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Archos
Company typePublic
Euronext Paris: ALJXR
ISINFR0000182479
IndustryConsumer electronics
FoundedOctober 4, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-10-04)
FounderHenri Crohas
HeadquartersArchos Zone Industrielle, 12 rue Ampère 91430[1],
Igny
,
France
Number of locations
8 office locations (2013)[2]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Henri Crohas, Chairman of the Board
Loic Porier, CEO
Marc de Courville, Director of Software Engineering[3]
ProductsPortable media players, tablet computers, hard disks, PDAs, Smartphones
Revenue€35.38 million (2019) [4]
€ -35.26 million (2019) [4]
€ -36.47 million (2019) [4]
Websitewww.archos.com

Archos (/ˈɑːrkoʊs/, stylized as ARCHOS) is a French multinational electronics company that was established in 1988 by Henri Crohas. Archos manufactures tablets, smartphones, portable media players and portable data storage devices. The name is an anagram of Crohas' last name. Also, in Greek (-αρχος), it's a suffix used in nouns indicating a person with power. The company's slogan has been updated from "Think Smaller"[5] to "On The Go",[6] and the current "Entertainment your way".[7]

Archos has developed a variety of products, including digital audio players, portable video players (PVP), digital video recorders, a personal digital assistant, netbooks, more recently tablet computers using Google Android and Microsoft Windows (tablet PCs), and smartphones (which are manufactured by ZTE under the "Archos" brand name).

History

By the year 2000, Archos became an important player in the portable media player market and this was demonstrated by the groundbreaking year 2000 release of the very first disk-based digital audio player (DAP) called Jukebox 6000. This product paved the way for the high-capacity DAPs, which finally resulted in the wide adoption of digital and MP3 players.[8] Archos' success during this period was attributed to its strategy of technological leadership, releasing different iterations of a product line, which featured a succession of products with better specifications and technology than their predecessors.

In the latter part of the 2000s, Archos began to lose to Apple, which - for its part - introduced its own portable devices such as the iPod.[9] This development highlighted a trend in the technology industry where beating competitors to the market and equipping products with the most advanced technology available do not always translate to success.[8] The company started phasing its portable media players in 2008 to focus more on its Android tablet range.

In 2013, the company entered the mobile phone market by launching a series of smartphone models for instance, Archos Cesium, Archos Diamond, Archos Titanium, Archos Platinum, Archos Neon, Archos Xenon, Archos Oxygen and Archos Helium.[10]

In 2018, Archos introduced a slew of products to the market. The most notable of these involved the product unveiled in February, which was the very first Android-powered scooter called Citee Connect.[11] Several weeks later, the company announced the Archos Hello, which is touted as an A.I.-powered smart display to challenge the likes of Amazon Echo.[12] The Saphir 50X joined these gadgets in April 2018.[13] This new release was an update to the Archos 50 Saphir, the tech company's rugged phone brand.

Archos announced the launch of the X67 5G smartphone in 2021. The manufacturer is offering this mobile device with 6.67 inches display, Mediatek Dimensity 800 MT6873 chipset, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage.[14]

Faced with increased competition from China, in 2019 Archos was forced to change its economic model.[15]

Products

Handheld and portable computers with x86 compatible processors

Archos 9 PC Tablet

The Archos 9 PC Tablet is a 9" tablet computer launched October 22, 2009 and contains Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system.[16][17]

Archos 133 PC 13.3" netbook

The Archos 133 PC is a notebook computer with a 13.3" screen. Intel Atom D510 Dual Core, 1 GB 667/800 MHz, Webcam, Windows 7.

Handheld computers with ARM compatible processors

Generation 7

Main article: Archos Generation 7

Archos 5 Internet tablet

In September 2009 Archos announced the Archos 5 Internet tablet.[18]

Being an extension of the Archos 5, this internet tablet uses Google's Android mobile operating system.

Specifications:

  • Processor based on ARM Cortex-A8, 32 bit, dual-issue, superscalar core @ 800 MHz 65 nm
  • 256 MB of RAM
  • 4.8" display, 800x480 resolution
  • Video playback
  • Music playback
  • Storage: 8 or 32 GB flash memory + microSD slot (SDHC compatible) or 160-500 GB with 2.5" hard drive (ext3 file-system)
  • Built in GPS
  • Bluetooth 2.0
  • FM radio

Archos 7 home tablet series

The home tablet series includes 7 inches (18 cm) tablets that utilizes Google's Android mobile operating system.[19] All versions have video and music playback and come equipped with a microSD slot that can support up to 32 GB cards.

