Changelog:

Wi-Fi: fix more disconnect cases happening on some access points
GPS: increase stability of GPS
HDMI: do not propose overscan setting when TV supports underscan
muSD: improve reliability of card insertion detection
muSD: fix read/write permission issue occurring with some applications
Applications: fix platform reboot occurring sometimes after a while when using high CPU demanding applications

You can discuss this firmware in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=64804

Download it at Archos.com

Here’s the changelog:

Version 4.0.4 – March 8th, 2012

Initial Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3 firmware release
MediaCenter Video: support for MKV3D on TV with automatic switch to best 3D mode
MediaCenter Video: allow to disable system notifications in video player
MediaCenter Video: collection of VOB files from DVD are now gathered into a single movie item
MediaCenter Music: integrate Music control panel in Lock Screen
MediaCenter info dialog: allow to edit the name used for performing the Movie and TVShow online search
File Manager: display a notification when file copy continues in background
File Manager: improved drag and drop support
File Manager: new option to prevent indexing of some storage/sdcard folders by multimedia library
Applications: more robust video conferencing support (Google talk, Skype etc.)
USB file transfer: a samba server is now activated on the tablet when using USB network tethering for easier file transfer on non Windows based hosts
Archos widgets: new USB network tether widget
External Keyboard: french layout has been expanded to handle AtlGr keys for special symbols
Accessories: Xbox gamepad support

You can discuss this firmware update in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=63669

Version 3.2.46

• Google applications: Google talk is now part of the firmware
• Audio/applications: improved volume control (better volume range, less glitches on notifications) leading to faster gaming experience on some 3rd party applications
• Wi-Fi: fix low throughput on some access points when using WPA2/AES encryption
• Camera: improve camera quality in high and low light condition
• Flash: added acceleration support
• Archos applications: many enhancements and fixes on Videoplayer, MediaCenter and Mediascrapper
• Media center: new elastic and overshoot effect on cover roll edges
• File Browser: better action support on multiple selections
• Media Scrapper: better handling and cleaning of data base in case of file removal
• Photo Frame: Floating Image 3.1.9 is integrated with fixed Picasa support, better background rendering and better memory management
• Music player: better protection of music player to avoid to get it killed under low memory condition
• Display: better quality SD video upscaling (e.g. on 1080p display)
• Video: improve SMI subtitle support
• Internationalization: Arabic and Hebrew translations have been integrated and a new specific “Archos keyboard” application has been included for supporting Hebrew and Arabic
• Network shares: shortcuts can be created by long press on a remote video folder in Archos media center
• Network shares: more robust streaming in case of IP renewal
• Memory: smaller memory footprint
• 3G key: updated APN list
• Power off: make sure to clear all alarms when powering off
• Hard drive based unit: enhanced power management
• Security: apply security fixes from google about DigiNotar CA certificate

changelog:

* Flash: integrate flash plugin version 10.1.105.7 (can be uninstalled)
* Subtitle wizard: allow to associate a subtitle to a video (launched by a long press on a video file in video browser)
* Audio player: solve some seldom force to close
* Audio: increase compatibility with android applications (e.g. games)
* Video: avoid crashes when playing truncated or broken MKV files
* Video: fix bulgarian subtitles detection
* Wi-Fi: fix unit rebooting in loop sometimes when waking up from suspend leaving Wi-Fi on in nomadic situations
* Battery estimation: report 100% at full charge (power led blinking) after removing the charger
* Battery estimation: provide more accurate battery charge information at boot for A70it hard drive model
* Media library: purge media library entries relative to the sdcard at sdcard removal
* Internationalization: include better Russian translations

You can discuss this firmware update in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=54502

This is how this is cool, you can install the official alternative OS firmware from Archos called the Special Developer Edition firmware here: http://www.archos.com/support/support_tech/_ppp.html?country=us&lang=en&p=gen8

Then you can install alternative firmwares and have them right there available in your multi-boot menu on your Archos, so you could for example today choose between Archos official Android firmware, Debian Linux and Angstrom Linux.

If more software hackers contribute, Archos tablets may also run Ubuntu 11.4, Chromium OS, Gingerbread and any other embedded Linux OS through this multi-boot system.

Bubu and the team at OpenAOS.org previously released this solution for the Archos Gen6 and Gen7 tablets as well.

