At night, in the streets of Copenhagen, I’m using my new Archos 5 Internet Tablet for the first time. Not testing much in this video, just showing you a bit of how it looks and talking about it.

I will post some detailed videos showing the actual features, performance, test results and more during the next few days. So check back!

Here are some of my early impressions with this Android device:

720p MKV High Profile TV episodes “scene releases” seem to work smoothly. Though if you fast forward there currently is a bug that then plays the video slightly out of synch. My contact at Archos tells me there are things they can improve with MKV playback in firmware updates.

I will test more 720p MKV H264 High Profile “scene release” movies during the next few days and I will report in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewforum.php?f=47

I like the Android browser a lot, I really like how you can go in standby while browsing, resume your player and you are right back in the browser and immediately still connected to WiFi. On the previous Archos 5 IMT, you would have to slowly reconnect to WiFi and re-browse to the page. This is a huge improvement. I like awesomly how you can multitask, jump from the Browser to something else and back so easily. Browse in 4 tabs perhaps more all seems super smooth, perhaps thanks to this ARM Cortex A8 processor being so powerful for this webkit browser.

The Youtube.apk seems to work fine, though it’s not full screen yet (does not cover the top Home/Menu/Back task bar) and also, it would be really awesome if someone made a special Archos version of Youtube.apk which could load HD and HQ versions by default in full screen and instantly if the user chooses those qualities as default in the settings. If someone made a YoutubeHD.apk optimized for Archos, if playing back Youtube HD and HQ from the Youtube API is possible, then that could be a real killer application for this device. Add a few community features, Youtube video recommendations, log-in to load ones personal Youtube recommendations, subscriptions, playlists and more would be really awesome.

I have had it only for a few hours, and been busy with a few other things since then. I will spend much more time tomorrow to try to do some useful and advanced tests that I will post in new videos and in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?p=171270#p171270

Steve Chippy from UMPCportal.com has just posted an awesome video showing the Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android in e-book mode using the Aldiko and FBreader softwares available in the AppsLib.com library of Android applications:

I think this makes this Archos probably the best LCD based e-reader device in the world just as well. Imagine if Pixel Qi were already making 4.8″ sized 3Qi screens, that would enable Archos to actually switch off the backlight to in fact provide a pocketable all-in-one device to also replace any E-ink device.

You can discuss this video in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=26240

SNES and Megadrive emulation works on Archos 5 Internet Tablet, though it will work best using a USB keyboard, Bluetooth keyboard, or USB/Bluetooth game controllers. Even better would be if Archos or some other company releases a Bluetooth game controller that snaps on to each side of the Archos 5 Internet Tablet and still requires the minimum amount of extra volume and weight to be added to the device when used on-the-go.

You can discuss this video at: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=26085

Found at: http://archoslounge.net/En-vrac-vu-sur-le-forum,9051.html

Here is a screenshot of how Mewbox is going to look like on the Archos Android 5 Internet Tablet range of products:

The Archos Android series in the European Union is launching with the Mewbox music service, which will provide access to 4 million songs from all the major and independent record labels. It is the first DRM-free music download/streaming service for Android in Europe and has a custom user interface which makes full use of the Archos 5 Internet Tablet’s high-resolution touch screen.

I posted some requests for legal Android Music distribution systems in the forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?p=164297#p164297

Though, until all the record labels allow for affordable DRM-free subscription services in addition to on-demand downloading and streaming music systems like Mewbox, then I guess we can at least look forward to have just as completely featured access to an on-demand music service on the new Archos Android products, thanks to Mewbox providing a nice high resolution interface for their legal music store. Now all that Archos needs to disrupt Apple’s monopolistic lock-down through the closed proprietary scheme in ipod/iphone/itunes, would be to make the Archos 5 Internet Tablet be recognized to iTunes as an ipod by doing the same trick as Palm when in Windows Device mode (or in some third “iTunes USB connection mode”), which would then allow users of the iTunes software to still synchronize their non-DRM music from iTunes.

Find more informations about Mewbox for Archos Android at:

http://www.mewbox.com/
http://twitter.com/mewbox
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mewbox/138221254618

This service was first discovered in the forum in this thread: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=25558

The event was streamed live on ustream.

Follow Real-Time entries using for Archos news using FriendFeed and our FriendFeed room:

Discuss all the Archos Android news in Real-time in the Forum: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewforum.php?f=47

Although I really would have liked to go there (from my headquarters in Copenhagen Denmark, or from my current location covering IFA 2009 in Berlin Germany), Archos tells me they don’t want to pay the 300€ for my flight and hotel to go there.

