Faster scrolling in the browser, smoother zooming, new overlay layers to some of the Interfaces to speed up the browsing experience, faster browsing, better widgets support. All this is coming up on Archos devices soon with the new Opera 9.5 SDK for devices which Archos has said they want be the first to implement. This could be in the form of a firmware update for the 605 and 705 WiFi. Hopes for new or better features that this will bring among others in the firmware features wishlist is that this new Opera SDK also hopefully brings Google Gears support so Widgets, the Archos Content Portal and certain Web 2.0 sites could run faster and work also while offline.

At least some faster browsing experience will be very much welcomed, faster rendering of sites that have a lot of javascripts and images. We are looking forward to more details from Archos as to when they plan to implement this improved Opera browser support, if it will be as a firmware update to the 605 and 705 WiFi, exactly which kinds of improvements it will bring and when we can expect it.

Press release:

Opera Software has released Opera 9.5 SDK for Devices which Archos is going to be one of the first to use. The release will include a new beta visual effects layer that will give users an emotionally heightened Web experience with fluid transitions, panning, zooming and interactivity.

With Opera 10 already underway, the next edition of Opera’s SDK will include upgrades to features available with today’s release as well as the final version of the visual effects layer and Opera Zoom.

Source: http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/embedded/15653/opera-introduces-opera-9-5-sdk-devices

Consumers who long to transfer their favorite movies and TV programs from their DISH Network® (NASDAQ: DISH) receivers to their ARCHOS Portable Media Players (PMPs) can now do so in record time through a simple plug-in download. The plug-in is offered exclusively to DISH Network subscribers with a VIP722(TM) or VIP622(TM) high-definition receiver, and is compatible with the ARCHOS 705 WiFi and 605 WiFi players. The plug-in is available today at www.Archos.com. The full line of Archos PMPs are available today at many retail outlets. Beginning in January, the Archos 605 and 705 models will also be available at retail outlets where DISH Network satellite TV service is sold.

“The DISH Network plug-in will allow consumers to transfer content faster than real-time from their DISH Network receiver to an Archos PMP. A two-hour movie can be transferred in just a few minutes,” said Henri Crohas, founder and chief executive officer at ARCHOS. “Now DISH Network subscribers with a VIP622 or VIP722 receiver can experience the fastest transfer times to their ARCHOS players, getting them out of the house faster and enjoying their favorite TV shows anywhere and anytime.”

The exclusive ARCHOS plug-in for DISH Network customers is part of a larger strategic alliance between parent company EchoStar Communications Corporation and ARCHOS that has been in place for almost three years. EchoStar partnered with ARCHOS in 2005 as the primary provider in their portable device strategy because of ARCHOS’ reputation as an innovator and manufacturer of the most advanced PMPs on the market.

ARCHOS 605 WiFi and 705 WiFi demonstrations, including the high-speed content transfer from DISH Network’s receivers, will be on display in the EchoStar booth — Central Hall #9020 — at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 7-10, 2008.

Source: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0340852.htm

Archos is now launching the Moovyplay together with CPFK in France. Which is a $100 40GB PMP without the screen and the battery. It also does not include video recording on the TV Dock, nor Internet browsing or playing own media files. This one also seems to have a special ultra fast speed proprietary connector. The way it works is like this:

- All video rental stores participating, for now hundreds in France, soon it will be up to over 2000 video rental stores in France, they each have a movie server with an unlimited amount of movies, currently over a thousand a digitized and made available on the 4 terrabytes of a movie server.

- The customer prepares at home his wish-list of up to 40 films which he would like to be on his Moovyplay. All the requested films are transfered by the clerk in the movie rental store, who can charge up to 5 Moovyplays at the same time per server at full more than 440mbit/s.

- The customer does not need to pay in advance. The payment can be done by a customer account which can be refilled over the Internet and activation of the movies can be done instantly over an SMS code.

- Thus now movie rental stores can have unlimited amount of choice, currently only limited by agreements that CPFK is working on with all the major movie studios. So in principle there could be a choice among more than 10 thousand movies. There is no need to return the movie to the store after it is watched. The system includes a ratings and recommendations system and trailers for hundreds of movies are preloaded. Currently the rent of a movie costs 4€ and the movie can be viewed during 48 hours after the play button has been pressed with the verification code.

- Initial pilots accross France have been quite successful according to initial reports. The initial goal is to ship 20 thousand Moovyplay units within a few weeks in quantities of hundreds per rental store. Initial price is 149€ including 5 movie rentals or for 7€ per month during 24 months.

Here is a video review of the device by GenerationMp3:

This product can probably be available in other countries in Europe and in the USA quite soon, all that is required is that other video rental franchises make an aggrement with Archos and CPFK to launch it worldwide. Hopefully Blockbuster is tempted. This is to be thought of an alternative to Video-On-Demand, it is to be thought as an alternative to online movie piracy. The goal being to provide as many good films as possible to everyone with as little bother as possible. You can’t load 40 films in 5 minutes over BitTorrent. With this, you just need one trip down to your local video-store. And this system will also be available in automated Moovyplay server machines which will be installed in supermarkets, kiosks and even in the streets to be available 24 hours. Currently the Generation5 is not compatible with the Moovyplay system. Perhaps the proprietary new connector is not compatible and perhaps it doesn’t work with USB transfers. This is thought of as the replacement for the DVD player and the DVD as a transitional solution until everyone has networks to support video-on-demand.

Perhaps Echostar’s vision includes using Archos as the portable terminal to use the 700mhz wireless broadband. Echostar definitely needs a broadband infrastructure to distribute video-on-demand to not be dependant on the established broadband Internet providers.

I’d like to see Echostar and Google team up to make sure they can outbid AT&T and Verizon.

Then they can also get the same spectrum in Europe to guarantee an open and free wireless broadband access to everyone in the world.

He says Archos is better than the iPod and the Zune, at least that’s what I understood of what he says in the latest Cranky Geeks episode 92 at http://www.crankygeeks.com/2007/11/episode_92_amazons_kindleyay_o.php

The Google Open Source Program Manager mentions Archos at about 19 minutes into the episode.

We should say though that he is not “into the loop” at Google, it’s not like anything he says has got to do with what Google is going to do. He isn’t saying that Google is going to buy Archos or anything like that. Although it would be awesome to see Google Gears implemented on the Archos 605 WiFi, to support faster Google Widgets, such as being able to use an optimized offline-enabled version of Gmail, Google Reader and Google Docs. Chris DiBona is just talking as an open source Linux fan, not representing Google, also he reviewed the Irex Iliad as an e-ink reader.

Not also is this in any way an indication that Archos might be interested to use Google Android on future HSDPA enabled Archos players.

Engadget talks about it now: http://engadget.com/2007/11/14/archos-working-on-sim-card-equipped-players/

It’s been in the works at Archos for a while, now there will be a HSDPA SIM card equipped product from Archos to be released next year.

Already Archos is launching mobile phone like business model in France starting on the 1st of December with the 1€ payment for the 605 WiFi 4GB with the DVR Station with a two year 20€ per month content subscription.

I think that the deal not only could provide HSDPA access to the Archos Content Portal, with unlimited access to the HSDPA provider’s section of the portal and with per-GB fee for the rest of the content portal, with a cheap instant access to web-browsing, I also hope that it will include VOIP and possibly an open mobile Internet applications platform such as Google Android 2 to supplement with more functionalities then just built-in applications and browser based widgets.

Posted in News, Videos | No Comments »