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.
No more bowing
06/11, 02:47pm (2 replies) reply
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.
bsaxton
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Joined: Jan 2000
screen size ?
06/11, 02:53pm reply
you dont even mention the screen size ?
mullum
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Joined: Oct 2007
resistive screen
06/11, 02:54pm reply
To bad it's a resistive touchscreen and not multitouch. The price seems ok, 450 euro is the average european price for an american device that costs $450.
Peter Bonte
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Bows?
06/11, 03:24pm reply
WTF?
MyRightEye
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Joined: Apr 2008
wait!
06/11, 05:25pm reply
I thought Apple was releasing their tablet at WWDC. Did we all miss it after the exciting iPhone 3.0 news?
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Interesting
06/12, 03:53am reply
I've been using Win7 for a while and I think it's a genuine improvement (up there with Win95 and XP as a Windows release, if that means anything).
But what those screenshots show to me is the reason why the Apple tablet probably continues to be delayed - hitting some of those menus and selection lists using a finger is going to be near impossible - the interface is basically optimised towards using a small pointer (mouse or pen) - and much the same is true with OS X.
The iPhone OS X on the other hand, is probably too simplistic (people are already seeing the limitations of always jumping back to a single switchboard of all applications).
JulesLt
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Joined: Jul 2005