Archos 9 tablet PC runs Windows 7

IDG News Service — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:49:45 -0400

Archos has announced that its Windows touchscreen tablet PC - the Archos 9 - will hit the UK this autumn for £450.

The Windows Vista version will be available in September, while a Windows 7 alternative will likely hit the market shortly after the operating system's official launch on October 22.

Sporting a 9in screen, the Archos 9 is designed for both entertainment and work. It includes twin TV tuners capable of picking up Freeview channels, while an onscreen keyboard is designed to cater for office apps. A 'reverse mouse' - operated by rolling a finger over a trackball - sits to the right of the screen.

A stand at the rear of the tablet can be adjusted so the screen is angled appropriately for whichever application is running - while sitting back and watching videos Archos envisages users adjusting the screen to a more upright position; when typing emails and writing documents the screen is more likely to be flatter to the table.

The 16mm-thick tablet includes a 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor, and either a 60GB or 120GB hard drive. The latter will add a £50 premium to the Archos 9's £450 base price.

Archos has also launched a new range of portable media players.

First off is the Archos Clipper, a £20 iPod shuffle competitor that weighs just 20g and hold 2GB worth of music.

Also new is the Archos 2 Vision, an 8GB music player with a 2in colour touchscreen that'll cost £50 and the Archos 3 Vision, a more powerful media player with a 3in touchscreen, 8GB capacity, and shipping with a composite cable for TV hook-up. The Archos 3 Vision will cost £90.

All three products are scheduled to become available in August.