March 7, 2007 Archos continued its charge towards a significant market share in the Portable Media Player (PMP) market yesterday when it announced the Archos 704-WiFi, the only PMP with a 7-inch touch-screen and full wireless capabilities. The new 704-WiFi presents the highest quality screen with 800x480 resolution and 5x7 dimensions, making it similar in size to a standard photograph and will be priced at US$550. The Archos 704-WiFi joins the company’s 604-WiFi in offering complete PMP features — video, music and photo playback — with full Internet access for surfing the Web and sending email. The new 704-WiFi features an 80GB hard drive with the capacity to store 100 hours of video, or about 70 DVD-quality movies, as well as two high-quality speakers for enhanced audio even without headphones. The 704-WiFi also supports video downloads from the new online stores of leading retailers, giving consumers the flexibility to enjoy their entertainment wherever they want, in their own place, on their own time.
“Our new WiFi-enabled players will change the way consumers access and experience entertainment, by moving the digital media library from the home computer to the big screen TV,” said Henri Crohas, Archos founder and CEO. “For the first time, consumers can unleash slideshows of the kids, new video downloads and podcasts, and enjoy them on a bright 5x7 portable screen or the big screen in the living room, not from their desk chair.”
Moving Digital Entertainment from the PC to the TV
With the new wireless-enabled players, Archos captures a growing trend in consumer portable entertainment: the ability to watch digital media files on the TV. Digital music, photos, personal video and podcast collections are growing exponentially, but still tied to the home computer — until now. The Archos DVR Station works easily with the company’s new WiFi players to bridge the gap between the PC and the TV.
Through the wireless home network, the 604- and 704-WiFi allow consumers to browse their entire media collection from their living room, and begin enjoying digital music through the home stereo, viewing photo slideshows from the sofa, or watching video downloads on the TV in DVD quality. Additionally, the company’s DVR Station turns all Archos devices into portable digital video recorders that record content directly from the TV, DVD player or cable box.
As digital video downloads become more popular with consumers, some of the top retailers and service providers are offering new-release movies and the hottest TV shows for download. Archos Generation 4 players support the most video download stores for enjoying favorite movies on the device, wherever they go.
Specifications, Pricing and Availability
The 704-WiFi offers 802.11g wireless networking, 80GB hard drive, 800x480 pixel resolution with 16 million colors, a touch-screen for simple navigation using fingertips or the included stylus, and video editing capabilities for trimming recorded video directly on the device.
Battery life is approximately 25 hours for music playback and five hours for video playback and Internet browsing. The device measures 7 x 5 x 7.75 inches and weighs 22 ounces. The 80GB hard drive allows for 70 DVD-quality movies1, 40,000 songs2 or 800,000 photos2.
The 704-WiFi is available for pre-order today from www.archos.com with a suggested retail price of US$549.99 U.S. Final availability from Archos and various online retailers is mid March. The DVR Station sells for a suggested retail price of $99.99 U.S. and is available today. All Archos PMPs come with headphones, USB cable, DVR saddle for connecting the optional DVR Station and protective pouch.
The Archos Generation 4 line of products, including the 704-WiFi, also features a host of accessories, such as the Archos Helmet Camcorder, which turns the 704-WiFi into a camcorder with DVD resolution. The Car Headrest Mount holds the 704-WiFi securely in place in the car so children or others in the backseat can enjoy their video while on the road.
