Archos attempt to resurrect the UMPC category of devices got off to a good start yesterday in Paris with the launch of its 16-mm thick
Archos 9 pctablet -- a 8.9-inch 1024x600 pixel tablet riding an 800MHz or 1.2GHz Atom Z515 processor, 1GB of memory, up to 120GB disk, webcam, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g WiFi, and SIM card slot for WWAN connectivity.
Archosfans just posted a video of the Archos 9 prototype in action and honestly, that resistive touch-screen looks pretty damn impressive to finger taps. However, since it's running Windows 7, a full-blown desktop OS, you'll still need to pull out the included stylus on occasion to interactive with the Windows 7 UI or applications designed for a mouse and keyboard. Fortunately, the Archos 9 offers an optical mouse on the right-side bezel and left and right mouse keys along the left. Other notable highlights include a removable battery of undetermined capacity, a docking port for added expansion (Ethernet, 2x USB, VGA output), stereo speakers, and an adjustable kickstand for viewing video or working on the Archos 9 with attached USB keyboard and mouse. The Archos rep says it'll be priced between €450 and €500 when it ships around the time
Windows 7 launches at the end of October. What we're wondering is how much finger-friendly UI customization will be included by Archos and how they plan to market the device to consumers who already own smartphones, laptops, and even netbooks. Video after the break.
P.S. While
Archosfans claims the Archos 9 is multi-touch, nothing that we've found supports that claim on the Archos site or in the video demonstrations. Nevertheless, multi-touch resistive touchscreen technology does exist as
demonstrated to us by Stantum back in February. In fact, the ASUS Eee PC T91 also features an 8.9-inch resistive display that
does support mult-touch.
posted Jun 12th 2009 4:22AM
why does he keep saying "AHKUS"
its ar-kose
ARKK-HUS NEIN
Yea, that was pretty annoying. Was thinking even about muting the sound. Otherwise looks like a good gadget. Before i could say if i wanted it or not, i better had a try with it first... heh
Archos is French, and while Charbax (narrating the video) is Danish, he speaks fluent French, so I'm willing to defer to him on the pronunciation.
"r" in french is not really the same as "r" in English. it's more like a "gh" throat sound that doesn't exist in english... .and from listening to the different dialects around the world, i'd say some countries/speakers seem to place more of an english "r" (as in "right") into its pronunciation than others.
So in short he is saying "archos" and it does sound like "ahkos" and it's not really that big of a deal, he only said it like 5 times in the whole video.
Why the fuck should he speak like you?
@SoulinEther
gh? Man, I don't know if/where you learned to speak French but that is so not the way it sounds when it's spoken. True, it is a guttural sound which has no English equivalent. It's more akin to hocking up phlegm, as in faire, regarder, cravat, travaille, grand. Look up some pronunciations online.
I called Asus ASS-UH instead of AY-ZOOS for the longest time.
I always pronounced it A-sus...A like Eh... Like Canadians...
Asus is Chinese, and I've heard it is pronounced AR-soos by the Taiwanese.
Just like Suse is German and it is pronounced SOO-zer.
And Linux is pronounced lee-NOOKS.
The cow goes Sha'ZOO!
Biggest pet peeve: how they pronounce "Puma" in HK. "Pyuuu-ma," anyone?
Oh my God I love it!!!!!!!
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I also love the "resistive screen with multitouch".... it's great Archos pulled that off....
Windows 7 really, FTW.
What do you think to the price though?
It's exciting to see a desktop OS scale so well though!
Sentence structure fail, though.
Oh well, no one will have to notice, as the engadget comment system is so fully featured that I'll just sneak into my previous post and edit it.
Oh, wait...
Oh yeah. This is literally a desktop PC that could fit in your coat.
scrolling on it is ridiculous.
However resistive multitouch > capacitive multitouch.
Discuss.
Resistive touchscreens = capacitive touchscreens.
Basically: cap screens more sensitive, res screens more accurate.
Please note: Windows 7 has guestures for navigation on touch screen. The PR people in this video clearly don't know them or use them.
You can flick to scroll etc
I really want to see this thing function as a note-taking tablet - a full-fledged PC with tablet capabilities all in a netbook form factor. This could easily be the hottest thing on college campuses by the upcoming fall.
omg thats awesome!
and what happened to all those people who said resistive can't do multi touch...
