We still gotta wait
until September 15th for the whole scoop, but
B&H has gone ahead and spoiled some of the mystery of Archos' Android-based
Archos 5, giving the internet tablet its own listing in a number of different storage capacity options, pictures in tow, as well as a $130 DVR station. Prices are currently listed as TBA, but fortunately it looks like the fine fellows at
ArchosFans managed to capture the page when there were more concrete dollar signs on each model, to the tune of $294 for 16GB SSD, $370 for 32GB SSD, $320 for 160GB HDD, and $420 for a 500GB HDD. In the DVR station pic we spotted "HD" listed in the video names, which gives us hope that even more of
those February leaks are coming to fruition. Screenshot of the with-price listings after the break.
[Via
ArchosFans; thanks,
Steve and Axel]
Read - 500GB HDD listing
Read - 16GB SSD listing
Read - 32GB SSD listing
Read - DVR Station
posted September 1st 2009 4:58PM
hopefully this latest archos has less problems than its predecessor.
It's running Android. Count on it to be somewhat of a mess.
@GRAMMAR POLICE: Huh? None of the existing android builds are "a mess"
It's really sad when a poor mans iPod Touch costs more than an iPod Touch.
@steve its really sad Archos is the only dap/pmp on the market offering 500gb of space, and doesn't require you to use crappy intermediary software like iTunes.
@Mark This is Archos we are talking about of course its going to be a mess and poorly put together.
@ Brdystyls
Sounds like you have never owned an Archos device.
Hopefully it gets more support and patches.
I have the A5 250 GB.
@BigD145
Archos has a history of software problems, but hopefully switching from proprietary OS or Android will alleviate those issues
"Software problems" as in crappy, expensive add-on packs. Android is our savior!
I'll get one once it get released ! i wanted to get Archos 5 250GB but i'll wait for the newer one and 500GB hopefully it will be sold for much lowered than the MSRP price for example amazon sell the current Archos 5 for about half of the MSRP.
they are selling the current one for half price BECAUSE there is a new one coming out.
Why does it have to be so expensive?
For the same price as a 16GB ipod touch, or the same price as a 32GB zune hd, you get 10x more storage in the Archos A5 160GB at $319. Archos provides a 3x larger resolution, 3x larger screen, 3x higher resolution video decoding support, 3x faster ARM Cortex processor. You really think this is expensive?
For about the same price as the 32GB ipod touch, Archos provides a 500GB Android tablet pocketable device!
And you get the gigantic Android clock, now is black!
Jamil = Fail
I will definitely be getting the 160gb model, go Android.
That had got to be one of the worst fakes ever. The perspective on the device is all off.
In before Archos tells engadget (and B&H) to take the pictures down.
hmm.. if the build quality has gone up since those internet media tablets they have now, I might pick one up.
So, since it has hard drive options, I'm guessing it's resistive touch screen? Since AFAIK HDD's interfere with capacitive touch screens. Meh. This thing is way to expensive.
The 16GB and 32GB models are actually cheaper than the iPod touch at the same capacity (although that will change come Sep 9th). And the 160GB model is cheaper than the 32GB one..
Seems pretty reasonable, provided they don't still have those expensive 'plugins' that old Archos have.
Right, but with rumors abound of a major price drop with the iPod Touch and already fully confirmed significantly lower price of the Zune HD, these just don't seem like a good deal.
Archos hasn't announced any pricing yet, these are leaks. If the competition lowers prices, Archos can easily change prices as well.
Right now, according to these leaks from B&H Photo Video site, the Archos A5 160GB costs only $20 more than the 16GB ipod touch. And the Archos A5 500GB costs only $20 more than the 32GB ipod touch.
Can someone explain why are these toys better than 12-inch netbook with Nvidia Ion?
They 100% absolutely are not.
Portability.
Two words... They Aren't.
Just like you said these are basically very expensive MP3 players. Internet Media Tablet is like sony saying it Vaio P isn't a netbook its a "LifeStyle PC". A very fancy name for PMP (portable media player) with a crappy internet browser that will crash the device after about 5 minutes.
I take my Archos in my pocket everyday for years. This makes me a better person. I can spend less time watching TV shows at home on my TV, since I can watch them in the bus or train everyday to/from Work/School. I can spend more time doing more constructive things like reading and commenting on Engadget when I am at home.
Putting the whole Internet and all the videos and music in the world in your pocket is a very powerful experience.
