Archos launches new ultra-slim 10s MiniPC netbook

Archos has officially launched the follow-up to the Archos 10, called the Archos 10s. As you can probably tell by the model name, the two are very similar in specifications and the 10s should be seen as an aesthetic upgrade. The ‘s’ stands for slim and it doesn’t disappoint there, measuring just 22.5m in thickness and weighing 1.06kg with the 3-cell battery. The original Archos 10 was 28mm thick and weighed 1.3kg.

The technical specifications remain exactly the same, including the maximum 1GB RAM restriction. However, what I did notice is that the 10.2-inch (1024 x 600) 10s does not appear to have a VGA slot or Kensington lock. Apart from that, you’ll get a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU & 945GSE chipset under the hood. This will come with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. There’s no Bluetooth, but you do get Wi-Fi (b/g), three USB ports, card reader, a 1.3MP webcam and a choice of a 6-cell battery. Pricing for the Archos 10s has not been announced, but the will launch sometime in June with three-cell and six-cell batteries.

The company also announced the 9pctablet, a touchscreen tablet device using Windows 7. To keep the tablet small and inexpensive, it uses a 1.2GHz Atom Z515 processor that can scale back to as little as 800MHz to save power. An 80GB hard drive provides disk space. Optional extras include Bluetooth and a DVB-T tuner to pick up over-the-air digital TV in Europe. Archos plans to ship the 9 in October, when Windows 7 ships, for €450 in Europe. The device is using a resistive touchscreen, but I’ve heard that it may still employ multi-touch capabilities, more news as we have it.

Archos 10s MiniPC Technical Specifications:

• PROCESSOR Intel® ATOM™ N270 1,6Ghz
• VIDEO CHIPSET Integrated 945GSE
• OPERATING SYSTEM Microsoft Windows XP Family Edition
• SYSTEM MEMORY 1GB (DDR2 400/533)
  DDR2 SDRAM socket x 1
  Memory slots support up to 1GB
• SCREEN WXGA 10.2” LED Backlight
• RESOLUTION 1024 x 600
• HARD DRIVE HDD 160GB1
  Support 2.5 inch HDD
• COMMUNICATION Ethernet: 10/100 M Ethernet Controller
  Wi-Fi: PCI-E interface, 2 Antennas, Support IEEE 802.11b/g
• AUDIO Audio card : Realtek ALC662
  2 stereo speakers
  Built-in Microphone
• FRONT & SIDE PORTS 3×USB 2.0
  1×card reader port (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO) incl. HDHC support
  1×DC-IN jack
  1×Mic input
  1×Audio output
  1×RJ-45 LAN
• BATTERY 3 cells or 6 cells
• WEBCAM Integrated 1.3MP webcam
• DIMENSIONS 258 mm x 185 mm x 22.5 mm
• WEIGHT 1.06 Kg with battery (for 3 cells)
• PACKAGE INCLUDES ARCHOS 10s (US, UK, DE or FR keyboard), Battery, AC Adapter with Power Cord, CD with driver, Quick Start Guide.