You may have read a review of the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet written by Phandroid contributor John Ashton Edgar. While overall he seemed to enjoy it his biggest issue with the device was its lack of Google App integration and the replacement of Android Market with AppsLib.
It runs an Archos version of Android. This is significant for several reasons. There is no Google integration. None, nada, zip, zero, nunca. The only integration you get is going into your Google account in the very nice webkit browser. I didn’t have any issues because the browser is nice with nearly 5″ of screen, but if you are a fan of the Google Android OS apps like Gmail, Gtalk, or Calendar, be warned. This also represents one of my largest issues with the Archos 5. They have their own app market, AppsLib.
Issues be gone! The folks at ArchosFans.com have figured out a way for owners of the Archos 5 to get Android Market and all of the Google Apps like Maps, Talk Calendar and more onto the the device!
Our friends at JKonTheRun did a nice step-by-step guide to getting the job done – keep in mind this is for Windows:
Updates to the steps suggest you need this version of the hack to get Google Maps working and you need to have 1.4.08 or 1.4.09 firmware for success. Give it a whirl and let us know how it turns out for you!