Here’s a walkthrough video-review of the cheap Archos 2 Vision (8GB) by computertv:

In terms of the recently rumored £149 pricing for Archos 7 Internet Tablet (8GB), I was very positively surprised by the completely insanely cheap price target!!!!!

This is absolutely the kind of pricing that I would expect Archos to be able to reach. I know Archos can do it. Cheaper prices could convince the masses to buy Archos instead of Apple.

Here are my suggestions as to what I think Archos should target the pricing of the whole high-end Archos Android Tablet range in the coming couple of months. Make sure to only read these prices as my speculation on what the prices are that Archos could now try to target:

A4A (8GB) $159 = 149€ = £129
A5A (8GB) $179 = 159€ = £139
A7A (8GB) $199 = 179€ = £149
A9A (8GB) $239 = 209€ = £169
A10A (8GB) $279 = 239€ = £199

For more capacity additional pricing should be something like this:

16GB + $50 = 40€ = £30
32GB + $75 = 60€ = £45
64GB + $150 = 120€ = £90

250GB + $75 = 60€ = £45
500GB + $150 = 120€ = £90

For built-in HSDPA additional pricing should be still unlocked:

Built-in Unlocked HSDPA SIM Card Reader + $50 = 40€ = £30

I think all new Archos tablets should come with the OMAP3640 1ghz 45nm processor, 512MB RAM, Pixel Qi screen technology, Camera, Compass and snap-on foldable Keyboard that doubles as a screen protector.

It would be nice that Archos reach super stable Android 2.1 Eclair firmware soon on the whole range, with the optimal RAM utilization, stable power management and stable Android applications support.

If the newer 1ghz processor improves the MKV 720p High Profile bitrate support then that would be great as well. The target should be to support 99.99% of all MKV movie files that are available on the Internet.

If Archos could lower the amount of bezel around the screen to cover if possible less than 10% of the overall surface area of the product, that would be great.

Built-in full sized HDMI output, built-in AC Adaptor connector, built-in full sized USB-host and full sized SDHC support instead of MicroSDHC card support I think could be meaningful goals as well.

From then on, Archos can then work to integrate the OMAP4 ARM Cortex A9 based processor on the next generation of Archos Android Tablets, which can add 1080p encode/decode, 20megapixel photos (if the optics of the photo camera mode can be made good enough), up to dual-core 2ghz processing speed for even faster web browsing speeds, a processor fast enough to run the full high resolution Google Chrome web browser within the Android OS.

You can discuss these suggestions in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=30077&p=197980#p197980

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• Archos 7 Android Tablet Leaked, Featuring Webcam For Video Chat and New 7-Inch Size [Tablets] (gizmodo.com)

Here are some of the new line of cheap Mp3 and Mp4 PMP players:

Archos 4 Vision:

Features:
- 4.3 inch touch-screen
- Plays all video formats (Does it play everything up to 720p MKV High Profile really? HDMI output built-in?)
- TV output
- Micro SD slot Specs add-on
- Expand Memory
- Voice recorder
- Clock and calendar

Archos 3 Vision Cam (8GB) (Availability: March):

Features:
- 8 GB storage
- FM Radio & FM transmitter
- 400 x 240 (WQVGA) screen
- Video camera
- Records MPEG-4 (.ASF format) Excellent viewing and handling
- 3 inch touch-screen
- 9 mm (1/3 inch) thick Interface with finger gestures
- Formats : MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, WAV, FLAC, WMV, FLV, VOB, AVI, MP4, RM, RMVB, ASF, MPG JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
- Battery time 14 hours for music, 4 hours for video

Archos 2 Vision Yamaha (8GB) (80€) (Availability: March):

Features:
- High quality of sound
- Dual HiFi speaker (D-class AMP from Yahama) Strong support of formats
- MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, WAV, FLAC, WMV, FLV, VOB, AVI, MP4 RM, RMVB, ASF, MPG, JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
- Video camera
- Records video Specs
- Ebook
- FM Radio (play & record)
- Battery time : 10 hours for music, 4 hours for video
- D-class AMP by Yamaha
Availability in March

Archos 1 Vision Slim (4GB) (40€):

Features: 4 Go de stockage, compatibilité MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, ID3 Tags, JPEG, BMP, GIF & AVI. 40 Euros

Archos Key (4GB) (20€):

Features: MP3, AAC, WAV & WMA, 4 GB storage + Micro SD slot, FM radio receiver/transmitter, voice recorder.

Source: archoslounge.net

DataMind posted preliminary pics and specs for the Archos 5 IT’s bigger younger brother, the Archos 7 Android.

Availability was given as March of 2010 and price for the 8GB model (the only model listed thus far) was £149.99 (including 17.5% UK VAT) and they are apparently accepting pre-orders here..

Differences form the current A5 IT include a user-facing webcam, a DC charger, a sliding and locking on-off switch, either dual speakers or a microphone that is no longer situated right next to the speaker as on the A5 IT and of course the 7″ screen.

Software changes also appear to be in store for the Archos Media Center app.  Song lyrics support is new and the addition of the high-quality APE codec will please audiophiles.

Still no hardware buttons, so this does not look like it will meet the current guidelines for Google Experience apps (Market, Maps, Gmail, etc.).  Does Archos know something we don’t about Google changing it’s mind?  It seems they’re still betting on Google changing their minds and relaxing hardware standards to let the A7 (and the A5) Android models get in on the Google App goodness.