Even though I took the pain to provide the Archos Fans worldwide with awesome live video coverage of the June 11th event, where I rushed back from Asia doing video-coverage of Taipei’s Computex expecting to see the Archos Android products unveiled but where Archos only showed Intel based products. Although I have done the worlds highest-ranked Archos related videos on Google for years among other Archos products of the Archos 9, Archos 10S, Archos 13, Archos 2, Archos TV Snap-On, for each of these Google Searches you’ll find my videos on the first page. And those are just thinking about the latest generation of products.

Anyways, I don’t think I should be paying flights and hotels myself to cover Archos events, like I have previously done more than once. I hope ArchosLounge.net, JBMM.fr, GenerationMp3.com, Stuff Magazine, ElectricPig, SlipperyBrick (and whoever else goes to the Archos event on the 15th) and especially that Archos themselves take themselves together and provides us with live high quality video coverage (how much can it cost them to connect their cameras with a direct high quality video and audio stream to stream the live keynote presentations on ustream.tv? It costs nothing.), hoping all that can provide us with good enough coverage of the event.

Also, thanks to the big mistake in Archos letting B&H release the pictures and prices a few days ago, I guess there might not be as much to cover anymore at that event.

You can discuss this here: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=25500

You can discuss all the latest rumors, news, ideas, hopes, suggestions about the upcoming Archos Android generation in the Archos Android Forum section: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewforum.php?f=47. It will probably also be the best place to follow all the latest informations on the September 15th event.

These are the leaked prices from B&H Photo Video. Consider that these prices have not been confirmed officially at this point:

Flash based:
Archos A5 16GB: $293.95
Archos A5 32GB: $369.95

Hard drive based:
Archos A5 160GB: $319.95
Archos A5 500GB: $419.95

Those could be the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices, since B&H Photo Video often sells at MSRP prices at new product launches.

There is also a new DVR Station: $129.95

Why the DVR Station might be more expensive than it uses to be, it’s uncertain if it may be because of new better connectors, or if it would be because the new DVR Station would have the full Archos Android based on Texas Instruments with internal storage and support for external storage like I have been suggesting.

This leak happened in the forum at http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=25450

Discussions about it are happening at http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/01/android-based-archos-gets-pictured-briefly-priced-by-bandh/

You can find it at http://appslib.com/

Archos is releasing the worlds first dedicated Android marketplace for 800×480 and HDTV 720p resolution Android devices with more advanced Multimedia features than any existing Android smartphones on the market.

On September 15th, Archos will release the worlds first High-End Android Internet Media Tablets. Until then, Archos is encouraging Android developpers to prepare their Android applications to support the higher resolution screens and more advanced Multimedia features of the Archos line of products. These High-End Android applications would be compatible with any other High-End device as well, but Archos will probably be the first manufacturer with such High-End Android devices on the market.

All Android applications, even the ones designed for smaller screens, will probably work on the Archos Android Devices, though it makes more sense to encourage developpers to think how to use the 2.5x higher resolution touch-screen, 2x larger touch-screen (the device still remains pocketable, the surface of the device is probably screen-only with a very thin screen bezel), the larger up to 500GB built-in storage, the more powerful ARM Cortex A8 processor (no other currently available Android devices by HTC or Samsung have such powerful ARM processor yet), the 720p video decoding DSP and the advanced 3D acceleration.

Speculation:
Although all these High-End Android features sound like they could be more expensive, I speculate that Archos may release Android devices with unlocked HSDPA 3G capability starting at $150 to $400 depending on the screen size and the flash memory or hard drive storage of each different model: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=23496

Quotes from Archos’s Appslib.com website:

We believe in the future, and we are convinced that the future is about High-End Android devices.

if you want to develop specifically for new high-end devices, you may want to follow a few guidelines. By High-End devices, we mean devices that are not only smartphones, but all kind of tablets, PDA, PNDs or picture-frames. Devices that will tomorrow provide the same kind of experience than a PC, mobility added.

AppsLib is a co-venture with ARCHOS. Our target is to be available on a large variety of devices, from a lot of manufacturers. But we believe ARCHOS has got what it takes to become the future of Android devices. If you want to develop on a new generation of product, you should consider the following suggestions.

These words speak loudly that Archos really believes that they are releasing a new revolution for Android, making it High-End with the same kind of experience as on a PC and that developing software for it will require to follow new guidelines.