V1 V2 7c
Release date 2010.05 2010.12 2011.05
Display 7", 800x480
Android version 1.5 2.1
ARM 9 CPU by Rockchip RK2808 600 MHz RK2818 800 MHz
RAM 128 MB
Internal storage built-in 2 or 8 GB 8 GB
WiFi 802.11g
Accelerometer No Yes

Archos 8 home tablet

The Archos 8 home tablet is a device that resembles a digital photo frame but is actually a full featured computer system that comes with an 8" touch screen with a resolution of 800x600 pixels.

Generation 8

An Archos 101 Internet Tablet in landscape mode.
An Archos 101 Internet Tablet in portrait mode.

On August 31, 2010 Archos announced its eighth generation of tablets. The five tablets were supposed to be launched with Android 2.2 Froyo along with a hold-over release of the Archos 5 without its GPS. Froyo was not released until sometime around December, due to numerous delays with the Archos firmware development team.

Archos 28 Archos 32 Archos 43 Archos 70 Archos 101
Storage 4 or 8 GB flash 8 GB flash 8 or 16 GB 8 GB flash or 250 GB HDD 8 or 16 GB
Display 2.8" 320x240 3.2" 400x240 4.3" 854x480 7.0" 800x480 10.1" 1024x600
Touchscreen Resistive Capacitive (2 points)
CPU ARM Cortex-A8 800 MHz no DSP 800 MHz with DSP 1000 MHz (1 GHz) with DSP
RAM memory 128 MB 256 MB
Graphics abilities OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible
Video formats MPEG-4, H.264, WMV/VC1, M-JPEG, AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, MPG, PS, TS, VOB, MKV, FLV, RM, RMVB, ASF, WMV
Subtitle support .srt, .ssa, .smi, .sub, MKV / VOB embedded subtitles
Audio formats MP3 CBR & VBR, WMA, WMA-Pro 5.1, WAV(PCM/ADPCM), AAC, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, AC3 5.1
Image formats JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
I/O connections USB 2.0
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR No Yes
Dimensions 100 x 54 x 9mm 105 x 55 x 9mm 135 x 65 x 9mm 201 x 114 x 10mm or 14mm 270 x 150 x 12mm
Weight 68g 72g 130g 300g or 400g 480g

Arnova series

Under the new brandname Arnova, in 2011 Archos released a series of low-cost Android tablets for the mass-consumer market. They are priced at 100 Euro to 200 Euro (in the U.S. $99 to $199). Older models have resistive touch screens, and uses the RK2818 Rockchip SoC. All versions have Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g). All currently come with the AppsLib application store. The official Android Market is not included out of box, but the Arnova devices may easily be rooted, and the Android Market is commonly installed by Arnova owners.

The Arnova 8.4's configuration is aimed at those who wish to use their tablet primarily as an e-book reader. The Arnova cG2 has a built-in GPS and limited video and audio format support.

Arnova 7 Arnova 8 Arnova 8.4 Arnova 10 Arnova G2 Arnova cG2
Display 7" 8" 8.4" 10.1" 7" (800*480) or 10" (1024*600)
Storage 4-8 GB Extendable via micro SDHC Slot None internal; shipped with 4 GB microSDHC
SoC RK2818 Rockchip RK2918 Rockchip Qualcomm MSM7227
OS 2.2 2.1 2.3
Touchscreen Resistive Capacitive (2 point) multi-touch
CPU ARM Cortex ARM9 600 MHz ARM9 600 MHz ARM8 1 GHz
RAM memory 512 MB DDR2 256-512? MB

Generation 9

Archos announced in 2011 that it would release a $199 Honeycomb tablet.[20] The G9 tablets are powered by the TI OMAP4 series of SoCs, using the 4430 and 4460 variants at 1 GHz, 1.2 GHz, or 1.5 GHz and are equipped with either 512 MB or 1 GB RAM. They have 8 GB or 16 GB of flash memory, and a microSDHC slot or a 250 GB hard drive. The earliest releases of these tablets utilized Android 3.0 and are upgradable to Android 4.0.3. All have official access to Google Play. Connectivity includes WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and GPS[21] and are upgradable to 3G using an Archos G9 3G stick.[22]

