New Archos Gen 8 Firmware released - Gingerbread? V 2.3.20

gurgle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aug 6, 2010
1,463
131
There has been a new Gen 8 Firmware release by Archos. This is 2.3.20. The number indicates Gingerbread. It may be downloaded manually from Archos here
http://update.archos.com/8/gen8/gen8_2.3.20/firmware_archos_android_gen8.aos
Or you can wait for the Over the Aire update.

I am installing now. I will comment on anything I discover. Below is the change log for this release.
  • Application: a new Archos remote service and universal Android application to control your Archos device remotely using Wi-Fi. It is intended to operate your Archos using any Android phone/device for instance when the Archos is connected to the TV. The "Archos Remote Control" application is available on Android Market and on Appslib
  • Application: a new Archos youtube application to easily view and play youtube videos
  • Network shares: samba network share transfer speed has been enhanced to support HD streaming
  • Network shares: password protected shares are now discoverable
  • Media library: improve indexing behavior and robustness
  • Media info scraper: more robust poster and information retrieval process for TV and movie shows
  • Media library cleaning: all multimedia information (movie/tv shows posters and indexation data) can be cleared through settings->repair/formatting/reset multimedia library entry
  • Contacts: fix importation and exportation of Vcards
  • Applications: fix sound muted when initiating a call with Fring
  • Screen snapshot: fix capture for all screens and TV
  • Camera: increase quality of 720P H264 recording (decrease blockiness effect)
  • Multimedia: improve UPNP stability preventing hangs when Wi-Fi connection stops
  • Multimedia: for shoutcast network streams display url, station, genre on MusicPlayer
  • Multimedia: fix next playing video being paused at start in folder play mode
  • Multimedia: MMS playback support has been fixed
  • Multimedia: MIDI playback support has been fixed
  • Multimedia: fix compatibility with Rhapsody player application
  • Audio: fixed alarm volume when headphone are plugged (was lowered)
  • Video: fix some MPEG2 files not playing correctly on A28
  • Video: fix seeking in AVI with layer2 VBR sound
  • MusicPlayer: display track number (like "3/10") for A43/A70/A101
  • Videoplayer: fix folder play mode with HD video
  • Subtitles: auto detect UTF8 codepage
  • Storage: remove disk damage notification happening sometimes even after a successful file system check
  • Peripherals: display a notification when plugging a USB device that requires more than 100mA current for A28/A32/A70 to provide feedback that it is not supported (e.g. some USB keys)
  • Battery: improve prediction of wake up time to shutdown the product when battery is low
  • Proxy: http proxy support has been fixed
  • Phone tethering: increase compatibility with Blackberry phones (introduction of a setting to enable TCP/IP header compression)
 

gurgle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aug 6, 2010
1,463
131
First thoughts.
Do not just start it if using a different launcher than the default. Power completely off and start from that state. Otherwise, you will get into a process force close state. (Well, that is what happened to me.)
If you have an AV product installed. It will NOT be happy with the FW change. Scans clean though. That was the first thing I did. It says Unknown Source Install. But that would be expected as I installed it via USB.
There is a neat app addition. But it requires another Gen8 device to work. You can remote control another device. But this device also has to be a Gen8 device.
 

gurgle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aug 6, 2010
1,463
131
Spoke too soon. Finally looked at settings. It may say 2.3.20. BUT it is Froyo 2.2.1. Also seems to drain the battery just a bit quicker. But that could be my imagination. Will have to baseline the battery again.
 

gurgle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aug 6, 2010
1,463
131
Did Archos ever promise an upgrade to 2.3?

Good Question. Charbax implied in a prior discussion on his blog or over on ArchosFans 2.3 was likely. Honeycomb not so much. It was my assumption when seeing the jump from 2.1.8 to a 2.3.2 meant a update of the kernel as well. Sadly no.
But to your question, Archos has only promised Honeycomb to Gen9 not Gen8 although hopeful users have made the wish known.
 

Biotic

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2011
526
50
Have to check this out later

Sent from my Ally using Android Tablet Forum
 

rc211e

Senior Member
Oct 23, 2010
76
0
So as some of you may have noticed I stayed at 2.0.71 because it worked OK for me and I wasn't convinced upgrading was adding anything I used.

I am not a technical user I just use my Archos 70 for Browsing, Movies, Email and Mapping applications and I love the tablet freedom compared to my laptops and I no longer buy newspapers.

My one suspicion is that my wireless is slower than my other devices, Android phone Blackberry and Laptop.

So once again I am asking myself is it time to upgrade?

What do you folks think?

Amongst all that mumbo jumbo is wireless faster and more reliable?

Is it time to upgrade and what is the recommended process.

Thanks to all.
 

Swould333

Senior Member
Aug 5, 2010
354
23
Not sure i'd say that wifi is any more faster or more reliable... i haven't had any real issues with my A101, that i've noticed... But i will say this...The new Arochos remote app and functions don't seem to play well together.. I keep getting disconected device warnings and reconnects... and that's with my DroidX and A101 not 6ft from my router... haven't really xplored it too deeply.. this thing is my 17 yr old daugheters new best friend so i don't get that much face time with it any more, will have time to explore in more detail this weekend.

I do like the fact that now when you reboot or power off the throttle settings for the processor stay. you don't have to reset it every time you turn it back on...

And over all the device does seem to opperate a bit smoother.

My biggest disappointment is there was no repartioning to allow more storage space for apps... :(
 
Last edited:
Top