Info about Software
Archos 10
Archos, best known for its portable media players, has jumped into the netbook market feet first. In trying to distinguish its first attempt, a 10inchscreened netbook called the Archos 10, from a school of hungry competitors. Other than the Archos logo, prominently placed on the lid, the 2.8pound Archos 10 could pass for just about any maker's netbook.
The Archos 10 has a rather standard design it is too simple. It looks good in all black, but there are many other netbooks in the same budget range and with the same specs and features that look much better. Compared to the stellar looks of Archos’ PMPs, the Archos 10 almost looks like an outsider.
• Features:
Performance is nothing to write home about. The Archos 10 comes with an unwavering selection of today's standardissue netbook components, including the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, and integrated graphics powered by Intel’s GMA 945 chipset. It managed to complete our Windows Media Encoder test in 28 minutes and 33 seconds, which is ontarget for its specs.
• Advantages:
Archos's one major differentiator is its bundled software and media. Archos loads up the 160GB hard drive with lots of extras—some you may appreciate, some you will not.
• Disadvantages:
The worst aspect of the Archos 10’s design is its keyboard, which is so cramped it makes other netbooks feel like ThinkPads. Moreover, the palm rest is unnecessarily wide, which means, again, that the keys are more squashed than they should be, and also that you have to crane your hands over lots of blank space to get handson.
• Conclusion:
The Archos 10 offers nothing new at all, and it is also low on features when compared to other netbooks in the same budget range. The Asus EEE PC 1000HE is just a bit pricier, but is much better than the Archos 10. This netbook certainly will not make a dent in the exponentially growing netbook market, thanks mainly due to the mediocre keyboard and the abysmal battery life. Good luck, Archos, for your next release.