Archos 43 4.3-Inch 8 GB Internet Tablet on sale

MERTMAG "mertmag" Say: Archos 43 4.3-Inch 8 GB Internet Tablet
IMPRESSIVE ANDROID MP3 PLAYER, 2010-11-06
This review is for: Archos 43 4.3-Inch 8 GB Internet Tablet
The Archos 43 has a very sensitive screen for a resistive screen. You don't need to use your fingernail or a stylus. All in all a very nice device. I have to say after having the 43 for several days now I'm very happy with it. I have tried the HDMI out and it is excellent, no choppy playback and the audio quality is excellent with some samsung earbuds. Battery life is good, the wifi is good and the bluetooth is excellent. The camera isn't bad. I have paired it with a GPS and you can tether it to a phone of you want a mobile connection. And there is already an 3rd party app that allows you to use the Android app store. When Android 2.2 is released for it browsing with flash will be great.

George Bush Say: Archos 43 4.3-Inch 8 GB Internet Tablet
Decent but with some serious issues., 2011-02-05
This review is for: Archos 43 4.3-Inch 8 GB Internet Tablet
For a long time, I was so excited about getting this device and spent countless hours searching for a place to purchase it as soon as possible. I eventually found it maybe a week before amazon had it available on Simplyelectronics.net. I had read many reviews about the Archos 43 and it looked great for me. When it arrived, i was very pleased. The device comes with a thin plastic film that protected my screen for about week until it fell off.Well first of all the problems, the resistive screen is absolutely awful. I have a lot of problems scrolling and typing is almost completely impossible without a stylus. And it isn't a calibration issue because I have calibrated the screen about 5 times. If this was a phone with this bad of a touch screen, it would be back in the box in a heartbeat. My tiny Samsung mythic has a better touch screen and is more user friendly than this device. I can get better accuracy if i use my fingernail but it isn't perfect and I always fear I am going to scratch the screen.Secondly, the interface is buggy. For example, when trying to scroll through my home screens, the screen will sometimes be empty of all my apps and they won't come back for a few seconds. Similar issues also happen with most other interfaces on the device. Sometimes it will take 4 or 5 seconds an app to even launch from the home screen.Next, the build. The build on this device is one of the things that I really dislike about it. It does feel fairly nice in your hand (Well as nice as a 4.3 inch screen can be). However the back cover really bothers me. If you tap on the back, there is a hollow sound and the metal is extremely thin and scratches easily. Also, the front and back pieces of the case are not secured together completely. There is a gap between them and can be pushed inward a significant amount. I eventually used electrical tape to secure the two pieces together and the tape looks better than the original back cover since it scratches and smudges so easily. The kick stand on the device is a good idea in theory but in actuality, it is very flimsy and seems very easy to snap off. For this reason, I seldom use the kickstand. The camera is positioned in a very awkward position, in the bottom left corner (looking at it from the back side). I understand the reasoning for the , but it is odd to use it like that. It was meant to be used while holding it sideways, and the interface does not change to be used in portrait mode.The music player is actually fairly good. The audio quality is great and it is easy to navigate through songs and is just as easy with videos.The app market on the device out of the box, Appslib is terrible but can easily be replaced by the android market in about 15 minutes.Web browsing was very nice. The browser is very quick and works great. However, no pinch to zoom is disappointing.Another plus is the picture viewer. All of my photos look very good on this high resolution screen. Also, the 3D effect in the gallery (the pre-installed picture viewer) is a very nice touch.I also really like the battery life. Even browsing the web for a long time or watching videos, it will last at least a full day. When you are just listening to music, it will last practically forever. I checked the battery monitor and after hours of music, only 2% of the total battery usage since unplugged was taken by music. It takes more battery to keep the device idle than to play music. But one thing that I don't like is the long charging time. It takes maybe 7 or 8 hours from dead to full charge.Overall, this is a good alternative to an ipod touch especially if you're an apple hater like me.

Houston North Say: Archos 43 4.3-Inch 8 GB Internet Tablet
Worthy iPod Touch competitor, 2011-02-14
This review is for: Archos 43 4.3-Inch 8 GB Internet Tablet
I upgraded from the Archos 32 with a little hesitation because some of the reviews I've seen say the screen on the 43 isn't as good.Maybe it varies with each device, but that was wrong in my case. The 43 beats my 32 hands down. The screen is bright, hi-res and looks FANTASTIC. The SD slot is a great addition. I also love being able to plug in a USB keyboard for writing emails/documents--this makes it my new travel computer.If there's a downside vs. the 32, it's appearance. The 32 was very classy looking, tough, compact and metal all around. The 43 is plastic with a weird, super thin metallic piece on the back. It seems sturdy enough, but it has a cheap feel to it. But aside from appearance, the 43 is easily worth the price bump from the 32.Feature for feature, this device also beats the similarly priced iPod touch on every point except for the resistive vs. capacitive screen. For me, it's no big deal to just tap a resistive screen, and multi-touch is just not a big deal. If it's a big deal to you, get an iPod.