The Archos 10 ships with a copy of Windows XP Home Edition and currently has no Linux option. You've got to give credit to Archos, though, as it's taken the time to install BitDefender Antivirus 2009, which will keep the Archos 10 protected from viruses and phishing attacks, plus a copy of Parental Filter. The latter is only freeware, but we value its presence. You also get a copy of vTuner, which lets you access approximately 11,000 radio and TV stations broadcasting over the Internet, and IBM Lotus Symphony, a free office-productivity suite.
Performance
The Archos 10 performs just as well -- or as badly, depending on your point of view -- as the majority of netbooks. Its 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and 1GB of RAM are perfectly fine for browsing the Web, streaming Internet video from BBC iPlayer, watching movies and listening to audio files, and it only slows down when you try to multitask excessively. It managed to score 1,401 in the PCMark05 benchmark test -- a similar score to that achieved by the vast majority of netbooks with this specification.
The Archos 10's Achilles heel is its battery life. It ships with a low-capacity 2,200mAh three-cell battery pack, which pales in comparison to the 8,700mAh unit supplied with the 1000HE. It's no surprise, therefore, that the Archos 10 lasted a paltry 1 hour and 35 minutes in the intensive Battery Eater Classic test, and 2 hours and 21 minutes in the less intensive Reader's test. The 1000HE, in comparison, lasted 5 hours and 48 minutes in the intensive test and 10 hours and 32 minutes in the Reader's test.
Conclusion
There's hardly any point in buying the Archos 10, unless you can find it for less than the £350 asking price. It's simply average in most areas and falls on its face in the crucial area of battery life. Get yourself the all-conquering Asus Eee PC 1000HE instead -- it's almost the same price and better-equipped.
Edited by Charles Kloet
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