Archos today revealed their new 5th generation personal media players, and it looks like a really strong collection. With models starting out at as little as $90 and ranging up to $300 and more, there’s a little something for everyone. I’m especially excited about the higher-end models, which feature large screens, huge hard drives, Wi-Fi streaming and even direct-to-device movie downloads.
For starters, there’s the entry-level Archos 105, which offers a small 1.8-inch OLED display and 2GB of flash memory. While the screen is quite small, you can’t beat the price at just $90. Moving up the ladder, the Archos 405 ($170) adds a larger 3.5-inch LCD screen and and SD slot for adding memory.
But the real heavy-hitters come in the form of the Archos 605 and 705 models which offer wireless connectivity to your PC for streaming video, as well as online access to CinemaNow to download content directly to the players WITHOUT a PC. An optional upgrade ($30) will provide web surfing and Flash-based video playback using the Opera web browser.
The 605 Wi-Fi will come with a 4.3-inch screen with an ultra-sharp 800×480 resolution, while the 705 Wi-Fi will offer a huge 7-inch display (resolution unknown.) The 605 comes in 4GB flash ($230), 30GB hard disk ($300), and 160GB hard disk ($400) variants. The 705 will offer 80GB and 160GB hard drives (no prices announced yet.) These higher end models are even expected to support 720p high definition content (for an extra $20). For $100 more, you’ll be able to purchase a DVR dock which will allow you to record your favorite television programs directly to your Archos device. It seems to me like a lot of features will come a la carte, but once fully-loaded, these players will really pack a serious punch.
All four models are expected to hit stores this September.
[via Crave]
