ARCHOS has quietly introduced a new media player on their website called the ARCHOS 3. Detailed specs and feature lists are extremely scarce at this time but here’s what we do know about the device:

• 3 inch “tactile screen”. This could infer the display is a haptics-enabled touch-display
• Virtual Wheel Selector provides a unique way of navigating through content
• Lightweight design
• 8GB of storage space
• Plays back music and photos
• Voice and audio recorder
• Stopwatch and calendar

No word on pricing or availability at this time.

[Check it out via Crave]

Technorati Tags: ARCHOS 3, media player

Archos introduced three new connected devices today as part of their new “Internet Media Tablets” product lineup – the Archos 5, the Archos 7, and the Archos 5g. These players offer many of the same features found in previous Archos models except now, there’s a large touchscreen display and even 3G connectivity on the Archos 5g model. The focus of these devices is clearly on the Internet – following the trend that Apple established with the iPhone and iPod touch. The Archos 5 is the company’s flagship product featuring a 5 inch display and a wealth of features. The Archos 5g adds 3.5G HSDPA support and the Archos 7 increases the display size to 7 inches while keeping the same resolution.

On the application front, the new Archos Internet Media Tablets support features such as:

• Web browsing via a free Opera browser
• Email application
• Web TV and Web Radio
• Widgets
• Video playback
• Music playback
• Photo playback
• Games
• Content streaming from a PC
• TV recording

Powering these new Archos players is the new ARM Cortex superscalar processor. These in fact are the first devices out there to use the new Cortex processor.

Some of the common specs include:

• 800 x 480 resolution display
• Video playback support for MPEG-4, WMV, MPEG-2 (optional on the Archos 7), H.264 (optional on the Archos 7), and M-JPEG. HD MPEG-4 and WMV support optional
• Audio playback support for MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV, AAC, and AAC+
• Photo playback support for JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
• Built-in PDF viewer
• Supports optional DVR station
• Supports POP3 and IMAP email accounts
• Wi-Fi support
• 3.5 mm mini-jack
• Built-in speaker and leg stand
• Lithium Polymer battery

The Archos 5 will be available in three storage configurations – a 60GB ($349.99), 120GB ($399.99), and a 250GB ($449.99) model while the Archos 7 will be available in a 160GB ($449.99) and 320GB ($549.99) model. The Archos 3G which comes with a SIM card slot and supports 3.5G connectivity will only be available in a 30GB model ($549.99).

[Check it out via PC Mag]

Technorati Tags: Archos, Internet Media Tablets, Archos 5, Archos 5g, Archos 7

Apple has Apple TV.. so naturally ARCHOS will have.. the ARCHOS TV+. Yup.. they couldn’t simply have ARCHOS TV – they just had to tack on a plus symbol at the end didn’t they? In many ways, the ARCHOS TV+ is much more than what Apple has with the Apple TV device. The ARCHOS TV+ is a full featured Wi-Fi supporting Digital Video Recorder which also provides access to multimedia content such as movies, music, photos, podcasts, as well as Internet based content such as Internet videos and online email. The full feature list includes:

• Record your favorite TV shows with support for a TV Program Guide
• Record from most any video source in MPEG-4 format
• Wi-Fi connection provides access to your home digital media library as well as the Internet
• Remote control with integrated keyboard and mouse pointer
• Download content via Wi-Fi to the ARCHOS TV+ via ARCHOS Content Portal
• Optional web browser plug-in
• Store and play videos and recorded TV shows with support for MPEG-4, WMV, protected WMV, MPEG2 (via optional plug-in), VOB (optional plugin), and H.264 (optional plugin)
• Store and view photos
• Store and listen to music

The tech specs include the following:

• 80 or 250GB HDD
• MPEG-4, WMV support
• MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WAV support
• JPEG, BMP, PNG support
• PDF support
• Records to MPEG-4 SP format with ADPCM stereo sound at VGA resolution and 30 or 25 f/s
• USB 2.0 support
• Wi-Fi support
• Composite, S-Video, RGB, Component, Ethernet, USB, HDMI ports
• Measures 250 x 164 x 37 mm and weighs 1294 grams

While the features and technical specifications look good on paper, ARCHOS typically suffers from poor product execution in user interfaces and product designs. The ARCHOS TV+ looks nice from afar but one wonders if the GUI will be simple enough for the common consumer. While Apple TV may be lacking in specifications and file format support, the device has an incredibly simple user interface. Heck, look at Windows Media Center based computers. The MCE interface is just astonishingly simple. Yes.. I’m just a little dubious about the ARCHOS TV+.

Oh yes.. one more gripe about ARCHOS. What’s up with all of these optional plugins. Why make consumers pay additional cash for file format support which should naturally come with the player? Sheesh.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: ARCHOS, ARCHOS TV