Archos 7 Internet Media Tablet Reviewed: Capacious, Capable & Costly

If size is everything in PMPs, the Archos 7 Internet Media Tablet certainly has a lot going for it.  With a 7-inch touchscreen, there are certainly a whole lot fewer rivals than its smaller Archos 5 sibling faces; still, that hasn't stopped Archos from packing it with WiFi, a choice of 160GB or 320GB hard-drives, and internet browsing.  JAMM have been testing it out (including holding the photoshoot with the iPod touch shown here) and the general judgement is good.

As with many things in life, an extra two inches makes a whole lot of difference.  Web browsing is straightforward, with a large on-screen keyboard, and video playback quality is decent.  Capacity shouldn't be an issue either.  However codec support might be less accommodating; reviewer Doug Goldring found several file types – particularly those suitable for the iPod – incompatible.

Still, it's price that will likely be the Archos 7's main limiting factor.  At $449.99 for the 160GB model and a huge $549.99 for the double-capacity 320GB version, it's a significant outlay, especially when you consider how much 7-inch netbooks (admittedly with smaller storage) go for.  Factor in even more for the 3G models, when they're released, and this is an expensive – but well performing – PMP.