Archos 70d eReader

Reviews: E-Book Readers

Archos is advertising the colour 70d eReader as the ideal companion for reading and entertainment. It has video, photo and music players, but what makes this device stand out from the rest of the models in our reviews is the screen technology. Closer to a tablet than a traditional e-book reader, the Archos 70d has a backlit LCD screen instead of an E Ink display. "More compact than a laptop, but with a bigger screen than a smartphone, it's the perfect size to carry around in your purse, briefcase or jacket pocket..." But is that really what people are looking for in an e-reader? The 70d has fairly standard dimensions for an e-reader (17 x 12 x 11 cm; 280 g), but it isn't one of the thinnest or lightest. The plastic body is well-crafted and the solid black colour gives it a dose of sobriety and discretion. The 7-inch (17.8 cm) screen just begs to be touched. But, contrary to rivals such as the Cybook Odyssey, it isn't a touchscreen. All your navigation is done with physical buttons and a directional pad that isn't always that intuitive. Even after several hours, you still have the reflex to touch the screen. And remember, backlit displays consume more battery power than E Ink displays, so we advise choosing the sleep mode settings that will best optimise the battery life (15 seconds to 1 minute).