Taking advantage of Texas Instruments' OMAP 3 processor based on a 600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, the Archos 7 and Archos 5 internet tablets will ship this fall.
Archos and Texas Instruments today announced that its new line of Internet Media Tablets (IMTs) is powered by the OMAP 3 applications processors from Texas Instruments. Delivering laptop-like performance and multi-format video support, the new Archos 5, Archos 5G and Archos 7 internet tablets are the industry's first implementation of the OMAP 3 processor based on the 600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor.
The new handheld tablets allow consumers to seamlessly explore and navigate the Internet and media on a high-resolution screen for sharp, DVD or HD quality video. The Archos 5 offers 60 to 250GB of memory and a mix of Wi-Fi technology, high-quality video and long battery life. The Archos 5G features a 30GB hard drive and 3.5G HSDPA technology for Internet browsing through a cellular network. The Archos 7 couples greater storage capacity with 160 or 320GB options, and a larger screen for increased viewing and multimedia performance.
Taking advantage of the ARM Cortex-A8 processor, the new internet tablets achieve more than 1200 million of instructions per second (MIPS) to run faster code execution. With this performance, users gain faster access to full Web pages, TV and video clips, and are able to read, write and download e-mail, audio and video attachments on a five or seven inch touchscreen display.
The OMAP 3 processors are highly integrated system-on-chips (SoC) that offer HD video with a TMS320C64X+ DSP core, video and imaging accelerators, and video-centric peripherals all tuned to support multi-format video. With MPEG-4 ASP and WMV9 advanced profile at 720p as well as DVD-quality H.264 and MPEG-4, the Archos devices can decode popular video formats on the web today for a true media-on-the-go experience.
Battery life was a critical factor when designing the Archos internet tablets. Archos leveraged the multi-core design of the OMAP35x devices, which integrates power management technologies that fully optimize the ARM and DSP engines to maximize efficiency. The architecture also utilizes TI's SmartReflex power and performance management software to dynamically control voltage and frequency based on the internet tablets' activity use and modes of operation. This elevated flexibility yields longer battery life, giving users four hours of video playback on the devices' WVGA 800 x 480 pixels display.
The Archos 7 ($550) and Archos 5 ($350 - $450) will be available through Amazon this fall.
Make sure to visit our CTIA hands-on blog later this week to see these internet tablets in action.
Archos 7 320GB (7.48 by 4.33 by 0.63 inches, 23 ounces)
Archos 5 250GB (5 by 3.1 by 0.76 inches, 10.59 ounces)
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