gotta have unlimited data on my tablet its used by every family member and is never just sitting now wifi helps but long car trips etc gotta have my unlimited data. Netflix/Hulu rock!
 
I picked up an Archos 70 earlier this week, I'm satisfied with it. I loaded up Launcher Pro and got the hacked Market on there, it's good to do anything.
 
Don't forget a BIG selling feature... archos takes flash memory cards... so if i get an 8GB i can upgrade it myself to more memory.

I think the GF got me the archos, she said she ordered whatever i sent her a link to right away and its already there (i saw the amazon box, lol)

Anyways, only downside is i have to tether it to my iPhne to get online, and that requires some hacks on the Archos... so its not an "always online" connection
 
I'm curious... Does the Archos 101 need a specific type of phone to be tethered with? For example does it need to be an Android phone or can you tether it to any type of phone that has the mini usb? Trying to figure out how best to get internet access via 3G for an Archos 101 where there is no wireless access.
 
It's an 11n Wi-Fi device so as long as the phone you're trying to connect with presents itself as an actual Infrastructure device (seen as an access point and not an ad-hoc connection), the Archos 101 should not have any issues connecting with it at all.
 
Joe Average said:
It's an 11n Wi-Fi device so as long as the phone you're trying to connect with presents itself as an actual Infrastructure device (seen as an access point and not an ad-hoc connection), the Archos 101 should not have any issues connecting with it at all.
Click to expand...

x2


it should work with any device that can turn itself into a wireless hotspot (so most, if not all, modern smartphones should be able to handle it ok)
 
I have an T-mobile G2 phone and personally it does have considerable amount of apps but sometimes i wish i can have the apps from the apple line... so i would go with the ipad
 
Adam said:
I think iOS has a bigger app market then android
Click to expand...

Apple claims their App Store has over 320,000 apps these days, with Android coming in at about 190,000 according to AndroidLib.

But bigger doesn't always mean better. :D
 
App counting is stupid. A lot of the apps on iOS are simply replacement front ends to web sites. And while not all touch optimized obviously my Slate runs more "apps" than iOS and Android combined. Which means jack and shit and just proves how stupid app counting is.
 
Thanks for the feedback. It is appreciated. Also, I have zero interest in Apple products. They didn't go far enough with the iPad in my humble opinion. The Archos 101 is the tablet I have my eye on. I read a rumor there will be more tablet products coming Q1 2011 and some will have built in 3G/4G so I will probably watch and see. Meanwhile my research continues on what I will need if I choose the Archos 101. :)
 
Looking at the math above id say iOS is a bit ahead, but only because like stated every website has an app, just like every company has an app... borders/barnes and nobles...well bad examples i bet they have android apps... but mostbig companies have apps like banking and airlines/etc... that are on iOS but possibly not android, because well because the iPad/iPhone app market was basically the itunes of our day... sure there are others but they are bigger right now, might not have all the best apps but still by far biggest selection.

you can always guarantee an app is on the iOS if its on android but not the case with android
 
Joe Average said:
You just need to buy it, the rest will take care of itself as time goes by. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I need to check on data plans and the like. I may need to change carriers or get a new phone possibly if my current provider doesnt have a good unlimited data plan. Right now I have ATT so I need to look around. :)
 
iPad if you want better hardware and huge app selection, Archos if you want to tinker. I also have issues with the way Archos has historically supported products for very short periods of time, but that may be a moot point if you are managing the operating system yourself.
 
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