• Apple iPod touch Alternatives

    Apple iPod touch Alternatives

    Rohan Naravane, Sep 01, 2010 1849 hrs IST

    Though the new iPods have good improvements, what other new and upcoming options do we have?

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Archos 32 and Archos 43

French PMP specialist Archos has released 5 new "tablets" in all imaginable shapes and sizes. Starting from pocketable dimensions of a 2.8-inch screen on the Archos 28, all the way up to the 10-inch iPad-competing Archos 101. We're interested in two models that can be deemed worthy as iPod Touch competitors; the Archos 32 and Archos 43. The former has a 3.2-inch 240 x 400 pixel screen, while the latter has a bigger 4.3-inch screen with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution. Unfortunately, both these screen will be based on the older resistive touch screen technology, unlike the iPod Touch's finger friendly capacitive one. However, both are fairly powered on the inside.



The Archos 32 comes with an 800 MHz Cortex A8 processor and a graphics accelerator for better 3D gaming. They still retain the USP of previous Archos devices, yes we're talking of video format compatibility. Both will be able to play up to MPEG-4 HD, H.264 HD and WMV9 with all supporting up to 720p resolution playback. As for file extensions, as long as they are encoded in these mentioned formats, they should play a variety of file extensions including AVI, MP4, MKV, MOV, WMV, MPG, PS, TS, VOB, FLV, RM, RMVB, ASF and 3GP. For audio, it supports all popular formats and FLAC as well. Lastly, the bigger Archos 43 has a little more muscle under the hood, thanks to the 1 GHz Cortex processor.

The Archos 32 comes with a camera at the back that shoots clips at a measly VGA resolution. You can even output to a TV using separately sold composite cables. But the Archos 43 does 720p video recording via a 2 megapixel sensor and has a HDMI output to stream video to your LCD TV (cables need to be purchased separately). Both have Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity. There's also a microphone and a accelerometer for motion-based gaming.



Oh, and did we mention both will run Google Android 2.2 (Froyo) on sale? So, all those people who already crossed this device off their list for lack of app support can relax, Android's growing 70,000+ market will fulfill all your entertainment and productivity needs. The only thing we're apprehensive about these devices is the sensitivity of the now passe resistive screen.

The 8GB Archos 32 will sell for USD 150 (approx. Rs. 7,000) while the 8GB Archos 43 will cost you 200 dollars (Rs. 9,400).

PS: Both have microSD card slots for memory expansion as well.

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Discussion Board
(4) Comments
James
,London, on Sep 02, 2010 12:31 AM
You can use a mi-fi device so you can get internet wherever you go, so im keeping my phone and just getting a new ipod touch
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Dwayne
,Toronto, on Sep 01, 2010 07:28 PM
"Adding a GPS in a non-cellular device seems weird. How many times are you going to find Wi-fi access outdoors to use mapping applications? (GPS does not function indoors)" It's not weird. GPS doesn't require any internet/WiFi access to work. Photos can be geotagged with simply the location's coordinates. And if map data is stored locally on the device, one can use it for navigation as well.
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Russsell
,Toronto, on Sep 01, 2010 07:19 PM
"How many times are you going to find Wi-fi access outdoors to use mapping applications..." I have run up against limitations in the iPod Touch location services which would be solved simply by a GPS. GPS applications can work just fine with pre-loaded maps where currently the iPod relies on WIFI location services which will only work in dense urban areas. Why not add a GPS to the iPod Touch? Or any non cell service? Wifi is becoming ubiquitous both indoor and out.
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Rohan
,TechTree, on Sep 01, 2010 07:25 PM
Maybe in the West russell, here in India even if you're lucky enough to find a hot-spot outside, it'll be mostly guarded by a WPA2 protection for the fear of it being used by terrorists, like they did a few years ago.
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