Friday, October 23, 2009

Archos Android update

As I continue to explore the Archos Android 5 Internet Tablet, I'm learning more and more about the device. Here's a couple of recent discoveries:

1. The FM radio app has a recording feature so that you can record over-the-air radio programs on the device as an audio file. Not sure what I'll do with that, but there it is.

2. Connecting with the Archos to a mac is a bit of process. Curiously, Archos removed from their FAQ the tidbit about connecting the USB cable as USB Network and connecting with SMB://192.168.42.1/media. I tried that and it does connect, but when I try to transfer a large file, such as a video, the file transfer hangs up. I had better luck by downloading andftp.apk onto the Archos device and connecting to my Mac via FTP. That requires a sharing setting be updated on the Mac's preferences panel.

3. Watching video is the killer app on this device. The slightly larger screen makes watching video a more enjoyable experience compared to an iPhone or iPod.

4. I found that there is an Android version of Documents to Go available for purchase for $29.99. I bought it because I'm that kind of a geek. I tried creating a Word document last night using the iGo Stowaway BT keyboard. Things started out well, but as I got to the bottom of the page, a character started repeating across the screen and then I was unable to delete the errant text. I'll be experimenting with that more later. Hopefully, it was just a glitch.

5. The forums at Archosfans.com is a great place to learn more about the Archos tablet.

3 comments:

Mike Cane said...

>>>a character started repeating across the screen and then I was unable to delete the errant text.

OK, reading that really really really worries me!! Remember the N770? It did that too!! WTF?
Nokia 770: The Endgame

Taxman45 said...

I did remember that, actually. I've been trying again to type a Word document in Documents-To-Go for Android. Maybe this iGo keyboard is the problem. I'll have to experiment with a different keyboard. Or maybe the software doesn't work properly with the larger screen size. Either way, I'd say don't spend $30 to use this app on an Archos tablet for now.

Taxman45 said...

I re-installed the Docs2Go program on the Archos. I also unpaired and then paired the keyboard. Docs2Go seems to work better now. I typed a long document and could not recreate the issue I commented on in the post. Hopefully, it was just a glitch. I'd update the post but I'm typing this on the web browser from the Archos with the BT keyboard, and Blogger won't lett me edit the post from the Archos browswer.

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