Umm gee wiz, they probably saw the earlier story on here where they finally made it happen through some hackery?!??
Resistive touchscreens suck.
Wow, I have to hand it to Archos for really bringing a device I normally wouldn't bother with due to a physical keyboard to something I'd really consider for ultra-portable needs.
I'm used to the iPhone's keyboard, while not perfect it's good enough where I can type on it pretty quickly and accurately for the most part.
I'll definitely be following this device on the road to October.
if its like any other Archos product the battery life will suck, it will break down after a few weeks and customer service will set new bench marks in hopelessness.......
(yes i have been burnt by Archos before......badly)
Bravo. Apparently, nobody else here has owned an Archos product!
I own the 705 Wi-Fi; besides a battery replacement, the machine works great.
6 hours of video life, 30 hours audio.
I will definitely consider replacing my 705 with this new one, I just want Archos to go with larger HDD space. 160 GB doesn't cut it. Give me 320 and 500.
This is brilliant! Make another, 1 inch thick, no multi-touch, with the standard netbook hardware (1.6ghz+gma 950) for 450$ and I will take it. Would be lovely for play some RPG or Adventure game. a few customizable buttons on the sides would be nice.
no matter how good this is, i will never put money into the pockets of archos again after that piece of utter shit the archos 5. Biggest waste of money, ever. One of the most unreliable products I have ever owned.
Perhaps it won't suck because Archos is not designing the OS this time around.
In short:
Blow me, Archos.
Did you read the reviews before buy?
I'm surprised that you even brought one of their products at all. Cause, from your name, I thought you were more likely to buy Chinese rip-off products. :P
Oh look, new possible Hackintosh tablet. Sweet.
I admit that would be cool just for the kick of it. I would try win7 for myself though...
Looks really easy to use. Not.
I'm sorta with you on this one. It's a bit too wide to thumbtype on, and a bit too flat and maybe narrow to touchtype on...
But it sure makes up for that cumbersomeness by looking pretty modern/sharp and being narrow. And, at least from that low-fi youtube video, the screen looks gorgeous.
Looks good! What about an attachable keyboard to turn it into a netbook when needed? That would be pretty cool. Of course wireless methods could be used but I think that an attachable kb would be most effective.
It has a USB port, you can plug in any USB keyboard you want.
"you'll still need to pull out the included stylus on occasion to interactive with the Windows 7 UI or applications"
I am written article?
I would probably want the exact same thing (with a multitouch screen) but with a physical keyboard for retro gaming...
It seems very reactive, and seing windows 7 run on something this small is sweet.
Hey Engadget ?
Did you actually watch the video ?
It say VERY clearly : Sim card slot ..HSDPA ready.
What's wrong with you ? you think it's a detail maybe ?
Nice one..
Hey Felix, read the article "SIM card slot for WWAN connectivity" -- Thomas
put Tegra, Snapdragon or Ion and Andriod in there and watch it fly. Looks really awesome rather this than a low powered small screen MID
fool, snapdragon and tegra are for phones dude. theyre much much slower than a core 2 duo, and ion is simply a combo of atom and the 9400, which also runs about as fast as dirty filth water in comparison to a core 2.
i love these noobs who just throw out terms and think it is fast cuz it has a cool name or is new.
Dear Annoying poster get a fricking life you tard and dont talk shit you dont know bout
Hey Thomas,
"In fact, the ASUS Eee PC T91 also features an 8.9-inch resistive display that does support mult-touch."
The guy in the video didn't specify that the T91 he played with had a resistive screen, and also he was told that the final T91 won't be shipping with the multitouch screen, so chances are the that was a special prototype fitted with a capacitive touchscreen. Just my guess.
Richard, you might be right. The T91 definitely has a resistive display at initial launch though.
http://www.asus.com/News.aspx?N_ID=Qoky5bTcRplYluPj
Indeed, Thomas. I do remember the T91 having a spongy screen back at the CES (although they only had ExpressGate on), and now looking back at the video, the screen does seem to warp a bit when the guy presses on it, so maybe it was a resistive one after all.
Ah well, exciting times. Let's just hope that ASUS will enable this feature when Win 7 launches (assuming it really isn't restricted by hardware, like Stantum's).
He said 3 hours to the battery question.