Archos 80 G9 Archos 101 G9
Storage 8 or 16 GB flash + microSD Slot (SDHC compatible) or 250 GB HDD
Display 8.0" 1024×768 10.1" 1280×800
Touchscreen Capacitive 4 points
SoC TI OMAP 4430 – 1.0/1.2 GHz (45 nm)
TI OMAP 4460 – 1.5 GHz (45 nm)
RAM 512 MB (467MB usable) / 1 GB
Graphics abilities OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible
Video formats MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, WMV/VC1, M-JPEG, AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, MPG, PS, TS, VOB, MKV, FLV, RM, RMVB, ASF, WMV
Subtitle support .srt, .ssa, .smi, .sub, MKV/VOB embedded subtitles
Audio formats MP3 CBR/VBR, WMA, WMA-Pro 5.1, WAV (PCM/ADPCM), AAC, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AC3 5.1
Image formats JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
I/O connections USB 2.0
Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Dimensions 226 × 155 × 11.7 mm or 14.7 mm 276 × 167 × 12.6 mm or 15.6 mm
Weight 465 g or 595 g 649 g or 755 g

Generation 10

Archos launched a new series of tablets, under the Name Gen 10 XS.

Digital camcorders, audio/video players and PDAs

Vision Line

Archos introduced their Vision line in 2009. The Archos 3cam Vision had similar features to the 3 Vision, adding an integrated camera for recording video and taking pictures. The Archos 43 Vision, a video media player, was released on March 3, 2010.

Archos 24 Archos 3 Archos 43 Archos 18 Archos 15 Archos 14 Archos 1 Archos 2
Storage 8 GB 4 GB 8 GB or 16 GB
Display 2.4" color 3" color, 400x240 pixels 4.3" color 1.8" color 1.5" color 1.4" color
Battery 14hr music, 4hr video 30hr 12hr 20hr
Compatibility Windows or Mac and Linux (with mass storage support)
Recorder Yes Yes
Audio formats MP3 MP3, WMA (non protected files), WAV, OGG, FLAC MP3
Image formats JPEG, BMP, GIF
Video formats RM, AVI, FLV, WMV, RMVB, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
Other formats TXT, LRC
I/O connections USB 2.0 High Speed
FM radio Yes Yes + wireless streaming Yes
Dimensions 95mm x 52mm x 9mm 10 mm 6 mm
Weight 63 g 280 g 18 g
Other Clock, calendar, lyrics display, adjustable sound equalizer, multi-language interface Lyric and photo display

FamilyPad

Archos launched a 13.3" tablet in December 2012. Sold for €299, it was aggressively placed among the other large screen tablets (superior to 9.7"). Other 13.3" inch tables include Toshiba's Excite™ 13 Tablet, which has been discontinued.

In March 2013, the FamilyPad was quickly followed by the FamilyPad 2, with an improved dual core Cortex-A9 at 1.6 GHz and quadruple GPU Mali 400 (compared to the former mono Cortex-A8 at 1 GHz of the Familypad 1).[23] Its technical specifications were:

  • Display: 13.3": 1280 x 800 pixels
  • Application Framework: Android 4.1, "Jelly Bean"
  • Processor: Dual-core A9 @ 1.6 GHz and Quad-core GPU Mali 400 MP4
  • Capacity: 8GB + micro SD (compatible with cards up to 64GB)
  • RAM: 1GB
  • Battery life: Video playback time: 10h / Standby: 6 days
  • Dimensions / weight: 337 mm x 230 mm x 11.6 mm (13.3 x 9.0 x 0.45) / 1.3 kg (2.86 pounds)

Elements Series

In 2013 Archos introduced their Elements series which include Cobalt, Xenon, Carbon, Titanium,[24] and recently the Platinum tablet line-ups.[25] Archos has mostly been pushing to publicize the Titanium & Platinum series which they announced at CES 2013.[25][26] In announcing their Titanium & Platinum series, Archos stated that each of the tablet models were made to compete against another major tablet range in the market, but at a lower price:[27]

Past products

Main article: Discontinued Archos products
An early ARCHOS MP3 Player and recorder.
Archos XS202

Former Archos products since discontinued include handheld and portable computers, digital camcorders, audiovisual playback equipment, portable storage devices, and peripherals for the Amiga line.

Partnerships

Content portals

Released along with the Generation 5 and Archos TV+ devices in 2007, the Archos Content Portal (ACP) provides video on demand purchase or rental directly to the internet enabled devices. However, there is no PC based software for the service such as iTunes. A major difference from similar services is that given "portals" are serviced by different distributors, such as CinemaNow in North America. Archos has numerous ACP partners worldwide but they vary by region.

MoovyPlay

In the summer of 2007 French-based Cinebank announced MoovyPlay. The device runs on a kiosk to harddrive rental service with Archos building the 40GB player. The Drive attaches to a Dock similar to those seen in Archos players and connects to a Video Display. The device was launched in France on December 10, 2007 with initial success.

