I’m not certain if the UMPC (Ultra-mobile Personal Computer) market has been overshadowed by the netbook industry, but ARCHOS is making a bold move into the miniPC market with the ARCHOS 9 PCtablet. The ARCHOS 9, presumably named for its 9 inch screen, and it is quite a piece of work. It is also very thin at just 0.63 inches, and weighs in at 22.29 ounces.
It has internal power of the Z515 Intel processor, plus Microsoft Windows 7 Operating system. It also features Bluetooth 2.1 and 802.11b/g connectivity for all email and web-surfing needs.
The user is able to navigate with the full touchscreen, as well as optical trackball with buttons. Typing is performed with a built-in virtual keyboard, and the ARCHOS 9 includes Microsoft Office, as well as Web TV and Radio, video conferencing, plus antivirus protection, parental control, and more.
I mentioned earlier about how the UMPC market has been nearly overshadowed by the netbook market, but I think we all envisioned PCs of the future as being handheld with a full touchscreen. It would appear that ARCHOS is on the cusp of the portable PC market. The ARCHOS 9 PC tablet will be available in the Fall, but there is no word on the price.