It looks interesting, but I'm very concerned that so many people are willing to come out to complain about support / hardware / software from prior products. I'm looking for a slate like the Viliv X70 or something like it. This is nice because it's a bit bigger, but the complaints definitely give me pause.
can someone please tell me what a resistive touchscreen actually is?
You know the touch screens that have been around for years, the ones that feel kinda soft and plastick?
Those are resistive screens.
The better, new ones do feel a little better.
Misspelling plasticky doesn't bother me, cause I don't think it's really a word.
Accidentally backspacing the "y" however, just makes me look like I can't spell.
Dammit.
ah, ok, so in effect the "resistive touchscreen" means a cheaper and older touchscreen ? :)
plasticky should be added to the dictionary ASAP!!!!
Not exactly, resistive is older tech, but new resistive screens are on par with capacitive screens.
Just like everything else it depends on the user, if you want a stylus resistive is pretty much a must.
They can also be less expensive for similar performance.
Anybody who says either cap or resist are better than the other, in all circumstances, is selling something.
As nice as this is, it doesn't make me want to give up my Q1. For those who don't know the specs: 7-inch capacitive screen, stereo speakers, 900mhz Celeron (1.2ghz Pentium avail), installed 2 gigs of memory, Wifi, Bluetooth, microphones, 2 USB ports, Ethernet, 6 hour battery life (w/extended batt.), compact flash reader, VGA out, and a real kickstand which I bet will last a lot longer that the stick on the Archos. AND I can tether my cellphone to get online. And that's just the 1st iteration of the platform. Later models are even better.
The screen is absolutely gorgeous but it's also nearly 2 inches wider and could be more cumbersome to carry around. Granted the included keyboard sucks, but there is a free keyboard, Zero Weight Keyboard, which is transparent and full screen and is a joy to type on. It will never replace a physical keyboard but it makes the UMPC experience much, much more enjoyable.
Demo at 2:50 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqCGJptj-Gw
Er...the Q1 is unrepentantly ugly, overwhelmed with buttons, and awkward. I wouldn't sacrifice a regular laptop to get one, size factor be damned.
That being said, I won't be jumping on the Archos bandwagon anytime soon either. As many have said, their products are fault-ridden as a rule. The design and the touchscreen are a step in the right direction though.
Looks great and I really like Archos hardware it's just they drop support way too fast for their models. Does this mean the Archos 5 I just purchased won't get anymore firmware updates to fix the random restarts and other quirks I have?
Tikiwk... you have great reason to be concerned. I was a long time Archos support. Was with them from the beginning. There products USE to be fantastic. Somewhere along the way, they became more concerned about profit. Now I know all companies are there to make a profit, but this company is ONLY concerned about that. They pump garbage after garbage out. I got tired of paying $600 plus another $100 in plug ins to be their BETA tester. Then once they got the units HALF WAY stable, they would just come out with a revised version of the same crap and expect you to buy that, because all support for the old unit is dropped in a second. Even worse is that bugs that have been in generations from 8 years ago, ARE STILL IN THE UNITS BEING SHIPPED TODAY. Their DVR stations have had the same damn bugs in them for the past THREE generations. They originally acknowledged those problems and said they would be fixed. Once they realizes that their tech's absolutely were worthless, they went back on their word, and acted like we were all nuts about the bugs, crashes, and issues. I am the biggest Anti-Apple person you would ever see... but Archos has STOLEN so much money from me (not paying me to be a full time BETA tester is just one example), that I would buy ANYTHING from Apple before I but one more damn thing from this lemon of a company. People like Charbax will try to tell you otherwise, but keep in mind that this clown has half of his life savings in their stock (which is falling like a boulder for the reasons I listed above). Do yourself a favor and just go with Apple or Microsoft. While those two argue about who is really what, they are also SUPPORTING and FIXING bugs and issues as they become know... not denying them and pumping out new units every 4 months.
I couldn't agree with you more. After my current archos 5, I'll never buy their products again. The first one died after 2 months so had to go through archos for repair (good luck for those who haven't tried, several 90+ min calls went unanswered). The thing crashes all the time and firmware updates aren't doing anything. They falsely advertise an HD plug-in that wasn't ready for 9 months after product launch!! And as missionsparta stated, WHY are you selling an expensive piece of hardware with BETA software on it?? I can't wait to see how archos tries to nickel and dime us on the new 9, maybe we'll be lucky enough to be charged $20 to 'unlock' windows media player.