• Video: fix some audio glitches after seeking WMA files
• Video: add support for MTS files
• Video: bring UTF-8 and UTF-16 encoded subtitles format support
• Video: fix SUB subtitles sometimes truncated
• Video: add IDX/SUB subtitle handling
• Video: fix http://.*mpeg playback
• Video: support resume and bookmark for network shares
• Video: fix some FLV files not playing
• Youtube: fix mobile site video not playing
• Multimedia: fix RTSP support for Android applications
• Multimedia: fix some web radio applications by adding basic M3U support
• Audio: apply shorter steps in audio balance tuning
• Audio: fix sound glitch on system notification while playing music
• Music browser: fix album view crash on scroll with a lot of albums
• Music: support samba protected directory access
• Thumbnails: resolve thumbs generation freeze
• Indexing: improve rescan robustness
• Indexing: fix scanning not restarting after connecting device on PC or ejecting SDCard
• Network shares: large files (>2GB) can now be played
• Wi-Fi: fix disabling power saving not working
• Wi-Fi: enable IEEE802.11n support
• Wi-Fi: achieve faster reconnection
• SDCard: fix sdcard removal not being taken into account
• Storage: enable EXT3 filesystem support and migration
• USB keyboard: fix external directional keys layout when rotating the device
• Memory: enable 32MB swap by default and increase it to 64MB after Android reset or full device reformat
• Applications: fix applications disappearing sometimes between reboots
• Applications: fix unit not responsive after Google voicesearch use
• Power management: allow to define deep sleep mode by default in settings/about device/power management
• VPN: PPTP VPN support has been fixed

You can discuss this firmware update in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=47190

Firmware changes

Version 2.0.71 – December 16th, 2010

• Wi-Fi: fix Wi-Fi stuck after a while when using WPA2/AES encryption mode
• Wi-Fi: fix cannot connect on channels above 11 due to wrong default regulation domain
• Power management: for A43/A70/A101 add a setting in about device to allow 3 levels of power management. Overdrive that allows CPU max frequency to be 1GHz with ondemand governor, optimal that brings CPU max frequency to 800MHz with ondemand governor and powersave that set CPU max frequency to 800MHz with conservative governor
• Indexing: faster rescan is now achieved at USB disconnect
• Storage: SDCard now supports NTFS (read only) and EXT3
• Storage: fix sdcard not recognized sometimes when swapping different cards brands
• Video: fix subtitles on A101
• Network shares: enhance scanning speed
• Network shares: handle the case where a server shares are not visible if not authenticated
• Network shares: allow in wireless settings to define manually a server authentication details
• Network shares: reload samba and UPnP services when switching between access points without disconnecting
• Audio: a silent mode (Global Mute) has been enabled in the power button menu. It will impact all streams except alarms in case one select alarms sound always on in alarm settings
• Application: appslib is now reinstalled after an Android device reset
• Application: fix quadrant CPU benchmark
• Power: fix shutdown sometimes happening on short power button press
• Internationalization: support for Korean codepage tags and subtitles
• Multimedia: use smaller memory footprint for decoding H264 SD
• Memory management: achieve more progressive kill in low memory situation
• Boot: fix deadlock happening sometimes preventing device to complete boot

You can discuss this firmware update in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=43637

Here’s the Quadrant benchmark result on our Archos 70 Internet Tablet, yup it beats everything else out there:

Basically this SDE firmware voids warranty (because potential hardware damage through over-clocking is no longer under Archos control), and it replaces the need for someone to hack root access to the official firmware. Basically it ads support for dual-booting alternative OS, and you can still continue to have the default normal Android OS image and update that just as normal as well. Discuss Open Development in the Open Development forum section: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewforum.php?f=34

You can discuss this in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=43356

Found via: jbmm.fr

Changelog:

Firmware changes

Version 2.0.54 – Android “Froyo” 2.2.1 – November 30th, 2010

- Higher performance: just in time compiler (JIT) technology makes applications run up to 5 times faster than previous Android “Eclair” 2.1 firmwares
- Enhanced Microsoft Exchange support: it is now possible to synchronize contacts and calendar events
- Allow to install more 3rd party applications by installing them on the storage memory (for applications that supports it)
- Video: movie information and cover retrieval in video file info dialog
- Multiple selection mode is now always enabled in the file manager
- External bluetooth GPS receivers are now supported
- Better assistance is provided in the tethering wizard to pair with cell phone using bluetooth DUN profile (smart APN detection)
- OpenVPN is now supported
- Slideshow support for network shares has been added to Gallery and Photoframe applications
- Photoframe: full screen picture can now be displayed on double tap when in floating image mode
- Manual white balance setting has been added in Camera application
- Faster USB write transfer
- Battery: more accurate battery charge estimation
- Audio: improved compatibility with android audio stream volume management (voice/music/ringtone etc.)
- Orientation: fixed compatibility issue with some applications working with inverted accelerometer axis

You can discuss this firmware in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=41936