Archos bows Windows 7-based touch tablet
updated 02:05 pm EDT, Thu June 11, 2009
Archos 9
Archos at its annual press event today launched the Archos 9. Unlike its smaller devices, the company's new tablet runs a full computer operating system in the form of Windows 7. The software gives the 9 full support for touch and is followed by both a button-toggled on-screen keyboard as well as an optical trackpad for more precise control.
To keep the tablet small and inexpensive, it uses a 1.2GHz Atom Z515 processor that can scale back to as little as 800MHz to save power. An 80GB hard drive provides disk space. Extras are few but involve Bluetooth for wireless peripherals as well as a DVB-T tuner to pick up over-the-air digital TV in Europe.
Archos plans to ship the 9 in October, when Windows 7 ships, for €450 ($636) in Europe. It's not known if or when the Archos 9 will appear in the US, though it will likely come without the DVB-T receiver. Most Archos devices are sold within the US.
The new design comes as Apple is also believed to be entering the touchscreen PC field with a near 10-inch touch device that could either be a tablet, like Archos' model, or else a netbook-sized computer whose touchscreen is secondary.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2000
No more bowing
Please stop saying "bow" - it doesn't mean "introduce". It means the front of a boat, or to bend over as a sign of respect. There is no meaning of "bow" that means to introduce. In fact, it means the opposite in the term, "to bow out". I've never heard of someone "bowing into" something. I suppose a company could vow something, but thats only if they plan to release something, not if they actually do.