Speculation:
These new suggested guidelines from Archos could also work for High-End Android netbooks! I do not know if Archos will release ARM based Android netbooks (or call them Smartbooks or Laptops, whichever you prefer), but I have been speculating that it would be a good idea for Archos to do so: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=23496
I have speculated that Chrome OS is basically going to be the same as Android 2.0 (why wouldn’t Chrome OS support Android type applications, both are for embedded Linux platforms) just with this same kind of new guidelines like the Archos AppsLib guidelines to better support all these Laptop centric hardware and user interfaces: http://charbax.com/2009/07/16/chrome-os-android-20/

Archos guidelines for High-End Android applications support 720p HDTV output. Meaning that Android applications will be able to be made to support resolutions of at least 1160×652. Imagine connecting your Archos Android Device to your HDTV, connect a Mouse and Keyboard, and you will have a Complete PC-like experience right there. With hopefully full Google Chrome browsers available for ARM devices soon, with Opera Browser and Firefox Fennec, the experience of browsing the Internet on the latest ARM Cortex processor used by Archos should provide a full PC-like experience right there. And your Android applications could provide advanced Word processing, even photo and video editing features if they use for example the cloud to grid-encode and grid-render videos and photos and only streams back a thumbnails view within the advanced multimedia full screen Android applications. A good high resolution remote desktop viewer could also allow your Archos Android Device to function as a full X86 Desktop hypervisor and you could virtualize any desktop remotely even from the Internet.

Archos also promotes new full OpenGL 3D acceleration guidelines for Android products. Thus look forward to free Android applications that could emulate any console from NES, SNES even to N64 and the Dreamcast and play OpenGL Linux compatible games like Quake3 at full framerates on your HDTV.

You can discuss this news at http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=25174

Apple has long time been playing its own illegal antitrust case defying rules of locking consumers of the ipods in with their proprietary itunes software. This has created for Apple a situation of monopolistic control over hardware and the use of “legal” music sales on digital music playing devices. Because of the illegal itunes/ipod/iphone lock-down, Apple has a 72% market share in mp3 players and has been able to sell millions of iphones.

Palm is the first company in the consumer electronics industry to stand up to this despicable business practice and so Palm has engineered their new Palm Pre smartphone to be recognized by the itunes software as a regular ipod. And thus allow for synchronization of all contents from itunes that are not using Apple’s proprietary copy-protection. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/technology/companies/04palm.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

I find that to be a courageous and significant first step from a competitor of Apple in the mp3 players market to stand up for their rights of fair competition in the free market economy. Apple cannot lock itunes consumers into having to buy Apple products forever just because they purchased or synchronized a few songs through Apple’s multimedia content synchronization software.

As the webmaster of ArchosFans.com I am strongly suggesting that Archos should do everything to add the same functionality as Palm has done on all future Archos devices, to make them all look like ipods when detected by the itunes software. If not for else, it would be a strong message from Archos that they too are now sick of Apple’s monopolistic practices. That it is simply not fair and illegal under EU antitrust regulation, for a company to lock consumers in for life under a proprietary software/hardware ecosystem. That interoperability is not only good for consumers, it is the basic principle that all software and hardware platforms should abide by.

If I was able to advise Archos’s press releases team, I would recommend them to immediately issue an official statement from Archos saying that they support Palm’s case to the USB consortium and that Archos will stand by Palm in any eventual antitrust lawsuit if they wish to pursue such against Apple. Archos should not be afraid to use strong language to describe the actual situation that Apple has put Archos and the rest of the Mp3 player competition in.

You can discuss this story at http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=25034

Tony Limrick of Archos UK seems to have confirmed that the Archos Android devices will have Bluetooth support. This would be very significant for following features:

- Bluetooth headset. If holding a 4.8″ device to your ear feels uncomfortable, and you can answer calls without taking it out of the pocket.

- Bluetooth keyboard

- Bluetooth mouse

- Bluetooth remote control, no need for infrared remote control that only works when pointing it to the Archos in DVR Station mode anymore.

- Other Bluetooth accessories imaginable like I am imagining the ultimate watch would be an Android notifications and contact list compatible Bluetooth watch. Imagine just looking at your wrist watch when the phone calls, to see who’s calling without having to take out your Archos from your pocket. Imagine clicking on a touchscreen watch to pick the contact from the contact list to dial. Or imagine that on any incoming Android notifications, that you could view them on your wrist watch, text messages, status updates and more.

- Bluetooth microphone, if there is a built-in or external camera, then one or several compatible Bluetooth microphones might be one of the best ways to record high quality sound wirelessly when shooting videos.

- Bluetooth headphones, which also in combination with the tie-clip Bluetooth microphone, could be more comfortable to use than a Bluetooth headset.

- Archos could be used for wireless secure payments, for indoor precise localisation functions, for wireless ticketing, for secure wireless door opening, for passport control, for digital visit card transfer and many other such potentially revolutionary features.’

Source of this information is http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/archos-md-reveals-details-on-android-phone-619661