Archos 7 Internet Media Tablet Reviewed

The Archos 7 (160GB - US$450, 320GB - $550) is an internet-enabled portable media player. It has the following features:

• 7-inch 800×480 pixels TFT LCD touchscreen
• 600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor
• 128 MB RAM
• 160 GB or 320 GB Hard Disk Drive
• Linux operating system
• 802.11 b/g WLAN
• USB2.0 connectivity
• MPEG-4 / WMV / M-JPEG video support
• MP3 / WMA / Protected WMA / WMA pro 5.1 / WAV / AC3 audio support
• JPEG / BMP / PNG / GIF image support
• PDF Viewer
• POP3 and IMAP Email services support
• Built-in speaker
• Built-in leg stand
• Removable lithium Polymer battery
• dimensions: 190 x 110 x 16 mm
• weight: 640 g

“The Archos 7 is an expensive box of tricks, no doubt about it, but on the other hand it comes with a huge – or in the case of the 320GB model a vast – hard drive and is very competent. Worth the extra over the 5? On balance, yes - assuming that absolutely portability is not an issue.” [RegHardware | Archos 7]

If you will use video more extensively on your portable media device, the Archos 7 seems like a great deal, with its large screen and drive capacity. On the other hand, if you prefer a more smaller form factor, and wouldn’t mind a smaller screen (4.8-inch) and drive capacity (250GB), the Archos 5 ($450) is worth a look.