Is it fair to be comparing a $250 5 inch tablet with a $500 9 inch one? Yes because a) people have been asking about it b) comparing anything to a device that gets people thinking, talking and experimenting is worthwhile in my book.
Thanks to the German blog, TouchMeMobile I’ve got an iPad this week and although I don’t intend to do a full review, I am taking the chance to learn and compare as much as possible. This video is a detailed look at the differences and the overlap between two home-focused devices. Music, Video, Internet and E-Reading are at the heart of both the iPad and Archos 5 but each one delivers it in a different way. The Archos 5 is the very personal, lightweight 30cm experience with a lot of flexibility. The iPad is a 1-meter experience with a refined user interface but misses out on some connectivity and flexibility. One is easy to hold in one hand; the other needs two. One has an industry-leading application store; the other something rather disappointing. One can ‘play’ the web and 720p video out via HDMI, the other is limited to analogue video.
In the 25-minute (get yourself a cuppa!) video I discuss the form-factors, the weight, the video capabilities, the app store, communications and e-reading. The two devices do ‘internet entertainment’ in very different ways so I hope this video helps you refine your gadget ‘wanted’ list or buying decision. Feel free to feed back on YouTube or below. For the next week I’ll track it closely and try and answer queries ASAP.
I own an Archos 5 IT, and yesterday I got to spend half an hour with an iPad. There’s NO comparison! The Archos is a poorly executed piece of kit compared to the iPad, and even compared to my Nexus 1 phone.
In particular, the resistive screen of the Archos is unpleasant to use compared to the capacitive screen of the iPad. The memory management on the Archos is poor, and I’ve experienced many times the situation where the home screen freezes, then the GUI reboots. After Installing SysTray Monitor so I could monitor free mem, I could see that the free RAM on the Archos slowly leaks away until it gets close to 15 MB, then crash! I have to continually run TasKiller and kill off processes that relaunch themselves at their own volition.
As for the iPad, everything just works, and works well. Viewing photos & videos, and web browsing, are particularly enjoyable on the iPad. I could even touch-type on the on-screen keyboard, particularly in landscape format (though accuracy was substantially worse than on a physical kbd).
BUT, the iPad makes a poor ebook reader. It’s too heavy to hold as a book. And if you hold it one-handed like a book at, say, a bus station, don’t be surprised if suddenly it disappears into the arms of a fast-moving thief. The Archos is a much better size and weight as an ebook reader, but even then, the battery life is too poor (IMHO). For reading, I much prefer my new Kobo eReader, whose battery will last for weeks of reading (and won’t interrupt my reading with a Facebook notification).
So there is a comparison ;-)
Thanks for the info. One question, do you have the Google Marketplace hack on the A5? That is a big memory killer.
First, bravo to chippy for a professional-quality presentation. Very well done, and with little bias.
One salient point that was missed was the intended audience for each device. Apple’s iProducts always have a very polished user experience, but are encased in a walled-garden. This is suitable for the general population.
For the tech set who prefer choices over a refined experience, an Android device (of which the Archos is one) would win over the Apple device. The 5IT excels as a toy-4-tech. Given Android relative immaturity and fast-moving improvements, rough edges are expected (and tolerated) by its early adopters.
I would recommend the 5IT only for the hardcore geek. Subsequent Android pads later this year will offer better user experience, and a more equitable comparison should be done at that point. I feel this is as important, if not more so, than the difference in form factors.
HP
Chippy,
You have provided a fair comparison, but you certainly gloss over the important fact that the Archos OS is so unstable that it’s barely usable. I had one for 3 months, and though I had high hopes, each firmware update seemed to break as may things as it fixed. The only thing that made it interesting is the hack that allowed you install the Google apps and marketplace – those are technically not even possible on the device.
I agree with many of the negative comments on the iPad. They definitely need to open it up and allow us to update local content without going through iTunes. And I would prefer a bit smaller form factor – but probably 7″, rather than 4-5″. For anyone over 40 the eyestrain associated with the small form factor devices is a killer.
The iPad may have it’s problems, but at least it’s a fully realized product that works flawlessly and dependably. It may not do everything I want, but it absolutely does everything that it’s advertised to do.
I have an Archos 5IT (500GB) and yeah, it has it’s quirks. It is, however, a workhorse of an IT-toy, and it backs up my dvd/vhs collection easily via DVR Station.
While it doesn’t ship with the Android Market, adding it is easy – simply install the Market4Archos app.
iP[o|a]d are great for showing what Apple wants you to see, and for doing what Apple wants you to do. my iPod is awesome for doing absolutely nothing productive (i.e. only serves to waste time), but my My Archos WORKS for me. It is a powerful little handheld computer. Yeah, the OS is a little aged at this point, but after a few updates to the firmware it’s all good.
Thanks Chippy I’m defiantly going to go for the Archos 5.
Great Detailed comparison.
Thanks