PocketDish

DISH Network Corporation, which owns 19% of Archos since 2005, sold Archos PVPs under the PocketDish brand. There were three versions, the AV700E (AV700), AV500 (AV500), and the AV402E (Gmini 402). While the original products are no longer available, on December 18, 2007 Dish Network released info on a new similar deal with the current generation 605 and 705 Wi-Fi, allowing high speed transfers to the devices from their current HD receivers. Unlike with the original PocketDish, the products will not be sold a Dish rebranding, instead the software plug-in was made available for free for the two products. They are expected to be sold alongside Dish products in January.[28] In 2008 Dish Network's PocketDish page was updated to show the new service and products.

American Airlines

In May 2007, American Airlines revealed plans of offering modified Archos 604 and 704s to first-class passengers for entertainment during their flight.

Opera

Opera Software has provided the web browser for Archos devices since the PMA400. They are a version of Opera for devices similar to that seen on the Wii video game console and the Nokia N800 Internet appliance.[29] On Generation 5 devices Adobe Flash support was added. An update to full Flash 9 support was announced in April 2008 from the current Flash 7.

SFR

In late 2007, SFR, a French mobile phone company, announced to be building a new device with Archos that utilizes 3G communication. It was revealed to be the Archos 5g. The Archos 5g is currently available for a discounted price through SFR for a service contract.

Blockbuster

A similar deal to the one with Cinebank was announced with Blockbuster Inc. in 2008. The specifics were revealed and Blockbuster hinted that the service will not be Archos exclusive.[30]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Archos.

References

  1. ^ "ARCHOS". European Equities. NYSE Euronext. 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  2. ^ "ARCHOS". ARCHOS. 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  3. ^ "Archos: EPA:JXR quotes & news". Google Finance. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  4. ^ a b c "Archos investors" (PDF) (in French). Archos. 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  5. ^ "'Think Smaller' with the Launch of Archos' New Pocket-Sized MP3 Jukebox 6000 at PC Expo New York June 2000". PR Newswire Association LLC. 29 June 2000. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  6. ^ Rotham, Wilson. "A digital TV recorder that you can unplug and take with you" (PDF). Archos. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-08. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  7. ^ Archos 9 review Archived 2010-12-14 at the Wayback Machine. tablets-review.toptenreviews.com.
  8. ^ a b Tatnall, Arthur (2010). Actor-Network Theory and Technology Innovation: Advancements and New Concepts: Advancements and New Concepts. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. p. 171. ISBN 9781609601973.
  9. ^ Rose, Michel. "French Archos takes on Apple with tablet PCs". U.S. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  10. ^ "Archos support". archos.com.
  11. ^ "Archos debuts the first Android-powered scooter". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  12. ^ "There's another Assistant-powered smart display — meet the Archos Hello". Digital Trends. 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  13. ^ "Archos unveils Saphir 50X rugged phone, it's only partially new". GSMArena.com. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  14. ^ "Archos X67 5G (2021) review". phone42.com. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Perspectives du Groupe ARCHOS -page 3" (PDF). archos.com (in French). 6 August 2021.
  16. ^ "Archos 9 price and release date". UMPC Portal.
  17. ^ Technical details between the hardware versions.
  18. ^ "Archos brings the Android platform to a large-screen internet tablet with the new Archos 5". archos.com.
  19. ^ Stern, Joanna Stern. Archos 7 Home Tablet review. engadget.com.
  20. ^ Kevin Tofel, GigaOm. "Archos fights Kindle Fire with $199 Honeycomb tablet." December 20, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  21. ^ ARCHOS G9 Tablets: Technical Specifications
  22. ^ 3G Ready with ARCHOS' patented 3G stick solution
  23. ^ "Archos FamilyPad 2 con CPU potenziata". tomshw.it (in Italian). 4 March 2013.
  24. ^ "Elements Series by ARCHOS". Archos.com. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  25. ^ a b "Archos Platinum 97 and 80 spotted, coming soon with iPad-like designs". Androidauthority.com. 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  26. ^ Enfiedjian, Alexon (2013-01-09). "Hands on with the ARCHOS Element Series Tablets". TalkAndroid.com. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  27. ^ "Archos unveils Titanium tablet line at CES 2013". Gizmag.com. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  28. ^ "Archos Portable Media Players to Connect With DISH Network".
  29. ^ "Opera for Devices".
  30. ^ "Blockbuster's Digital Kiosks and Movielink Plans". 24 July 2008.
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