The Archos 7 Internet Media Tablet brings you a brand new way to enjoy Internet, media, TV and more in a handheld device. With built-in WiFi capabilities, the Archos 7 bridges the gap between PC, Personal Media Player, and TV. You can stream digital media content from the Internet to the Archos 7 through a wireless home network; surf the Internet and check your email via the Opera web browser with Adobe Flash 9 video support; receive nearly 1000 Web TV channels and over 10000 Web radio stations; or pick up a DVR Station (not included) and plug it into your TV to use as a DVR!
Its amazing 7" wide-format TFT display lets you view web pages in full width just like you would on your PC, and provides a crystal-clear, 16 million color picture for all your favorite videos, photos, and album cover art. The high-resolution photo viewer helps you create slideshows with music, zoom and transition effects. Using the optional DVR Station accessory, you can even record TV programming directly to the Archos 7!
With a whopping 320GB of storage, the possibilities are endless, but one thing's for sure: you won't run short of room for all your movies, TV shows, photos, and music any time soon! The Archos 7 supports all your favorite music and video formats, and offers a vast array of plug-ins and accessories, so you can customize it to fit your lifestyle.
320GB Storage CapacityWith a built-in 320GB HDD, the Archos 7 holds up to 190,000 songs or 400 DVD quality movies or 3.2 million photo files for maximum multimedia enjoyment.
7-inch Wide Touch ScreenThe wide 7-inch touch-sensitive screen spreads 16 million colors across 800 x 480 pixels for an unparalleled viewing experience on the go, and allows for easy operation with the touch of a finger or stylus.
WiFiWith integrated 802.11b/g wireless interface, access your media wherever you go, including surfing the Web, sending and receiving emails from Web-based mail applications, and connecting the device to a home network to transfer files or play content directly from the network.
Compatible with Multiple Video FormatsThe Archos 7 plays back MPEG-4, WMV and M-JPEG in QVGA resolution and can support AAC/H.264 (.MP4 QuickTime files), MPEG-2 and more formats with optional software plug-ins.
Record TV or Other Video SourcesRecord your favorite TV shows, programs and other video sources from a TV, satellite/cable box, VCR, DVD player or camcorder using the optional DVR Station. Set up the DVR Station by connecting it to the external video source; simply plug in your Archos 7 to record instantaneously or schedule future recordings.
Up to 39 Hours of Music or 10 Hours of Video PlaybackWith a built-in rechargeable Li-Polymer battery, enjoy up to 39 hours of music or 10 hours of video playback on a full charge! Long battery life ensures non-stop media enjoyment anywhere you go.
Pros: The pros come out as: 1) Gargantuan hard drive. You can store hundreds of hours of 320kbps or .flac music files and still have room left over for dozens of movies and multiple television series entire seasonal runs. 2) The 7" screen is large enough to view quite comfortably on an airplane tray table. The difference between this screen size and an iPhone is remarkable. 3) The breadth of file format compatability is wonderful. MP3, MPG, FLAC, MOV, MP4, AVI, SWF, FLV, WMV, DIVX, it's amazingly complete. The format limitations of the iPhone and other media players are what kept me from choosing those. 4) The wifi connectivity is a treat for streaming media from the home network when 320 GB just isn't enough or you don't feel like transferring every last file. The pre-programmed web radio stations offer plenty of interest although the web TV stations are mainly just a curiosity.
Cons: The cons: 1) The hard drive isn't nearly as lightning quick as flash memory or even the hard drive you have on your computer. The player regularly becomes unresponsive for up to 30 seconds when changing playback of large files or those in different directories. Music still plays, but buttons don't react. Shorter pauses occur during local storage browsing. 2) The only external controls are for power and volume. You can't control playback without looking at the screen which creates difficulty when driving. You can't even swipe your finger left or right to change audio tracks, -a technique supported during photo views. 3) Battery life is only about 4+ hours when using the videoscreen. That's not long enough to use on a flight from LA to DC. At least audio use extends the life to 12 hours. Long road trips will make you want a car charger. 4) The computer/internet browsing is functional, but less appealing than a computer. If you want that experience you're better off with a ne
Overall Review: The ability to tote around 320GB of audio, video, flash files, photos, and text documents in huge format varieties in a small wifi & web capable almost-tablet PC experience is seriously impressive. For now that's more than enough to offset the cons I listed. The weaknesses serve mainly to point out what to look for in future versions of the product. The best way to use this is to load it up with numerous audio playlists and then just let it run for hours on end with the power plug in. It's not fast enough to easily skip past tracks you don't want to watch/listen to, but if you just leave it running you'll be very happy. I have the mini dock but the only practical use I've had for it is a secondary set of power and USB cables so I don't have to carry them around from work and home. Plugging in USB thumb drives is nice, but my 16GB drives aren't compatible while the 4GB ones are. Camera offloads are fantastic. My choices before buying was this or a netbook. I'm very happy.