With only a single USB connection and no SD card slot or video output, the Archos 9 isn't particularly port-laden. We would have especially liked to see an SD card reader, which would make this a potentially useful tool for on-the-go photographers. Some additional connections, including two extra USB ports and an Ethernet connection, are available via an Archos port replicator.
Sloth-like performance
We've seen some slow netbooks before, but nothing quite like the Archos 9. Combining a full Windows OS with a Z-series Intel Atom processor is always going to be tricky. By trading down to an even slower, 1.1GHz Atom Z510 (we've tested Z520 and Z530 systems before), the overall Windows experience slows to a crawl. Opening Web browser windows can take more than 10 seconds, and performing simple tasks, such as browsing files and folders, is also frustrating.
Our basic benchmark tests took around twice as long to run on the Archos 9 as they did on the current crop of Intel Atom N450 netbooks (keep in mind that Archos itself brands this system as 'the netbook of the future'). Overall, we found the Archos 9 painfully slow to use, and, being very familiar with typical netbook performance, we don't say that lightly.
Video playback of standard-definition files was fine, while 720p videos were slightly choppy. Our attempts to view some streaming video were unsuccessful. That's a gigantic shame, as one would expect this to be an especially media-friendly device (Archos includes a handful of media-browsing and media-playback software apps to this end).
The Archos 9 ran for 3 hours and 42 minutes in our video-playback battery-drain test, which isn't bad for a small device that also has to power a touchscreen. But we wish there were an easier way to put the machine to sleep or even just shut off the display to extend battery life.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the Archos 9 PC Tablet fully satisfies neither as a Windows PC nor as a handheld multimedia device. The most crippling design decision may be the choice of the 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510 as the CPU. Although we've squeezed decent performance from the N270 and N280 Atoms in the past, as well as from the newer N450 version, any product we've tested with a slower Z-series Atom CPU has been frustratingly sluggish, and this device is no exception.
The second major issue is the touchscreen itself. Devoid of a keyboard, or even more than a couple of physical control buttons, you're at the mercy of the touchscreen and on-screen commands to get anything done with the Archos 9. Unfortunately, we found the screen to be less responsive than we'd have liked, even when using the included dummy stylus, and the custom on-screen keyboard requires very firm finger taps to use.
Additional editing by Charles Kloet
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