Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Well the Android virtual keyboard is pretty good I have no problems with it certainly better than the Nokia n900 virtual keyboard and I have tried the keyboard. Sorry I 'm just getting annoyed with people here constantly mentioning the physical keyboard. Well many Nokia devices didn't have keyboards the Nokia 5800, n800, 770, x6, and n8 all lack physical keyboards.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

I seem to agree with you on keyboards pretty much. I used to use the N810's virtual keyboard pretty often, and I liked the N800's virtual keyboard ok.

I was not using the lack of the hardware keyboard as a club to beat the Archos with, as you appeared to assume. I was thinking to myself, "If I buy this, will I like the keyboard?" I hope it's ok with you for me to think those thoughts. This does not make me a slavish member of the Maemo community.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Oh, geneven, you're just looking to get punished everywhere you go! :)

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Sorry for the misunderstanding. We cool :). I'm just tired of people mentioning that. Android does have a very good virtual keyboard.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

It's just not a who's-better or what's-better kind of issue. Some users really want a hardware keyboard, some don't.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/o...ype=prd_detail

Why?

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

I was very happy without a hardware keyboard on my N800. People talked about having "full access" to their screens -- it never seemed like that much of a problem to me -- when I wanted full access I just closed the virtual keyboard.

But the N900 virtual keyboard just seems useless to me -- I hate it. I would LOVE a virtual keyboard that seems to be right for me. The Opera keyboard, for example, seems nice.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Not quite sure who you are directing that to or really what your point is - but to me a h/w keyboard IS part of the specs of a device that would be an N810 replacement for me. Of course 'not every device is going to have a hardware keyboard' so once again not sure what your point is. You do seem a tad defensive when it comes to this device though for some reason.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

UMPC's are little too expensive for my taste and I don't like how you can't fit a umpc into a pocket.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Android has an excellent virtual keyboard.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Well the Archos 43 may not have everything (the stills camera could be better and Angstrom isn't yet available) this device will be a perfect replacement for the Nokia n8x0.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

this archos has no phone capabilities, right?

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

The Archos 43 isn't a phone it does have Wifi, 2mp camera, accelerometer, Android, and bluetooth just like a phone but it isn't a phone.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

I have spent zero time in the Android world.. (With respect to mobile devices, I've lived my life in a Maemo ghetto.)

What's the difference between being able to install an apk file and having access to the Android Marketplace? Is there a Venn diagram for this? :) What worthwhile things do I lose out on?

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Apk file is the file extension for Android application packages. This means you can still install any Android apps you wish to install of course as long as the hardware can support it. The Android market is an application catalog for Android you can download and purchase apps there. Not having the android market means you miss out on a great deal of apps but fortunately getting the Market on nongoogle approved devices is very easy.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

WOW...the exact same thing i was thinking.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Devices like this are for those who want low cost mobile computing or for those who have a simple messaging phone and need a complimentary mobile Internet device.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Yes, like that damn tiny niche market iPod Touch.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Its all about being cost effective, portable and functional. The Archos 5IT I had for a few days when it first came out. The screen was very nice and on screen keyboard was very functional. If you do not like the keyboard that came with it, there are plenty of replacement keyboards you can install thanks to Androids community support. I think one of the biggest things you forgot to mention is the media playback capabilities of the device. Archos puts its own media center on the device and is able to play back pretty much anything you can throw at it. I mentioned I only had it for a few days, it was because the original software that came with the device was rushed. They have updated it a number of times since and it is now stable and a fan favorite. checkout http://forum.archosfans.com/ for more info or to ask questions , they have a nice support site there. I just purchased the Itouch 4g and am in love with it ATM. I still plan on getting an Android device and the Archos 43 may be my baby. For me, the portables without a phone contract is what I want. ($200 once, vs $200 then $60 for 2 years) I use VOIP for phonecalls anywhere wi-fi is available (almost everywhere I go) I also have Google voice, which gives me unlimited incoming/outgoing calls along with text messages. As long as I have wi-fi (most everywhere besides when I drive, I keep a prepaid cell for emergencies), I have a 100% contract free and dollar free cell phone :) Questions on how to accomplish this or comments shoot me a PM. PS I also still use my 810 nearly every day for IM and quick emails. All the above is my unbiased, nerdy, and frugal opinions.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

This is exactly what I want.

(1)I already have a phone and don't want to change the data plan(will cost me $30 more per month)
(2) I want to try Android 2.2 but do not want to pay a lot.
(3) something can tether with my 3G phone and get online, not just wifi.
(4) something not too big and not too small, something portable, something I don't need to carry around if I don't want to(which is not possibe if you have an android phone when in some situation all you need is just a small phone.)