Also of interest?  The Archos Media Center widget is conspicuous in it’s absence from this screen mockup.  Could this be a simple omission or is the Media Center (or at least it’s widget) perhaps getting a much needed graphical overhaul that will be revealed in March?  Only time will tell!

You can discuss the Archos 7 Android in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=30077

-Michael P

It’s been a bit more than a couple of weeks already since CES was over and I filmed 75 videos there for my site http://armdevices.net, I finally found the video file on one of my backup hard drives that I took of Archos 9 being featured at the Intel booth. I was told by other bloggers that the Archos 9 was featured at the Microsoft booth as well just 5 meters from Intel.

You can discuss this video in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=30053

Here’s a fun Archos 9 advertisement:

Found via: archoslounge.net

Here is a video that shows you how easy it now is to install the full Google Marketplace experience on your Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android with the new firmware 1.7.33 that awesomely integrates a whole bunch of the Android 1.6 software features from Google that optimize everything better for Archos’s larger screen:

Discuss this video in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=29833&p=195177#p195177

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• Archos 5 gets Android 1.6 update, for real this time (engadget.com)

When Archos released it’s first Donut (Android 1.6) firmware, those who installed it noticed a great new feature… Screenshots!

With the press of a button, users could capture their screens to PNG files, making it easy to describe new apps or illustrate blogs like this one.

But that firmware was quickly pulled for bugs in the browser and, most likely, for other reasons (like the developer code left in the release, including the screenshot functionality).

However, when the proper firmware release of Donut debuted yesterday, some users were sorry to see that screenshots were a no-show.

So, here comes Devo, the same hacker who brought us the first simplified Market hack for Donut, to the rescue!

It’s not an app but a simple script that will allow more adventurous users to grab screenshots off the device when tethered via a USB connection to a PC, Mac or Linux box.  Here’s the original forum thread and a complete how-to guide, as well as the links to the files you’ll need.

Devo harnesses some built-in developer functionality in the A5A and combines it with the scripts, drivers and files you’ll need to get great PNG screenshots on the Archos SSD, HDD or even right to your PC.

Be advised that this requires getting an ADB connection working with your Archos, a special developer’s mode that some users have problems getting going especially on 64 bit Vista and Windows 7 PCs.

But if you’re wanting some of that screen capture mojo back and you’ve got a little knowledge and the patience, then Devo’s got your hookup!

-Michael P

Discuss this hack and get help getting it going in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=29826

M4rk3t and Devo have released solutions for installing the full Google Marketplace including the Google Apps such as Gmail, Maps and Listen onto the Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android. Devo’s hack was released a week ago in this thread which required the ADB debug method to work.

Now, M4rk3t is back with an even easier solution! M4rk3t has combined all the hackings required in one simple .apk file that simply needs to be manually installed to unlock all the Google Experience goodness!

That is, until Google hopefully soon officially allows Archos to include all the Google apps including the Google Marketplace on this device.

It is to be said that Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android probably supports more than 95% of all Android apps of the Google Marketplace just fine, even though Archos is the first Android device and still the only one on the market with a 4.8″ medium density WVGA 800×480 touch screen, and even though Archos comess as the cheapest Android device on the market selling at only $249 unlocked without contracts at Radio Shacks in the USA, even though Archos does not come with Compass, 3G and a camera, but instead supports hard drive storage, USB host, video inputs, HDMI output, all video and audio codecs up to 720p, even H264 high profile videos (maximum bitrate supported needs to be tested with the latest 1.7.33 firmware).

›› Download Archos 5 Internet Tablet OS v 1.7.33 (86528Kb)

What’s new in this version?
New Android 1.6 “Donut”
- Optimization of applications on the high-resolution screen of the ARCHOS 5 IT
- New “Quick Search” to find your Apps, Music, Contacts, and browsing history and get suggested search results as you type
- Easy access to battery saving features (wifi, screen, gps, etc.) show me
New version of office documents viewer (ThinkFree Mobile 1.2)

The full changelog:

Firmware changes

Version 1.7.33 – January 20th, 2010

Since this firmware is based on a new version of Android, after the update, you will be prompted to reset your device configuration. It is highly recommended to do so. The extra applications that you may have installed will need to be re-installed, but your multimedia files will not be affected.

Android 1.6 “Donut”: quick search box, power control widget, battery usage indicator screen, WVGA screen native support, VPN
ThinkFree Mobile 1.2: double-tap zoom in PDF, miscellaneous bug fixes and speed improvements
Video: add automatic gain control option for sound in Video Player
Video: fix support for MJPG files
Video: improve youtube playback support
Music: add support for .mp2 files
Music: allow to play shoutcast .PLS files from the web browser
TV: improve image centering in Video Player when using DVR Snap-on
Android: fix touch screen offset experienced in some applications due to presence of Archos status bar
Keyboard: add up and down arrow keys in Android keyboard (press “?123″ to get it)
Keyboard: add “OK” key in Android keyboard (long press on “Return” key to get it)
GUI: improved Archos Widget layout on TV
Storage: correct random hard disk disconnection while playing music or video
Network: fix UPnP and network sharing not working on Wi-Fi access point not complying with Wi-Fi power saving standard specification
Network: add an option to disable power saving at the expense of battery life for a specific access point at first association to cope with some buggy Wi-Fi access points
Network: fix archos multimedia application sometimes failed to access the network
Alarm Clock: fix alarm could not be set when android multimedia library was off
System: use Android default notification sound when android multimedia library is off
System: add accelerometer calibration in Startup Wizard

Discuss this firmware and report eventual bugs in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=29796