Archos ARNOVA 7f G3 7-Inch Android Tablet PC – 4GB (Black)

Archos ARNOVA 7f G3 7-Inch Android Tablet PC Features

ARNOVA has announced a new series of Android-based tablets, the G3 series. There will be several models sharing the same design aesthetic but hitting different price points, and the first to hit the ground is the budget priced G3. With the price well under $100 it will have immediate appeal to the budget conscious, while its physical design will endear it to others. But does it has enough going for it to justify purchasing?

Up to a point ARNOVA 7f G3 puts in a good effort on that front. The 7-inch screen offers 800×480 pixels and the low resolution really shows. Text appears grainy to the point where long, wordy documents and websites are not great viewing, and you certainly would not want to use this tablet as an eBook reader for any length of time, and viewing angles are not good. However, the 7-inch screen is great for running apps, web browsing or watching videos for on-the-go Android tablet experience. It is a portable device with just 10.85mm thickness and weighs only 340g, which is compact enough and easily fits into your jeans or jacket pocket.

Some positives to lighten the mood include a powerful 1GHz ARM A8 processor (single core), 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot for adding more. On top of this, the ARNOVA 7f G3 has the ability to play great games and with its open GL 2.0 technology it can even play 3D games. You can download a wide selection of games from the Appslib applications store, making your tablet a great Android games console. The powerful processor enables the ARNOVA 7f G3 to play HD video files up to 1080p smoothly. The popular file formats are supported whether it is video, audio or photos without having to use any conversion software, even in the widely-used H264 codec that most other tablets cannot handle.

The ARNOVA 7f G3 has Wi-Fi but no 3G built in. The presence of Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ is a draw, of course, and it is nice to see it present in a tablet at the low end of the market. Your ARNOVA 7f G3 is fully customisable and you can make it your own, but you do not get everything that those paying a higher price do. Google Play is missing from a start, which might put some people off from the word go. Alternatively, you get Appslib applications store, this does offer thousands of free and paid-for apps and games available to download straight to your tablet. Additionally, your ARNOVA 7f G3 also comes preinstalled with applications selected by ARNOVA so you can start using it right out of the box.

You can download Office editing applications from AppsLib, and make your ARNOVA 7f G3 a mobile work station, so you have no need to carry your laptop around. Additionally, you can open or transfer files easily by inserting your microSD cards into the microSD card reader (up to 32GB), or even plug in a USB flash drive in the USB host slot / via the USB host cable. You also have a front-facing camera for video calling, but the quality is far from brilliant, and video chat application is required. There is no rear camera, and no HDMI support.

Overall, despite its very low price, Archos has managed to fit the ARNOVA 7f G3 with a fast processor. The screen is big enough for comfortable web browsing, though clarity is not great. Audio can be played from internal memory or through a microSD card. The Wi-Fi on this device caters well for streaming online video. Further costs have been cut by leaving out a main camera. Ultimately the ARNOVA 7f G3 is a pretty mediocre tablet. The processor works reasonably well but battery life is poor. The lack of access to the Google Play store leaves the device fairly limited, it works but it is not a great Android experience. This tablet proves anything it is that you can cut too many corners to shoot for a price.

Archos 7f G3 7-Inch Android Tablet PC: Customer Reviews

Archos ARNOVA 7f G3 7-Inch Android Tablet PC Specifications

* 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity is less.
*Video/Audio Formats: Certain bitrates, resolutions, and/or file variations may not be compatible.
*MPEG-4 ASP@L5 AVI (MPEG-4: ISO standard by Moving Picture Experts Group; AVI: audio/video file container by Microsoft) without GMC and Quarter.
Photo Viewer: Certain resolutions and file sizes may not be compatible.
*Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. Test run with low backlight.

Archos ARNOVA 7f G3 7-Inch Android Tablet PC Images

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Disclaimer Notice: All photography is owned or licensed by Archos.

Archos ARNOVA 7f G3 7-Inch Android Tablet PC is now available on Amazon.

Date first available: July 1, 2012
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