SNES and Megadrive emulation works on Archos 5 Internet Tablet, though it will work best using a USB keyboard, Bluetooth keyboard, or USB/Bluetooth game controllers. Even better would be if Archos or some other company releases a Bluetooth game controller that snaps on to each side of the Archos 5 Internet Tablet and still requires the minimum amount of extra volume and weight to be added to the device when used on-the-go.
Sasha Pallenberg is one of the worlds biggest experts in Intel based netbooks, here are his first impressions on the Archos 9 filmed at the Intel Developer Forum.
This is really the first really interesting device of its type (…) This product is designed to be always connected and, as a class, will likely become more popular as LTE and WiMax (also called 4G) networks become both more common and more affordable (expected to be priced around $15 a month). (…) This may be the first truly HD player in the MID class of devices (…) Unlike other products in this class currently in market, you could actually leave your notebook at home and carry the Archos 9 instead. There is no fan, and unlike a number of other devices (read: iPhone) it doesn’t seem to get hot. This makes it an ideal bedside device for those that want to be online, but want their spouse to be able to sleep at the same time. In fact, this may be the first PC-like device that is uniquely optimized for bedroom use.
In this current version of the review I think Hubert Nguyen is inaccurate about a few of the complaints This is the comment that I posted:
- You can install any Android app by simply downloading it to the device and double clicking on the .apk file. Alternative app libraries should become available simply by downloading and installing those as apps. The full Google Applications Marketplace should also become available as soon as the industry updates to Android 1.6 in the next few weeks.
- Archos did support Flash 9 in their own Archos OS, but since Google’ webkit browser does not support Flash yet in Android, Archos has to wait a bit. But it shouldn’t be long before full Chrome, Firefox and Opera will be available in Android now that 1.6 and Native SDK are out. And Adobe has announce Flash 10 for Android for within a few months.
- I think you can “undo” the mobile mode of the browser to only load full webpages for those websites that detect mobile browsers to load mobile versions of them. If you can’t Archos should be able to fix that browser user agent ID thing.
- The GPS software is just Archos partnering with GPS technology provider to provide a kick-ass high resolution 3D GPS application for Android, but you can run any other Android application for GPS and location based services.
- For email I expect you can find the Gmail .apk or Google will make a full Gmail app for it in 800×480 resolution then you’d have the best and full email experience with exchange or whatever you need.
- About that capacitative business, I haven’t seen any device in the world with 800×480 4.8″ capacitative touchscreens. I just don’t think it exists.
Steve Chippy of UMPCportal and MIDmoves is streaming live right now from IDF2009 showing the Archos 9 right there live. He might be able to review it live overnight as well.
Some guy from LCI just entered the live show taking out an Archos 5 Internet Tablet Android from his pocket and claiming out loud “Who needs an Intel processor when you can have ARM running this?”.
Mewbox will provide over 4 million music tracks to purchase to download on the new Archos Android using an Android application that will look like the picture embedded in this post. The first European countries to have access this service will be the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Ireland. All the music will be available as DRM-free Mp3 files encoded at 256 or 320kbit/s.
Archos Products/Marketing Manager Rémi Durand says so in French in this video (in french):
I am pretty sure he says larger files than 4GB are supported with no need to split them up first. I don’t know how they do it since the FAT32 file system usually limits filesize to 4GB per file.
