Nook Color v Archos 70

[Dunkshot32]

I'm new to the android forums and have been debating this question for several days now. I've been looking at the nook color and was planning on rooting it to turn it into a nice android tablet. I decided to do some more research and see if there were any other options and from what I've seen, the Archos 70 is a nice slate. My question to everyone... For under $300, what is the best Android tablet on the market?

So far it seems that other than the screen and the ram, the Archos is better. Is there anything better then the archos, is the 101 vastly superior to the 70, and is the difference in ram between the nook and archos as important as I think it is?

 

[Steven58]

Welcome to Android Forums! I don't know. I'll move this to where folks will see it and have a discussion about it. Glad you signed up.

 

[lordofthereef]

The nook color has a bit more under the hood AND is 50 bucks cheaper. That said, there are no home, menu, etc. buttons so I am not sure if that will be a problem. Admittedly I haven't read much into the rooted nook color so I cannot comment whether this would be enough of a setback (or a setback at all) to not consider it. In that price range I think you hit the nail on the head; your choice is between those two units.

 

[Martimus]

IMO the Nook Color has more potential than the Archos tablets and seems to be of a much more solid build quality. Neither has out-of-the-box access to the Android market so you'd need to root and modify either tablet to make it more functional.

 

[Hajile_Ibushi]

There's no need to root the Archos to get market access. The google market isn't tied to the OS, it's just another app just like anything else. Less than 24 hours after froyos release, we already had a working google market for it.

Again, no hacking needed, the market is just an APK and technically no different from you running an EXE on your windows machine. You don't have to hack your windows to run downloaded software do you?

As for potential, the archos has USB, Bluetooth, HDMI, 720p video, stereo speakers, network access for all apps. Works out of the box, and no need for root.

As someone else pointed out. A nook is an e-reader that can be used as a tablet. The Archos is a general purpose tablet that can be used as an e-reader. Get what suits your needs.

 

[Dunkshot32]

My main concern is more with the possible potential. While the Archos has USB, Bluetooth, HDMI, Speakers , and a camera for video chats, I don't really think that I need any of those things (admittedly nice though they are). I'm looking mostly at the internal main components and they seem tied up. Which would be better for working, the faster processor or the larger ram?

Glancing through the XDA forums it seems like a lot has already been done for the Nook Color, and there is a lot more down the line.

 

[Hajile_Ibushi]

Like i said, get what suits you. For $25.00 more you can get a fully functional tablet that you don't have to hack and works out of the box, for $25 more you get 10" tablet. Both of them fully supported by the manufacturer.

If you're in it for the geek factor, go ahead. I just want something that works. A locked device that you need to hack to get to work the way you want is why i didn't like the iPod/iPad in the first place.

 

[xmr405o]

My main concern is more with the possible potential. While the Archos has USB, Bluetooth, HDMI, Speakers , and a camera for video chats, I don't really think that I need any of those things (admittedly nice though they are). I'm looking mostly at the internal main components and they seem tied up. Which would be better for working, the faster processor or the larger ram?

Glancing through the XDA forums it seems like a lot has already been done for the Nook Color, and there is a lot more down the line.

If you are not scared of rooting, the potential is there for the Nook to become a decent tablet. If you really don't need any of those things that the Archos has, then the display (IPS 1024x600), the RAM (512mb) and the design of the Nook makes your decision for you.

Nook wins hands down...for your specific needs.

 

[Martimus]

My main concern is more with the possible potential. While the Archos has USB, Bluetooth, HDMI, Speakers , and a camera for video chats, I don't really think that I need any of those things (admittedly nice though they are). I'm looking mostly at the internal main components and they seem tied up. Which would be better for working, the faster processor or the larger ram?

Glancing through the XDA forums it seems like a lot has already been done for the Nook Color, and there is a lot more down the line.

In terms of potential I think the NC has more...

Historically, with PC's at least, it tends to be better to have more memory. Also the fact that you're already familiar with XDA leads me to believe that rooting the NC shouldn't be a deal breaker for you.

