Just yesterday, Archos released a lineup of its 6-gen portable multimedia players, oh wait, they call it Internet Media Tablets now, which totally made me go ‘woah’. Is this the makeover of PMP to IMT that everyone has been waiting for?

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.To summarise, there’s (From left) Archos 7, Archos 5 and Archos 5G. The main difference between 5 and 5G is that the latter has only 30GB HDD but can have a 3G enabled SIM card plugged in to surf the net on the go. The former have 60,120 and 250 GB versions but requires a USB dongle 3G modem to surf the net unless you have a nearby wifi spot.

All I know is : my cowon A3 still plays mkv and ogm. But these IMT SURE LOOK GORGEOUS. Read on for full specifications.

Poking the itouch
Gizmodo
Lucky folks at Generationmp3 fondles it.

First up, specifications which ARE ACTUALLY INCOMPLETE, I will add in red the missing details.

All applicable to both series unless otherwise noted:

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, 800×480 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)
* Flash, WMV MPEG4, AVI, WMA, H.264

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, 800×480 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