This one sounds perfect for me. I really want to see the reviews of it after it has been released.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Well exactly devices like this are meant to compliment basic cellphones that usually just send text messages. A common combination I see is LG Env Touch and iPod Touch or Archos 5 and Symbian device.

4 inches is too small for my taste but that is personal preference 4.3 inches can fit in a pocket and browse the web and view videos very well. I can understand why would one want a physical keyboard but again that is personal preference. Um the Archos is 4.3inches and a netbook is 9-10inches how are they similar, explain?


No one said that it was useless people just said some apps can't run but most can run because of lack of some cellphone hardware the only thing your really missing is apps that require cellular connectivity or GPS. We don't even know if the Nokia n9 is real or if it even runs MeeGo or if it is even called the n9 there is even speculation that it is actually called the Nokia E7
I can't understand the hate towards Android, but I can understand the hate towards Bada. Locked down, only really usable in Europe, proprietary, only runs on Samsung hardware, lacks basic applications, has stability issues, and only runs apps approved by Samsung. I do like the Samsung wave as a piece of hardware but I would probably end up getting the Galaxy S instead.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

I've yet to meet a virtual keyboard that works proficently (as in I don't spend so much time fixing my typos). And I've tried most of them (n800, N900 (and Opera's), Android (Droid), iPhone (3G)). Ironically the virtual keyboard that had the least errors when I used it was the n800's stylus keyboard (go figure).

Though I'm eager to see if I can use Swype whenever I get an Android phone (or install NITDROID on the N900).

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Swype is part of Touchwiz, if I'm not mistaken. Samsung-exclusive.

Regarding virtual keyboards, the best I've ever seen (honestly) is the iPhone's. Apparently the Droid X has a FANTASTIC vk, but I personally haven't tried it.

On another post I was mentioning the feeling of being a bit "left out" being a Maemo user, albeit a proud and happy one, from time to time.

I saw this discussion on virtual keyboards and remembered this.

It starts interesting, gets much more interesting in the end. Coming to Maemo/Meego?

Probably not a chance.

Also, someone mentioned here that the N9 screen is going to be resistive. Is that confirmed? I actually thought it was capacitive.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Actually Swype is a separate company they license the product to oems and betas are available for Android. The instructions for getting are Here. Also Swype isn't Samsung exclusive it just used by them a lot.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Android catches crap because it reinforces the notion that mobile devices like phones are somehow special, and require software that is completely unlike (and not compatible) with what you have on a standard PC.

We know this to be false, and seeing it continue only makes for wasted effort and a constant back and force in work to go from one platform to another. No other OS runs Android software but Android, not even other Java VMs. Even the *nix back-end is subtly incompatible, using a custom libc.

Maemo, and to a much greater extent Meego, (could) let us avoid this.

Will either fail completely, or be Samsung's replacement for Symbian.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Err until Maemo runs on non Nokia devices with full functionality, it is just as closed as Android. I have never run desktop applications on Symbian, Windows Mobile, or Blackberry so why should Android be any different? Google used Java because it is standard for mobile devices. If Maemo so desktop like why isn't there Flash 10.1?

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Err, no. Disregarding Maemo, neither MeeGo nor Android are closed in any way. The only closed bits are stuff controlled by hardware vendors that inhibit end-users from running things on the platform.

Except they went and used a non-standard Java. Also, there is no sense in perpetuating the myth that these devices are somehow "special" and require toolkits that don't have implementations easily used on the desktop.

Because Adobe believes that mobile devices like these are "special" and they won't release a build for a device without demanding the vendor cough up money. This is the problem with closed source software like Flash, eventually one company sets the "standard" for what it means to be able to use the web.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

It nows has Android market and Google Apps. Video from Charbax here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=924ktL7aYR4.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

knowing charbax, thats a non-approved install (hacked i guess i another word for it).

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Of course its hacked, that is how the Android market got on the previous Archos 5it. The file is called gapps4archos.apk you can download and read about it here http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopi...=38186&start=0.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

If it was not clear, i dislike this activity as it removes some of the incentive for Google to fix its troubling requirements. In a way it becomes much the same response as the everpresent "just jailbreak" that pops up every time Apple pulls something user hostile on iphone.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

I think I understand your perspective (and this message may not be responding directly to your sentiment).....

