Archos 70b eReader

The basics

Although it's taken some convincing to get book lovers onside, eReaders like the Amazon Kindle have proved a massive success over the past couple of years. With the introduction of the tablet, however, this tiny gadgets need to do a lot more to impress the public. That's where the Archos 70b comes in – an eReader with a colour display. Read on to find out if it's any good.

The good

With tablets offering an easy way of reading eBooks on the move, while also covering off work and play, traditional eReaders are having to offer something extra to fight back.

The Archos 70b is one of a number of new colour eReaders, boasting a 7-inch LCD display and 4GB of memory. That's enough for over 4000 novels, so you certainly won't be left wanting for entertainment.

The colour screen is naturally better than traditional e-ink panels when it comes to showing off photographs, and it's also pretty good when it comes to use in direct sunlight. We had no trouble at all reading books on the move, but the coloured panel has a huge impact on battery life.

With Wi-Fi built-in, it's easy to download new books onto the Archos 70b eReader, and you'll find the Android operating system at the heart of the device.

The bad

Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends, and the Archos 70b eReader is a flawed gadget. Where you'll get days of constant use from eReaders like the Kindle, the Archos 70b eReader can only muster a battery life of around five hours.

It's also incredibly slow, albeit quicker than its colour rivals. It's nowhere near as fluid as an iPad or Kindle.

The bottom line

The colour screen on the Archos 70b eReader may be better for flicking through photographs then, but apart from that it brings nothing to the party. We'd rather have a traditional e-ink eReader, with a much longer battery life and quick responses. If colour is a necessity, we'd be more tempted to splash out and buy a proper tablet.