Archos Gen-6 5G PMP is 3G Web Surfing, HD Video, Touchscreen Beauty

Archos just revealed what that curtain tease was all about: the 6th Gen Archos 5, 5G and 7 series PMPs. The 4.8" flagship 5G ditches the tired interface and buttons of the Gen-5 device for a slick UI and touchscreen-only operation. It's got Wi-Fi, HD video support, web browsing, email, a huge HDD (up to 250GB), and built-in HSPDA 3G connectivity. It's also got dock connectors, GPS, DVR, video/audio recording and more. In short, it's everything that the iPod touch isn't, and I got to touch it.

The interface on the 5G is incredibly smooth, scrolling is similar to the iPod touch, and the included Opera web browser does zoom and looks excellent. The device is intuitive and the touchscreen is responsive and big enough to really enjoy movie watching.

The 5 and 7 are also great devices, featuring 4.8" and 7" displays, respectively. They are 3G capable with a separate dongle, and otherwise feature all the great specs of the 5G. The 5 will be available in 60-, 120-, and 250GB varieties, while the 7 carries either 160GB or 320GB under the hood. The products will retail between $350 and $550 when they arrive in September (5), October (7) and January (5G). It's a good day for the little portable-media underdog. Spec sheet down below. [Archos]

Capacity
*60GB hard drive stores up to 80 Movies, 600,000 photos or 30,000 songs
*120GB hard drive stores up to 160 Movies, 1.2 million photos or 60,000 songs
*250GB hard drive stores up to 300 Movies, 2.5 million photos or 145,000 songs

Display
* High resolution screen, 800x480 pixels, 4.8'' TFT LCD, 16 million colors
* Touchscreen

Video playback
* MPEG-48 (ASP@L5 AVI, up to DVD resolution)
* WMV (MP@ML, up to DVD resolution) included WMV protected files
* M-JPEG (in QVGA resolution)

With optional software plug-ins:
* HD support: MPEG-4 (ASP 720p) & WMV HD (MP 720p)
* H.264 up to DVD resolution with AAC
* MPEG-2 MP@ML up to 10 Mbps (up to DVD resolution) and AC3 stereo sound (5.1)

Audio Playback
* Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 Kbits/s CBR & VBR, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV (PCM/ADPCM).
* With optional software plug-ins
*AAC9 and AAC+ stereo audio files
*AC3 stereo audio and 5.1 sound files (via SPDIF output of DVR Station)

Photo viewer10
* JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF

PDF viewer
* Reads PDF documents (may not implement all PDF features)

Video Recording11
* Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on. Records NTSC/PAL/SECAM in MPEG-4 AVI format with stereo sound, VGA resolution (640 x 480) @ 30 or 25 f/s

Audio recording
* Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on: Stereo line-in, WAV (IMA ADPCM or PCM) format
* Voice recording via the optional FM remote and its built-in microphone in WAV format (IMA ADPCM)

Email client
* Compatible with Email accounts supporting POP3 and IMAP services
* Import/export of vCard contacts

Interfaces
* USB 2.0 High-Speed Device (compatible USB 1.1 at a lower speed): Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Media Transport Protocol (MTP)
* USB 2.0 Host: Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) with optional Mini Dock, Battery Dock and DVR station

Connections
* Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connection. Free Web Browser (Opera® Web browser with Adobe Flash® 9 video support) upon registration
* 3.5 mm mini jack for headphones
* Accessory connectors to connect to the DVR Station and other ARCHOS accessories

Miscellaneous
* Built-in speaker
* Built-in leg stand

Power source
* Internal: Lithium Polymer battery
* Device charges via computer USB port
* External: Power adapter/charger (via optional accessories)

Battery life
* Music playback time: up to 12 hours
* Video playback time: up to 4 hours

Scalability
* Device automatically downloads latest firmware updates when the WiFi connection is activated
* Updates can also be downloaded at www.archos.com

Dimensions & weight
* Approx 127,5 x 78,3 x 12,9 mm (for 60GB* model) – 250gr
* Approx 127 x 78,8 x 19,4 mm (for 120/250GB* models) – 300gr

Minimum requirement system
*Microsoft® Windows® Vista, XP, ME, 2000 or higher
* MAC OS X and Linux (with Mass Storage Device Support)
* USB 2.0 interface

Package includes
* ARCHOS 5, headphones, ARCHOS USB cable, DVR Station adapter, screen cleaning cloth, Quick Start Guide (QSG), legal and safety notice.

Pricing
* 60GB model - $350
* 120GB model - $400
* 250GB model - $450

7 Series

Display
* High resolution screen, 800x480 pixels, 7'' TFT LCD, 16 million colors

Dimensions & Weight
* Approx. 190 x 110 x 16 mm ; 7.48" x 4.33" x 0.629"
* Approx. 640 gr.; 23oz

Pricing
* 160GB model - $450
* 320GB model - $550

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