Archos launches Archos 9 tablet

Archos 9 is all screen and no keyboard
Archos 9 is all screen and no keyboard

Archos today launched the Archos 9 touchscreen tablet, an Atom Z515-powered, Windows 7 device.

At an event in Paris, Archos unveiled the "under 800g" device that eschews any kind of keyboard in favour of full touchscreen operation.

The resistive touchscreen lets you use a stylus or finger on its virtual keyboard while optical tracking enables smooth scrolling and cursor placement.

Touchingly simple

The specification is nothing extreme: webcam, hard drives up to 120GB, Bluetooth b/g wireless and twin digital TV tuners, although Engadget is also reporting a clock speed of a modest 1.2GHz.

The Archos 9 will be available in the autumn, alongside a similar 12-inch version. Pricing for neither has been announced.

Archos also showed off its 10s Moorestown netbook and a low cost (240 Euro) educational laptop for French schoolkids. The Archos Digital Satchel is aimed at 4-12 year olds, has an easy-grip handle, shock- and water-resistant construction, builti-in Wi-Fi and links to online lessons.

Finally, Archos returned to its roots with a brand new media player called the Archos 3 vision. This 3-inch touchscreen PMP has a 'virtual wheel selector' (thank God, as we can never decide which virtual wheel to buy), which apparently "provides a whole new browsing sensation."

The 8GB flash player will also "easily fit in pretty much any kind of pocket." Which is nice to know.

Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.