SlashGear Japan
Archos started hinting at new products last week, and the curtains have finally been drawn on the company’s new Internet Media Tablets. Three new models have been introduced, the Archos 5 and Archos 7, which both include high-resolution touchscreens, WiFi, up to 320GB storage and slender casings, and the Archos 5g which adds 3G HSDPA cellular broadband.
The Archos 5 is available in 60GB, 120GB and 250GB capacities, with a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen and 0.5-inch thickness, while somewhat curiously the Archos 5g only comes in one 30GB variety. The bigger Archos 7, meanwhile, has a 7-inch touchscreen (still at 800 x 480), either 160GB or 320GB capacity and is 0.63-inches thick.
So, not a particularly inspired naming scheme (and the design doesn’t really hold a candle to, say, the iRiver SPINN) but Archos’ legendary codec support, full internet browsing (either via WiFi or HSDPA) and VGA video recording direct to the PMP courtesy of the Archos DVR Station or a clip-on tuner. Archos are yet to announce availability or pricing.
Update: Shipping reportedly begins in September, with pricing from $350. There’s also the possiblity that the HSDPA model, the Archos 5g, could be subsidized by carriers. Thanks Charbax!
4 Responses to “Archos 7, 5 & 5g ‘Internet Media Tablets’ with optional HSDPA”
J.O. August 19, 2008
Nice! I was planning on buying a 605 wifi for the touch screen and capacity (160GB), now I don’t know what to do!!! Wait…what if a new series is shortly after this one??? Should i wait forever!?
NeutralCharbax August 19, 2008
They seem to have announced it starts at $350 MSRP shipping in early September.
The 5G model could also be sold in partnership with HSDPA providers so if you sign a 6-month to a 2-year contract, you may get the price of the 5G model with or without HDMI capable DVR Station subsidized. Of course, this would depend on one of your local HSDPA providers having made a HSDPA service and content partnership deal with Archos which Archos has announced so far is signed with SFR in France and another carrier in Europe.
NeutralChris Davies August 19, 2008
Thanks Charbax!
J.O., you could wait forever for the “next big thing”. Archos product cycles don’t appear to be as rapid as some PMP manufacturers, so you’d probably be safe picking up a new model now. The only thing I might wait to see is if HSDPA gets rolled out to the other PMPs, but if you’re not so keen on 3G connectivity then that wouldn’t be an issue.
NeutralElier October 26, 2008
I would like to know where can I buy the 3.5G HSDPA USB Modem for my archos 5 now.
Neutral