I agree also with the negative view of Archos support. I used to have the Archos 704 WiFi tablet, purchased for just under $500 (thankfully, Amazon took it back for an 80% refund after 12 months!). Archos never provided a newer version of the Opera web browser, even though the version on the machine would crash frequently and would fail to render many, many web pages. All support questions were answered with things like: "Maybe in the future..."
STAY AWAY FROM ANY ARCHOS PRODUCT - it will become obsolete almost instantly and you will never get any of the bugs in it fixed. You will be throwing away your money. Stick with "name brand" companies: Samsung, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, etc.
Thank you MissionSparta and Wayne and ArchosSmarchos. I appreciate the time you guys took to warn us about the troubles you've experienced. I'm sorry you had such a horrible time with their product.
I don't know if I should try the Samsung Q1EX or the Viliv X70. For sure, I love Windows XP and don't mind Ubuntu as well, and the X70 is very sexy. It's new, but it's also a company I don't know anything about... Viliv. Samsung has been around and it's a reputable company but I don't know how often they update their products to fix bugs.
Anyway, thanks for the cautionary words. I'll stay clear of Archos.
I semi-agree with some comments regarding Archos tech support. It can be frustrating to deal with them at times, but I also have never had a problem solved by talking to an Apple Genius either by phone, or at an Apple Store. My biggest problem with Archos tech support is the cavalier attitude of some tech support personnel I have talked with after spending an hour waiting for the call to be answered. I still believe Archos offers the best PMP's available in the US. I have 2 Archos 5's and had several 605's before them. I use the Archos 5's daily, have dropped them too many times, and yet they still work fine. I purchased the Archos 5 to record my favorite TV programs, and watch them while away from home the next day. Works fine - great picture quality, and operates without any problems. I am not denying other posters had problems, I have not experienced similar problems. I did not purchase the Archos products for web browsing, but the bigger screen (resolution, and physical size) does offer a better browsing experience than the iPod touch for me.
If you want to record video directly to a device for mobile watching later, consider the Archos, the experience has been very positive for me.
I do understand that there are some problems with some of the Archos products but my Archos 5 that I have had for a few months has been perfectly fine. My Archos 5 is amazing. It is called an "Internet Media Device" but that is definitely not what it is best at doing. The Archos 5 has a few things over ipod touch but the ipod also has a few things that the Archos can't do. Personally, I like the Archos more but these two "can" be considered pretty close to each other. What the engadget guy has just said about the recording and the excellent screen, i completely agree with. The add-ons that you can buy for it are amazing. These can add so much more to the Archos like the DVR station but some of the others, I must say, aren't the best. The one thing that really pissed me off is that you have to pay so much more money for the plug-ins which should come with it when you buy the product. Just for you that haven't had an Archos before, they are great products but some of them have to be sent back in(which a lot of other products you have to do the same thing with) its just the risk that you have to take. I agree with engadget that this is the best PMP available in the US. I have also owned a cowon which has given me a different experience. I just hope that you won't have to pay more money for plug-ins for this Archos 9.
Give me this plus a Pixel Qi screen and I'm sold.
I don't see why you would need plug-ins in Windows 7. You would just need to install stuff like a normal computer I would think. The plug-ins were there because the OS was Archos branded.
The guy in the Asus video clearly says Asus is not yet shipping the multitouch version, so it's not obvious to me that the device he is playing with has the resistive touchscreen listed in current product specs. It's awfully shiny for a resistive screen.
If it had DVD drive and tv turnner I would buy one 600.00 then it would be the perfect gadget
Multitouch doesn't necessarily mean that it can detect multiple points.
It can also mean Lenovo's definition, which means an LCD with a resistive sensor on top, and a Wacom sensor on bottom. So, when the stylus is in range, it behaves as a Wacom tablet, when it's not, it behaves as a resistive panel.
Looks slick and runs rather fluidly. This device is what the Apple fans has been waiting almost 2 years for, and at any rate will not see it EVER!.
Thanks Steve for saying a multibillion dollar company cannot do this, while other small companies are moving product lines with way greater number of model diversity for years. Archos being one of them.
wow, that's like, the first resistive touchscreen I might WANT to use.