But consider the varied state of mobile hardware at Android's inception and the uncertainty of hardware into the future. I think desktop linux advocates take for granted the reality that 99% of implementations are x86 compatible with huge computational resources and thus easily served by large repositories of compatible binaries. This is a subtle difference with the young and volatile smartphone market and other small devices (eg. google TV). Android repositories serve binaries that reach all devices easily without needing to cater to individuals.

It seems that many of the design decisions that went into Android were not simply to make the smartphone seem special, or to be different, but to handle the case of disparate hardware and simultaneously deal with resource constrained environments -- the mobile condition. It largely succeeds at this. This may partially explain its rapid proliferation in the market and its adoption by developers.

Even Nokia's Maemo/MeeGo seeks to create a customized envioronment/toolkit to handle the mobile performance/form-factor case, and while it's closer in character to traditional linux, it still requires boatloads of work and customization to have it run in an optimal way. Similary I bet the early Android engineers considered re-thinking traditional linux where they felt improvements could be made, though they likely were a little more 'creative' on that front. ;)

Some of the design decisions may not stack up against traditional linux in their respective areas, though some of the explored ideas may be worth more serious consideration. In an open environment, it's good to have multiple implementations of the 'same' thing as this is a representation of innovation and is better for the community in the long run.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Well, the Android App Market is a storefront more than a public repository. There are other competing marketplaces here and coming, repositories where users can download APK's, and websites that serve up their own. This free competition is what will really force the hand of the Google Marketplace specifications.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Well google said tablet optimization is coming in Android 3.0. How is this Android market hack anything like Jailbreaking? Archos isn't preventing or discouraging anyone from hacking, nor are they restricting what applications you can or can't download. To a large extent they encourage hacking http://www.archos.com/products/ta/ar...try=us&lang=en

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

While true, Google uses every chance it gets to parade their market as THE android market. There are even a boatload of software (free and payed alike) that is only available via said market (largely because of the forced mental connect between Google run market and android as a os).

As such, people expect said market to come installed with android. And even tech bloggers, that one expect to be more knowledgeable, gets tripped up over this time and time again.

Each time Google presents a upgraded android, they also talk about market improvements. But do they mention that the inclusion of said market is dependent on a very long list of conditions? Simply no.

Google is trying to use market access, and to a lesser degree their services apps, to put a leash on the runaway cat known as android. And these hacks allows them to get away with it rather then putting a spotlight on the root issue.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Huh? all i recall reading is that bloggers hope it will come with 3.0, based on a "may" from Google at around the time of the 2.2 unveiling.

And i never said that Archos is discouraging it. I laid the blame squarely at Google. Hell, Archos have everything to gain from encouraging it. More sales that way.

Thing is, i can see Google having issue letting paid apps out there. They would risk a riot of returns, and bad press, if they did so. But why not put a "free only" market out there for anyone to use on any device that runs android? Or for that matter make the Google services apps more fine grained? This so that a device can get gmail and calendar even if it lacks compass and gps.

I would claim that this would be much more user friendly then the current "all or nothing" way.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

Of course, I understand this, but give it time. Android is an open OS, and will only be 2 years old in 11 days! The current multiple-markets and disjointed repositories are a fine example that things *can* be different and *indeed* are heading in that direction. This will happen despite speculated Google clandestinity.

I wouldn't be surprised to see community driven repositories of open applications, as well as projects that improve interoperability between Android and more traditional Linux distros.

Android looks structured to capitalize on many of the characteristics that make Desktop Linux great!

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

While Android is open, the Google Marketplace is not. It's a store, just like Walmart, designed with a primary focus to sell applications. I suspect that like any store, Google's storefront decisions are inspired less by altruism and more by profit generation. But this is the very nature of our society, and Google has every right to do this, they are a company after all.

But it's very positive step that they still permit competing repositories/stores and don't stifle open innovation. Where the Marketplace may be too restrictive, the Amazon android store may be more inclusive -- for example.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

At least they could be more outwardly clear that their market is not a integral part of android, and as such not a guaranteed part of android. But given the number of articles i have read where people are confused about a device with android but without market, that is anything but the case.

Re: Archos 43 Internet Tablet
 

I'm going to have to agree with TSO on this one. There is clearly a demand for running Android on devices that aren't phones such as mids, netbooks, and tablets and these devices from what I have seen have little to no problems running Android and Android applications. Requiring a gps, camera, or compass is also stupid because most applications don't use those things. So for now Android won't run very well on devices that aren't phones, but MeeGo will probably be good for devices like Mids/Internet Tablets, Tablets, and Netbooks.