 

[Dunkshot32]

Thanks for all the help you guys. I think I'm going to go with the Nook Color for now. I don't really need all the extra features of the Archos and when it comes to rooting it I feel I might benefit more from the extra ram than extra processing power. Also, as much as I want a tablet, I guess since I have a laptop and iphone, I don't really need all the media capabilities. I plan on picking up the nook sometime in the next week (have to get done with finals) and then rooting it. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Martimus]

Cool! Good luxk to you!

 

[justicedealt]

So, let me get this right, you cannot hear anything from the NC? I mean it does not have any speakers? I thought it would play music and such... can the online market app be installed?

 

[Martimus]

So, let me get this right, you cannot hear anything from the NC? I mean it does not have any speakers? I thought it would play music and such... can the online market app be installed?

The NC does, in fact, have a mono speaker! One of it's selling points is the ability to play B&N's children's books that automatically go into landscape mode and get read to the child.

 

[nonanon]

I'm a little late to this thread but I did a lot of research before buying a Nook Color and I'm a little disappointed. It has a single speaker, on the back, and it is very low in volume. The Archos 70 has dual speakers, I don't know how loud they are. The NC is also heavier at almost 16 oz vs 11 oz for the A70. It's bigger as well, 8.1" x 5" x .48" vs 7.9" x 4.49" x .43". It also only plays MP4/M4V video and even that has to be formatted precisely while the A70 plays nearly any video file. Reportedly. That's why I got the Nook, the Archos 70 is out of stock online and local stored don't carry it yet so I can't even try it out. The NC will get an Android update in Jan supposedly and a version of the market, but Android on the A70 isn't intentionally crippled, it already has 2.2 and it's supposed to be easy to add the market.

I have an Archos 605, two generations old now, and it still works well for what it does. The company gets some grief over their policies of not including all codecs by default, there are video and audio codecs you have to pay extra for but I expect you could find an Android player with those codecs built in.

I like the NC a lot in some ways, it has a bright screen that has wide viewing angles and videos look great on it. The reader is very nice with multiple fonts and 6 font sizes but you can't change the text or background colors which is unfortunate. The browser is pretty basic but it works fine for casual surfing. Another problem with the NC is that the volume from the rear speaker is too low unless you're in a quiet room. It feels very heavy compared to my Sony 600, making it uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time and it lacks the kickstand that the A70 has. I will probably sell the NC when the A70 becomes available providing I can try it out before buying and what I've read online is true.

 

[justicedealt]

It's getting go time here, and I am trying to figure out which one to go with. With the NC, can you not go to the app market via the browser and download apps? Also, what is sideloading? I heard that apps can be applied to it that way. Any more heads up on the update? I like the idea of my wife being able to access books, but I want it to be a pretty functional browser. Now, if they would have put 3G in the Color like on the 3G, it would be on! I can't believe that they made it where the color screen is like an inch high. Absolutely no purpose for the 3G add on that I can see.

 

[aznmode]

I'm stuck in the same boat right now. Nook or Archos 70. It seems the archos is the way to go but does the IPS screen on the Nook make that much difference when it comes to reading. This is for my girl friends so I really dont think she cares for all the other stuff besides being able to read on it. I'm also considering just getting a kindle.

 

[Martimus]

Personally I think the IPS screen on the NC rocks! It's clear, easy to read, and well worth the price of admission! lol

 

[aznmode]

I've seen a youtube video of an archos 70 and the screen doesn't look too shabby. Does the nook have a built in or assisted GPS? I just placed an order for the Archos 70 not realizing it doesn't have any type of GPS.

 

[jtbnet]

Personally I think the IPS screen on the NC rocks! It's clear, easy to read, and well worth the price of admission! lol

I'm with you... Wife and kids asked what they could get me at mall that I'd be excited with for Xmas and that was my choice... it'll greatly replace the WitsA81E I carry around in jacket pocket tethered to phone... and don't need GPS as have on phone and use that Bluetooth attached now to A81 as it's so much better then Wits builtin GPS... so I'll have GPS on Nook too once BT is enabled in Custom rom or via my tiny BT dongle...