We've already seen the iPhone 3GS handily win an ARM Cortex A8-powered browsing bakeoff against the Palm Pre, but now that a few more devices have hit the scene with the processor it's time for another round, don't you think? Pocketables certainly does, and they've pitted the 3GS against a pretty eclectic group of devices, including the Sharp NetWalker Android "smartbook," the Archos 5 IMT, and the Archos 5 Android PMP. That's two Android devices, one funky proprietary OS, and the iPhone, all running different browsers on different variants of the same chip design, so there are obviously a lot of variables at play here, but the results are still interesting: the 800MHz Android Archos 5's WebKit browser was just a tick faster than the 600MHz iPhone 3GS, turning in an average page-load time of 9.0 seconds as opposed to 9.6, while the 800MHz NetWalker and 600MHz Archos 5 IMT trailed at 10.3 and 11.6 seconds. All we're taking away from that is that WebKit-based mobile browsers still seem to be the speed champs, but we're sure you have a different opinion.

Charbax of ArchosFans.com reports that the majority of issues encountered by early adopters of the Android-equipped Archos 5 Internet Tablet (not to be confused with the older Internet Media Tablet, ugh) have been remedied by the caped crusader that is firmware revision 1.1.01. Forum members do seem to corroborate that the previously habitual lockups are no more, but the complex update procedure has already (probably temporarily) bricked one user's device, while another still has random disconnects when transferring files from his PC under the new firmware. Still, if you've been among the unfortunate victims of the sloppy original software, this is a ray of light for you, and the read link -- featuring input from a source within Archos -- should be considered required reading.

The folks at Pocketables have an Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet with Android in house, and after the requisite unboxing they've put it up against the older, wiser Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet original. It's not quite a fair fight, since the Android model shown here has 32GB of flash storage compared to the old IMT's 250GB HDD (there's also a HDD option for the new Android tablet, a whopping 500GB), but there are some other notable differences like materials and curves. Thankfully for Archos fans those differences don't break compatibility with the optional Archos 5 mini dock, and overall the Android model seems to have just a slight bit of "premium" vibe to it.

It was only just allowed out to play, but Archos' five-inch, Android-sporting internet tablet has been called back in by its fastidious mother, a role played by Amazon in this case. Only the hard drive-based 160GB model is affected at present, with the 32GB version selling as normal and the half terabyte option out of stock already. Charbax of ArchosFans.com, a man in the know on this subject, has suggested this might have been caused by a firmware update wiping out some pre-installed Android apps, which is now being addressed. His site's forums and Amazon customer reviews, however, paint a different picture: there are consistent complaints about bugs and lock ups -- software issues that could well affect the other models in the line -- with some going so far as to suggest Archos has used its customers as Beta testers. There doesn't appear to be anything structurally wrong with the device, meaning a robust firmware update could remedy all ills, so now it's just a matter of waiting for Archos to do what it should have done before release.

[Via Pocketables]

Read - Amazon product page
Read - Archos Fans forums

Considering the tablet rumors swirling lately, we find it rather funny that Archos calls the new Android-based Archos5 an "Internet Tablet," but they've been doing it for so long we suppose they're allowed to cash in on the hype a little, right? In any event, the 5-inch PMP is now on sale at Amazon for in both 160GB ($390) and 32GB ($370) sizes -- yep, you can finally buy a non-phone Android device, and it's a pretty capable media player too boot, even if the usual Archos resistive touchscreen issues get in the way. Still, we know quite a few of you have been waiting for this -- anyone throwing down?

[Via Pocketables]

We heard the Archos 9 tablet was due alongside Windows 7, but just in case you were worried that preposition would be stretched to the limits of its definition, the company made clear at IDF that October 22nd was the target, making it day and date with Microsoft's latest OS. As for US price, it's a better-than-expected (at least as far as UK currency conversions go) $499 for the ultra-thin tablet. Mark your calendars accordingly, the diehards in the audience have less than a month to prepare their bank accounts. Now if only Archos would do something about that maladjusted resistive touchscreen...

[Thanks, Anthony]

We'd heard that Archos had teased an Android-based phone when it launched the new Archos 5 Internet Tablet, and now we have video proof. We don't speak French well enough to translate what's being said here (or, really, translate anything other than "le singe conduit l'autobus") but that spec sheet isn't too hard to figure out: we're looking at a 1GHz ARM Cortex processor under a 4.3-inch 854 x 480 screen in 10mm thin titanium casing with what looks like a front-facing camera. Yeah, not too shabby at all, especially considering Archos has that interesting media layer running on top of Android already -- let's hope we find out even more soon. Video after the break.

[Thanks, Fernando]

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

It was the best of ideas. It was the worst of ideas. It was the age of innovation. It was the age of stagnation. It was the epoch of developing a bold new computing platform. It was the epoch of churning out another piece of converged electronics nobody needs.

Rumors have been swirling that PC operating system heavyweights Apple and Microsoft are developing forays into the world of tablet computing. Such devices will face strong competition from netbooks featuring low prices and a large library of applications remains to be seen. Two new entrants to the hardware world, the CrunchPad and Always Innovating's Touch Book, have already begun panning for gold with their Linux-based tablets. However, the waters are now attracting larger rivals designing tablets powered by Microsoft operating systems, albeit different ones.