Also, ARM Android devices are much better than Intel. Intel is more expensive, costs more money, is hot, much heavier (5x-10x heavier), Intel consumes 10x to 20x more battery power thus requires to carry around 5x to 10x heavier batteries. Android is instant-on, supports GPS location awareness, accelerometers and other detectors. Android boots instantly, applications open instantly and are designed for mobile use.
You have to sit down to use Intel. Nobody really uses Intel devices in trains, busses, metros, in the park, in the school yard, in coffee breaks at work, on the backseat of cars. Archos pocketable tablets are all about being used in those situations.
do you have 12 inch pockets?
500gb $100 more...MANNN
im sure they have to make it bigger to accommodate the bigger sized disk but still...$100 more...
it'll be a hard to buy..but still a good buy
GPS?
Of course.
Mobile device with 3G and no GPS = fail /apple.
Apple doesnt make it.. seems like nobody cares. It is a tablet though right? Approx the same size? And indeed it does look like a nice piece of kit..
That term tablet is SO used loosely. Let alone internet tablet, that is just a joke.
A 64gb SSD model would've been perfect. I don't want a HDD and 32gb isn't enough.
64GB SSD's cost upwards of $150 by themselves, for a 2 1/2" drive. Making that fit in a media player and adding everything else needed would be just too expensive.
@Mark: News flash, the actual memory modules in a 2.5" 64gb SSD barely take up 1/4 of the available space. Size is far from an issue, the actual 2.5" SSD casing isn't exactly necessary..
500? i remember when the 100GB archos first came out...man was i impressed. way back in 10th grade, some 5 years ago
I still have my first MP3-player lying around: Creative Nomad Jukebox 2.
10 GB hard drive. I think the screen on that thing is approximately 1 inch. The device is about the size of a portable CD-player.
Archos will support this android version of their PMP line-up, until next Tuesday when they come up with some other wet dream. At which time all support for this will be dropped and owners will be stuck with the buggiest units every developed. I have said it a million times and will say it a million more.... AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE.
+1000points
I will second that.
@Danny "Their hardware + Android may be a winning combination."
Just because it says Android doesn't mean they didn't build their Android from scratch, just for their hardware. The hardware can be the next best thing since sliced bread and Archos will find away to screw it up for their customers and leave them with buggie, crash plagued version of Android. I would wait atleast 6 month from the release date before even attempting to buy one. After the 6 months I will probably do another month worth of research before making my final decision. So far, yawn. I am not going to waste my money on such things from Archos.
It's really a shame that it's true, because this device really does look nice.
The software they used on their devices is what usually ruined the Archos experience. The hardware is always nice. Their hardware + Android may be a winning combination.
You either want that much stuff in your pocket or you don't.
It's crudeness can be frustrating at times but there's no Apple that can match it.
A laptop-as-media-player doesn't really work either.
OTOH, it's open nature and the fact that an Archos is less picky about
what it will play turns out to be a very nice usability enhancement. It
mostly makes up for all of the other quirks and annoyances.
I have the current 160gb "5" and I couldn't be happier with it. Got a good deal on Amazon, and it works great as a PMP. I especially love the the fact it can stream movies from my PC over wireless. The only down-side is that it locked tighter than an IPOD. If Archos would let 3rd party developers have a crack at the thing it would be fookin amazing.
lets hope they haven't crippled Android in the same way.
Well using Android is the whole point, to bring in Google applications and any third party Android applications. Archos has launched http://appslib.com a couple of weeks ago, to let third party Android applications developers consider using Archos guidelines to make Android applications that make good use of the 3x higher resolution touchscreen, 10x higher HDTV HDMI output. Archos is hereby bringing the worlds first platform that supports 1280x720 Android applications and USB or Bluetooth mouse and keyboards!
There should be a poll.
How many features will this device support with "futures updates that will never come"?
or
How much more money will you spend on plug-ins for features that should already be supported?
Features from the previous generations $30 plugin (on top of existing built-in and free support for DivX/XviD, WMV, Mp3, Flac, Ogg Vorbis, On2 VP6, Flash video with H264) you got all of DVD resolution H264, Mpeg2, AC3, AAC, 720p DivX/XviD, 720p WMV support. You could say that "all those features that should already be supported". Yet none of ipod touch, iphone, existing HTC Android devices, zune hd, none of those products support any of those features.