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Archos 9 ushers in age of Windows 7 UMPCs

by Parm Mann on 12 June 2009, 12:12

Tags: Archos 9, Archos (EPA:JXR)

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French outfit Archos has been giving the ultra-portable space a good ol' bash over the last year or so. Back in August 2008, it revamped its range of portable media players with 5in and 7in Internet media tablets.

That was just the start, as earlier this year it went right ahead and launched its own netbook - the 10.2in Archos 10.

Today, it's bridging the gap between Internet media tablet and netbook by announcing the Archos 9 - a tablet-turned-UMPC that features an 8.9in touchscreen display.

Looks rather good, we reckon, and although lacking a physical keyboard of any sort, the Archos 9 will be sporting Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system - complete with built-in touch goodness.

Considering it measures 256mm x 134mm x 16mm and weighs under 800g, the unit provides a decent resolution of 1,024x600. Whether or not touch interaction is enough to forgo a keyboard remains to be seen, but we've found Windows 7's handwriting recognition to be impressive, and Archos has squeezed in an optical mouse, too.

Inside the unit lives a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z515 processor and US15W chipset. That's joined by 1GB of DDR2 memory, an 80GB hard rive, and both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Adding to its all-round usefulness is a built-in webcam, two USB ports, Ethernet, and a dual DVB-T tuner.

There's no mention of battery life or multi-touch support, but it's looking like a decent UMPC. Speaking of which, will the almost-forgotten form factor be resurrected with the introduction of Microsoft's upcoming easier-on-the-hardware operating system? Anything's possible.

We're told the Archos 9 will launch "this fall" priced at around €450 (£390). We've a sneaky suspicion we might see it on or around October 22nd.



HEXUS Forums :: 14 Comments

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Sounds absolutely fantastic, apart from
The Article
Adding to its all-round usefulness is a built-in webcam, two USB ports, Ethernet, and a dual DVB-T tuner.
What? I have to have a TV license if I want to buy one? If they do a cheaper version without the tuner I'll bite their hands off for it because this is *exactly* where I've been wanting netbooks to go for the last 6 months…
Who dosen't have a TV license in their home, yet has a spare £400 for something that isn't that pratical in lacking its keyboard.

This looks like its a good origami project device. But i fear it won't have multitouch.

Until you have multitouch using an on screen keyboard can be quite trying!
swap the tuner with an in built 3g connection (our simcard of choice ofc) and i will BITE YOUR HANDS OFF!

Also change the screen slightly so its 1024*720, thus its 720 HD compatable… that would be nice
Would be nice if this could sense the orientation, just like the iPhone and HTC Diamond Touch (2).

Presumably you can add a USB keyboard too. An official accessory to turn this into a netbook would be an idea. I think I would certainally consider this one.
TheAnimus
Who dosen't have a TV license in their home, yet has a spare £400 for something that isn't that pratical in lacking its keyboard.
What does how much money you have to spend on IT equipment have to do with whether you have a TV license? I don't watch broadcast TV, so I don't have a TV license. Money has nothing to do with it.

Anyway, a TV license is currently £142.50 a year, so actually it makes *more* sense: if you don't spend money on a TV license you're more likely to be able to afford one of these :p

And the device is completely practical. I wouldn't want to type a PhD thesis on one, but that's not what I'd buy one for. I'd buy it for light web browsing, using it as a media player, reviewing minutes & agendas on my way to business meetings, and taking occasional hand-written notes in those meetings. This would fit that usage pattern perfectly (quite apart from the fact that Windows 7's touch interface should also let me play Diablo II on it ;) ). Given that it has 2 USB ports, I could always attach an external keyboard to it if I wanted to, say, type up my notes on the train on the way home…