Entering one of the few new categories at IFA earlier this month, Toshiba announced the JournE Touch, a 7" touch-enabled tablet running Windows CE designed for addressing the usual range of converged device chores, including accessing social networks and content playback, but there are a few tricks up its slender sleeve.

In an all-too brief teaser at a press conference across the pond, Archos decided to give a few more details and a teaser pic of the Android phone it announced back in February. According to the slide, it's got a 4.3-inch touchscreen with 854 x 480 resolution, a 1GHz ARM processor -- likely comparable to Archos 5, but pretty powerful considering what all other Android phones have so far arrived with -- and a 10mm-thick shell. Size and specs-wise, it matches up quite handily to the Snapdragon- and Windows Mobile-powered Toshiba TG01, although that one's already taking up retail shelf space, and it looks like we'll be waiting for some of those infamous Archos leaks if we want any more information the phone tablet in the near future.

Android has become many things to many people, but high-powered media devices haven't latched on to the OS just yet. Much of it has to do with the Android's immaturity: from what we hear, it doesn't even support hardware graphics acceleration, much less embrace multimedia and games. Archos has punched through that barrier by porting over its existing media-happy application layer from Linux to make good use of the 800MHz OMAP3440 processor they've stuffed inside the brand new (much leaked) Archos 5 Internet Tablet. The tablet runs a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 screen, and can pump out 720p video (including WMV and H.264) over HDMI. Because it's Archos' own special sauce, the device also supports protected WMV and protected WMA (hooray PlaysForSure), a rarity for Linux. With the optional DVR Station the device can do VGA TV recording, though you'll probably want to spring for one of the beefy HDD models, which offer capacity up to 500GB, but double the girth of the basic 0.4-inch thick flash player. There's also 802.11n WiFi, a bit of a rarity in portable devices like this, and quite a treat for 2.4GHz-addled city dwellers.

But that's all pretty regular Archos-ey stuff. The newness for Archos comes in the form of Android, which has been fairly seamlessly melded with the Archos layer -- which hovers over the vanilla Android install when needed. The OS scales up pretty nicely to 800 x 480, which is a relief because the touchscreen keyboard is a bit of a chore with the 5's resistive touchscreen. Since it's not a Google-blessed device, you'll have to score a copy of Gmail on your own time, but the regular Market is available if you want to risk going around the 5-optimized AppsLib store. Several third party apps are included out of the gate, including ThinkFree Mobile, which should be updated to allow for document editing in the near future. When plugged into a dock and paired with an optional mini-QWERTY keypad (or any regular Bluetooth keyboard and mouse) the 5 becomes a rather nice way to surf the internet on your TV. It's missing in-browser Flash, but there should be an update to rectify that soon. Out of the house the tablet offers a high-end GPS experience, including hugemongous birds eye photo maps of major cities, and can tether with a 3G phone over Bluetooth for a bit of data. So, Archos 5 might not be Android's killer device, mainly because it isn't a phone and doesn't make for pleasurable mobile data entry or consumption. Still, it's doing stuff with media that the relatively sluggish crop of Android handsets have failed at so far, and hopefully will spur the community to greater heights. The player is available as of today, with prices ranging from $250 to $440, not to mention accessories galore. Check out videos of the tablet in action after the break.

We wouldn't want to jump to conclusions, but Archos might just be onto something with its upcoming 9pctablet, which is due to launch alongside Windows 7. The Windows 7 bit isn't an accident, since it's really the first OS from Microsoft that makes it conceivable to use much of the OS with a finger, rather than the stylus. It's not all there, of course: Archos had to build its own touchscreen keyboard to replace Microsoft's woefully inadequate implementation, and there's an optical mouse sensor on the side of the display and a stylus buried within to pick up the slack.

Overall the hardware seems very solid and astonishingly dense, and despite the recent advancements we've seen in thin and light laptops, it's pretty incredible that Archos has a full Atom-based PC running inside this thin, fanless slab. What wasn't so incredible was the resistive touchscreen, at least on the unit we were playing with. Our touches kept getting misread inexplicably as an inch below where we were tapping, and it didn't feel like a "light touch" resistive model at all -- no confusing what we felt with capacitive, though perhaps we got a faulty unit. This is probably a scenario where resistive makes sense, but we'd say Archos has a lot of work to do on the drivers or something to make this more usable. The good news is that there will be an optional, super-slim external keyboard, which should make input on the 9 a bit less of a chore.

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

Curious about how well the new Archos 3 Vision portable media player stacks up to its bulkier, more voluminous predecessors? Perhaps the video review after the break courtesy of Archos Fans forum user roylovelock will satiate your curiosity -- it will, at least, make you a bit queasy thanks to the handheld camerawork. Placed next to an Archos 5 the thing looks positively lilliputian, but its 3-inch touchscreen seems more than adequate and, while 8GB of storage may not be much, microSDHC expansion offsets that. The review praises the device's functionality, including integrated FM receiving and broadcasting as well as its seemingly solid hardware design and upwards of five hours of video battery life. Not so highly regarded is the non-responsive UI, with a curious on-screen thumbwheel that looks highly unintuitive -- at least when used by this particular thumb. The video below is informative but a bit painful to watch, so feel free to skip straight to roylovelock's written impressions on the other end of that read link, which are rather more easy to take in on a Monday morning.

[Via Archos Fans]