It might seem overkill to have a whole separate review about a dock, but when said-dock adds stacks of functionality for a bargain price it’s bound to be a popular accessory. Jenn at Pocketables has been sitting her Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet in the $30 Archos Mini Dock, and if we’re talking cost-to-flexibility ratio the Mini Dock sounds like it’s off the scale. In fact, only some ergonomic issues potentially hold the Archos Mini Dock back.
The Archos Internet Media Tablets are set to receive a significant feature upgrade, at least those using French 3G network TIM, according to a cryptic tip from Archos Lounge. While details are scant at present, the update is promised to “make real progress in terms of features for geeks like us” as well as comprise “functions [that] would be totally innovative for the French manufacturer”.
Intel have been holding their annual Developers’ Forum in San Francisco this week, and quite a few prototypes and commercial products have come out to play. Of the former, most exciting seems to be the UrbanMax Tablet PC concept; of the latter, Viliv’s S5 MID and S7 UMPC both promise to crank the netbook market up a gear or two.
That’s probably not what Acer want to hear; the company has snipped pricing off of their Aspire One netbook, presumably remembering (only a little late) that the ultraportables are meant to be cheap. Not far from the shelves, Fujitsu’s Amilo Mini and Dell’s Inspiron 910 continued to leak information, but still no official word from the tongue-tied companies themselves.
Archos’ new range of Internet Media Tablets are now available to order on Amazon, complete with a number of accessories. The online retailer is listing all three versions of the Archos 5 – with 60GB, 120GB and 250GB storage – and both Archos 7 versions – 160GB and 320GB – but not the Archos 5g, which has a built-in HSDPA modem.
Archos’ new PMP range has been long anticipated, and the first hands-on reports are already coming in. GenerationMP3 spent some time with both the 4.8-inch Archos 5 and the 7-inch Archos 7, and despite the casings being real fingerprint magnets they’ve come away impressed. Archos have apparently switched the audio processing chip and are claiming far better sound quality; they’ve also included both the Flash-compatible Opera browser and the WebTV & Radio plugin, which on previous models were paid options.
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.
Archos have been a discrete teaser campaign for an upcoming device, believed to be the 6th generation PMP that will have 3G high-speed mobile internet. The company briefly ran this small image on their homepage, depicting the corner of a new device and the slogan “Coming up…”; however it was quickly replaced by a more generic image (shown after the cut).
PMP manufacturer Archos is planning an event in London this month, which is rumored to see the launch of the company’s first 3G wireless-enabled media player. Held on July 10th, the event has the tag-line “entertainment your way” and will feature a major product announcement by Tony Limrick, the UK managing director. The 3G PMP, which Archos has confirmed is in production, is believed to allow internet access, media streaming and downloads direct to the device.
Archos have released new firmware for their 605 (both HDD and Flash versions), 705, 405 2Go and 405 30 Go PMPs, as well as the Archos TV+ set-top box. Version 2.0.10 supports Flash 9 video, WMV9 (possibly including DRM-encrypted web streams), WebTV and radio (with an optional plugin), GPS (with the recently-announced navigation accessory) and an alarm clock.
Videos of the new firmware functionality after the cut
Further blurring the line between their high-end PMP range and a PDA, Archos have announced a GPS add-on for the 605 WiFi media player. Consisting of a windscreen-mount cradle and separate SiRF III GPS puck, the accessory will add not only turn-by-turn navigation but traffic warnings and an accident notification service. Meanwhile, since the 605 is also a capable music player, users can set audio running and the GPS system will interrupt with direction instructions.
SlashGear Japan
