We hate to be the bringers of bad news, but it looks like the Archos 9 might be serving as a bit of a morality tale, showing why and how PC hardware and software might not be quite ready for the large form factor tablet experience. That’s not to say there aren’t some plusses to the device pointed out by UMPC Portal in its review, like the great build quality and style of the tablet, the sensitive, flush touchscreen, and some great connectivity, but the sum seems less than its parts. The primary blame can be laid at the feet of the 1.1GHz Atom Z510 processor, which is sluggish and single-threaded, and Windows 7 Starter, which is lacking in the standard Windows 7 tablet functionality. We don’t know all the reasoning at play here, but the result is a slow computer with a hacked-on touchscreen keyboard at a $550 pricepoint that doesn’t the hit handheld UMPC size sweetspot and can hardly stand against a netbook in cost or utility. Sounds kind of mean when we say it like that, doesn’t it?

Trying to satisfy that browser-only touchscreen tablet urge? Well, you’re sort of in luck. Those Atom-powered Archos 9 tablets are out and about , and the fine folks at UMPCPortal have slung a copy of Google’s Chromium OS onto one. Unfortunately, since there’s no touchscreen keyboard in the OS (yet), and the touchscreen input isn’t even recognized, this is more of a “proof of concept” than a killer app. Still, we like where this is headed.

For those of you who just can’t wait for whatever tablet goodness Apple is dreaming up, the Archos 9 running Windows 7 might be the answer. But wait—is that Windows 7 Starter Edition? Unfortunately, yes, which means that this version won’t take full advantage of Windows 7’s tablet capabilities. Still, UMPC Portal reports a solid 3 hours of battery life, 60GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, and a 1.1Ghz Atom under the hood. Our initial hands-on impressions were generally favorable , and there’s nothing really here to contradict that (although $500 is still pretty steep). UMPC will be giving more updates today that we’ll keep an eye on.

It’s been a long time coming, but the Archos 9 is finally being unleashed wholesale upon the world. The 9-inch tablet has been delayed and had its price hiked , but if you haven’t leapt off the hype train yet you’ll be interested in watching the unboxing and initial impressions video after the break courtesy of UMPCPortal . The 60GB device contains a mere 1.1GHz Atom processor and has been unfortunately crippled with Windows 7 Starter Edition, lacking the cool tablet features that you might have wanted to use on a tablet device . A few times during this video the Archos is likened to the Joojoo , which will almost surely face some delays of its own before receiving a similar berth months from now. Overall it’s looking like a nice machine if you have the bank — and don’t want to do anything particularly processor intensive. Continue reading Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video) Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:56:00 EST

Archos has already made it abundantly clear that its Windows 7-based Archos 9 media player is US-bound, but just in case you were worried over legalities, this FCC filing should crank your stress level down a notch. Best of all, this particular entry includes external and internal photographs, meaning that the camera-toting employees within the deep, dark FCC labs are actually credited with handling the (admittedly messy) dissection. Shocking pixels await you in the read link, so make sure you go in fully prepared. [Via jkkmobile ] Filed under: Handhelds Archos 9 PMP sneaks into the FCC, gets dissected when caught originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

We’ve heard a few different prices and release dates for the Archos 9 tablet since it was introduced early last month, but it looks like Archos has now come out and finally clarified things a bit — in the UK, at least. Apparently, it’ll be offering both 80GB and 160GB versions of the tablet in the UK, which will run

We already knew pretty much everything about the Archos9 tablet netbook running Windows 7 , but with nobody sure what kind of touchscreen the thing uses, we’re left to wonder if we’d want anything to do with a resistive-touchscreen tablet. Crave got a little hands-on with the svelte Atom-powered Archos9, and without even thinking about it, published their post calling it a fairly accurate capacitive touchscreen. That makes us happy: Tablets, especially a little guy like this 9-incher, need as accurate tracking as they can muster. Archos’s previous “tablets,” the Archos 5 and 7, used mushy resistive touchscreens that worked okay but are firmly last-gen right now, and we’re excited to see a slick capacitive interface with the highly-touchable Windows 7 OS. Yet in Archos’s press release for the Archos9, they list the screen as resistive. Now we trust Crave, and we believe that they (like the rest of us) can tell the difference with each finger press.

The Archos 9 Windows 7 touch tablet has made it through its first round of show floor pageantry, briefly falling into the the expectant hands of the guy(s) from ArchosFans . The mildly romantic encounter was captured on video, for posterity. The most important piece of the Archos 9’s hardware—its 9-inch resistive touchscreen—works quite well here. (It’s on smaller screens where the difference between resistive and capacitive screen starts to stand out, but that’s another story .) The rest of the hardware, barring the alarmingly creaky “kickstand,” looks solid and attractive, especially considering the $650 price point. (No US release date yet, sadly)

Although we have yet to hear anything about an Android MID from their event today, Archos has announced the Archos9—a UMPC that runs Windows 7 . Unlike its predecessors, which are basic touchscreen internet media tablets, the Archos9 is a touch tablet that can run a full computer OS. It also features a built-in webcam, 120GB of memory, full touch support, an external mic, streo speakers, and a toggled-on optical trackpad and an on-screen keyboard, and will be available in Europe this October—around the same time as Windows 7’s release—for €450 ($635). Not far behind the quiet April release of the Archos 2 , the Archos 3 has made an appearance on Archo’s web site. Looking slim and shiny, the Archos 3 is an 8GB MP3 player, which touts a 3-ich color touchscreen, 14 hours of battery life, and supports photo, audio and video playback, voice recording and more

Archos is currently having an event in France, and while we’re still expecting some sort of Android announcement , the company’s leading off with the Archos 9, a nine-inch Windows 7 tablet. It’s basically a netbook in tablet form, with an Atom Z515 processor, 80GB disk, Bluetooth, and dual DVB-T antennas — yep, Archos has brought back the UMPC. No word on pricing or availability yet, we’ll let you know. Update: Sounds like a 1.2GHz processor — not exactly a rocket, but probably adequate for a stripped-down Windows 7 build.