ArchosVision
Latest
Archos's budget Vision A43VB PMP caught on camera making kittens sad (video)
It's been a few months since we last heard of Archos's supposed new player lineup, as all the talk lately has been tablet-this and tablet-that, but we finally have some video of a new Vision device, the A43VB. Somewhat tragically, though, it apparently is not a real Archos device at all, rather a re-branded discount media player given the Archos silkscreen and a UI refresh. The good news is this means a low cost -- just €99 (or $135) -- for this 8GB model with a 4.3-inch screen and microSD expansion, but the bad news is that the result is slightly janky. The plastic looks rough and the UI far from intuitive, leaving our friendly video guide below to decry "I cannot exit the cats." That said, this is not a final device we're looking at here, so with any luck things will be a bit cleaned up inside and out before retail. Just don't go hoping for a surprise infusion of Android before then.
Archos 7 Home Tablet (and PMPs) hands-on
Why hello there, Archos. My, what nice Android you have there. Tucked away in a little booth at CeBIT, the PMP maker was showcasing its latest 7-inch Home Tablet. Unfortunately, it was pretty barebones as far as content goes, but the vanilla Android 1.6 was running smooth, and if company precedence indicates anything, the video playback is still fairly solid. The selling point here, really, is a decent screen and that $200 or so price tag. No dice on espying Archos 8, though; we've passed by the company's booth twice now, and both times it had yet to be sent to the show floor. Instead, on hand were the A14VG and AV15VS, but there isn't a lot to say about music players with the same feature set you'd find in PMPs sold at grocery stores -- there's definitely a market, but it's targeted at your wallet more than your desire for cutting edge goods. Video of Archos 7 after the break. %Gallery-86988% %Gallery-87152%
Six supposed new Archos models rendered for your speculative enjoyment
Archos hasn't seemed to secure much love for its latest, the Archos 9 tablet, so maybe it's going back to what it does best for its next suite of products: a quintet of mostly straightforward players along with a titillating new flavor of the Archos 7. First is the simple and cheap Archos Key, a €20 device with 4GB of storage and microSD expansion. Then there's the Archos Vision Slim, a slenderized and button-free version of the original Vision, again packing just 4GB of storage but going for €40 this time. Next is the Archos Yamaha Vision 2, with an internal amp from Yamaha, integrated stereo speakers, and undisclosed storage quantity and price. Next we have the Archos 4 Vision, a 4.3-inch touchscreen model with TV output, microSD expansion, and what was previously understood to be 16 and 32GB of storage. Finally, perhaps the most interesting, is the Archos 3 Vision Camera, an 8GB player with an integrated camera that could make this into a Flip-replacing media player -- depending on the quality of the video, naturally. Oh, and did we forget to mention the purported Archos 7 with Android? It's worth restating. All are decidedly rendery looking and naturally this is all unconfirmed, but golly don't they look pretty.
Ultra-cheap Archos 1 Vision goes on sale across the pond
Need a relatively respectable DAP to shove in your next pair of gym shorts, huh? Yeah, we've all been there. If you happen to live on the right side of the Atlantic, Archos' 1 Vision just might be your ticket, as the diminutive, no-frills player is now available to purchase for the tidy sum of £24.99 ($41). For those in need of a refresher, this one's packing 4GB of internal storage, support for MP3, WMA, APE, WAV and FLAC files, compatibility with JPEG and BMP files and even an audio recording function for vocally jotting down grocery lists. There's still no word on a US release, but we're told this is the season for hope. Can we get a confirmation on that? Bueller?
Super cheap Archos 1 Vision DMP set for release this month
Archos has been on a real PMP tear as of late, releasing the Archos 2 Vision, 3 Vision, and the Clipper all in one pop back in August. The company's now launched yet another Vision model, the entry-level 1 Vision. This tiny little 4GB dude has a 1.5-inch LCD and supposedly gets about 20 hours of battery life per charge. No video support in this puppy, but the €30 (somewhere in the realm of $45) pricetag should temper some of your crushing disappointment over its lack of features. The Archos 1 Vision should be available in Europe by the end of November.
Archos 2 Vision, 3 Vision and Clipper spotted in French wilderness
With the 2 Vision's price and spec recently emerging, all that was missing were some "real life" shots of the player without studio lighting and professional makeup. Archos Lounge has gone and filled that gap, with the added bonus of some 3 Vision and Clipper sightings. Disappointingly, whereas the touch-sensitive horizontal slider originally looked to have been bracketed by buttons sitting flush with the case, in reality those are of the bumpy, cheap looking variety. We can take no umbrage with the thin casing though, as it looks just as skinny as we were led to believe. Hit up the read link to explore the player for yourself, or slide past the break to see it side by side with the 3 Vision. [Via CrunchGear]
New Archos 2 Vision PMP pictured, priced, and predictably short on battery life
Meeting what we'd call the bare minimum for being able to say there's "touch capabilities," the new Archos 2 Vision PMP has quietly stepped out of the shadows and onto UK retailer MyMemory's website. Just under the 2-inch, 220 x 176 resolution display is a tactile slider for menu navigation and volume control. The credit card-sized player also sports a FM tuner and recorder, a microSD slot in addition to internal memory, and support for MP3 / WMA audio and AVI video -- nothing too fancy here. Battery life is a depressing 10 hours for audio and 4 for video, which at €60 / $85 for 8GB and €99 / $140 for 16GB models, is just a tinge south of acceptable in our book. Europeans still intrigued can pick one up now, while US consumers will either need to pay a premium for import or just wait patiently. [Via DAP Review]
Archos Vision PMPs get UK pricing, August release
Few details were available when Archos announced its new lineup of PMPs last month, but today we can provide you with fuller specs and news of imminent UK availability. The new flagship model, 3 Vision, comes with a 3-inch touchscreen, 8GB of storage, microSDHC card slot, video playback, and a few extras like a voice recorder, calendar, stopwatch and an FM transmitter for streaming music to your Hi-Fi. Positioned as a direct competitor to the iPod Touch, the new Archos will cost nearly half as much at £90 ($148). Other models detailed today include the 2 Vision -- a 1.8-inch "credit card sized" player that loses video playback but gains a 16GB option, with prices likely to start at £50 ($82) -- and the Archos Clipper, a 2GB no-frills player priced at £20 ($32). [Via Pocket-lint]
