May 19, 2009 by Tap
Back in February we first got word of Archos' plans to release an IMT (Internet Media Tablet) which combined a 5" media player with 3G voice support via Android's telephony stack. This speculation was confirmed again in March when the company's 2008 financial results were published, making mention of the IMT with a Q3 release date.
This month the French site ArchosLounge published details of an event to be held in Paris next month (June) which many have speculated hints at a possible release of the Android IMT based on the colour of the event invite, what you may call Android-green. The connection seems a bit tenuous, but may prove true. The real question however is does anyone care? Traditional smartphone users are not going to be tempted to move to the new Archos for its media player capabilities and it remains to be seen whether or not existing Archos users will buy into the idea. Archos obviously hopes that they will.
March 30, 2009 by Tap
Back in February Archos announced that they were working on a new Android-based Internet Media Tablet (IMT) for release in Q3 2009. The company has just published its 2008 financial results which re-confirm the release if the IMT. Here, in slightly mangled English thanks to Google, is what the original French report had to say.
Telephone: ARCHOS to integrate telephony to its future multimedia Internet tablet. This new functionality to meet the needs of communication and entertainment in a single mobile device. This product will combine the mobile and Google Android the ARCHOS multimedia applications.
On all these axes, ARCHOS will deliver innovative products and efficient and to extend its supply and cover the segments between 50 € and 500 €. ARCHOS is as follows:
- launching a line of MP3 products to address a market that remains important in volume;
- distribute netBook efficient and competitive (10 ARCHOS launched in February 2009);
- start the third quarter Multimedia Internet Tablet with Android phones.
So there we have it. We should start to see the IMT from around about July and it should cost no more than 500 € - that's about £465 and $663. Sounds interesting although I'm not too sure about holding something similar to an Archos 5 or 7 to my ear. Hopefully the new IMT will come with Bluetooth so that you can use a headset.
Source: Archos via Electricpig
February 10, 2009 by Tap
Known for their highly acclaimed media players and Internet Media Tablets, Archos today announced that they are working on a new IMT that will combine Google's Android telephony stack and the ARCHOS' multimedia framework. According to the official press release, "With the integration of voice, ARCHOS is looking to expand beyond portable media players to provide solutions for the converged space, where a foundation in high-quality video content delivery is a benefit." In addition to Android functionality and voice support, the new
ARCHOS' IMT will offer:
- PC-like Internet experience enhanced by a high-resolution 5” screen and full-width
page viewing
- Adobe Flash and Flash Video support, full screen
- Access whenever and wherever to TV, movies, photos, music and games
- Uncompromised TV recording and High Definition (HD) playback, all formats
- Hundreds of hours of video storage, up to 500 GB
- Innovative design: compact 10-mm ultra-thin tablet
- Long battery life, 7 hours’ video playback
- 3.5G 7.2 Mb/s HSUPA
- Laptop-like performance from the first implementation of OMAP3440 processor based on the ARM Cortex-A8 superscalar microprocessor and DSP
At this stage there is no word on exactly how the device will be launched or which operators will support it but it is scheduled for release in Q3 2009.
Via: Archos.com