Archos 9 pctablet

And there we go, the first orders of Archos 9 pctablets have been shipped to customers in Europe, according to users on ArchosFans.

There was an initial flurry of worried posts regarding slow processing of orders and shipments following its expected Oct 22nd release, and even now the device hasn’t yet appeared in stores. Quite inexplicable really, but I can definitely see the reason for such anticipation, albeit of a brand known more for its media players (and often unreliable after-sales service).

The Archos 9 is essentially a netbook without a physical keyboard. Slate design, 9-inch resistive touchscreen, Intel® Atom™ Processor Z510 with 1GB of RAM and 60GB hdd, running on Windows 7 Starter Edition – pretty standard specs. Pre-release reviews of demo sets agreed that the device is really stylish and well-built, designed to hold the full functionality of a netbook in a fresh and innovative form factor. It is really slim and light (17mm thick, weighs 800g), which makes it perfect to bring around for on-the-go web browsing, communication and even as a media device since the screen is large enough to comfortably watch movies / play videos.

Of course there’ve been complaints regarding the performance of the device, mainly owing to the inclusion of a HDD instead of an SSD. One particular first-look video I watched showed how it took a good 10 seconds to fully open an Internet Explorer window. So that could be a possible problem with the Archos 9, in striking a healthy balance between design and performance.

There haven’t been many similar slate devices in Singapore, the closest perhaps being the Viliv S5 and X70 which I’d consider to be more of MIDs, with smaller displays and serving a slightly different kind of user purpose, so I was thrilled to find out a couple of months back that the Archos 9 would be reaching our shores in due time. I’ve been hunting for convertible laptops recently but the only ones offered here are by Lenovo and Fujitsu, with sky-high pricing and designs that don’t exactly fit into my ideal concept of light mobile computing. Machines such as the ASUS Eee PC T91 are ideal by my standards but sadly are not sold here.

Pricing of the Archos 9 on the Archos Store is reasonable, going at £450 / 500€, although Memory World cannot yet release specific pricing information in Singapore dollars. I’m genuinely intending to get hold of a set for my mobile computing purposes, and as soon as Memory World contacts me regarding local availability I’ll be sure to pay them a visit to get a fuller hands-on experience.

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Friends have expressed concern about the absence of a physical keyboard on the Archos 9. It does seem strange for someone to be using a netbook/notebook without a keyboard, but I feel it is more that we are not used to seeing this kind of slate device. I explain that, unlike many students nowadays, I prefer not to converge on fewer devices / one single device. While it seems convenient for some to use their only notebook computer whatever they do and wherever they go, I prefer to have a more stripped-down mobile device that simply is able to satisfy my on-the-go needs, which generally do not require the same kind of heavier processing power or hardware functionality that can be achieved with my home desktop PC.

With particular regard to typing on the Archos 9, because it is essentially meant for on-the-go activities such as web browsing and communication e.g. email, instant messaging / video conferencing, extensive typing is less required hence the on-screen keyboard or handwriting recognition should be more than sufficient. If the absence of a physical keyboard allows for better portability and easier access, why not?