Rather expensive Archos 10 netbook heading for the UK

We heard plenty of rumblings beforehand but now we have the official UK deets on Archos's new (and début) netbook, the Archos 10. Unsurprisingly it's a 10in model, or 10.2in to be precise. It aims to merge Archos's media know-how with an otherwise standard netbook innards.

Archos has always been a company we've admired for it's media players and, given its move towards Wi-Fi and web enabled media tablets, perhaps a netbook isn't such a strange step for such an innovation-based company. Still, we're a little worried by the specs, given the £349 price-tag.

Inside there's not much to look at, aside perhaps from the above average - and Samsung NC10 matching - 160GB hard drive. There's a (we assume standard 1.6GHz) Atom, an unspecified amount of RAM and a 1.3MP web cam, but its the added software and services that Archos is hoping will lift the 10 above its many competitors.

Archos Media Club is on board for downloading videos to rent or buy. The (free) French music streaming service, Deezer, is plumbed into the desktop offering access to tracks from all of the majors. Finally, there's vTuner software for listening to and watching Internet radio and TV. There's also an office suite (Lotus Symphony), 6 months' of anti-virus and 6 months' of parental control subs.

Trouble is, aside from Archos Media Club, you could load all of those, or their near equivalents, onto any netbook for nowt. Still we're eager to get our hands on the Archos 10 and find out if it really offers enough extras to justify its £349 price-tag. It's available online from this month, if you're interested.

Press Release

ARCHOS 10 Mini Laptop

Connect, work and play

London – January 2009 – ARCHOS, award winning technology innovator, and leader in the portable media player market, today announced its entry into the global Mini Laptop market with the launch of the ARCHOS 10. Small, light and functional, the ARCHOS 10 is a stylish and affordable alternative to existing products in the space.

Developed with the needs of the modern day mobile consumer in mind, the ARCHOS 10 provides a complete out-of the-box solution allowing you to achieve even more on the move. Weighing less than 1.3Kg, incorporating a stunning 10.2” (1024 x 600) super bright LED screen, ergonomic keyboard, ultra compact, sleek and elegant design, the ARCHOS 10 is the perfect product for outdoor computing ; great for the commute and flights.

In addition, Intel’s smallest and lowest power processor, the Intel® Atom™, enables the ARCHOS 10 to deliver real computing power at a fraction of the weight, size and cost. The ARCHOS 10 incorporates the familiar Microsoft™ Windows® XP operating system coupled with 160GB hard drive storage. Complementing this is Lotus Symphony, which equips the user with numerous office applications to work efficiently, and Xnview to easily edit your photos to be posted on social networking web sites or simply sent by mail.

The ARCHOS 10 enables users to stay connected with family, friends and work colleagues at home and on the move. It boasts a range of communication technologies, including 802.11b.g wireless LAN for fast internet access and a 10/100 Ethernet LAN. Furthermore, the ARCHOS 10 pairs a 1.3M pixel webcam with wireless connectivity and Skype™ software for free voice and video calling and instant messaging and low-cost calling to landlines and mobile phone numbers at any time, from anywhere. Other features include a 4 in one multi-memory card reader, a VGA connection, headphone and microphone jacks and 3 x USB ports.

The ARCHOS 10 is ideally suited for the first-time buyer or as a supplement to a primary notebook. Its competitive price and practical functionality provides customers a user friendly way to access the internet, email and social networks, in total security with the popular BitDefender™ Antivirus and Parental Filter to protect children.

The ARCHOS 10 is a ready to go solution for the modern mobile consumer and business people:

Ready to connect

• Surf the web with Internet Explorer: With the 10.2” high resolution screen users can view single A4 page documents and websites without the need to scroll.

• 24/7 Connection via WiFi: Stay connected with family, friends and work colleagues at home and on the go. Boasting 802.11b.g wireless LAN for fast internet access and a 10/100 Ethernet LAN

• Social networking chat: Enjoy instant access to all your favourite social networking sites on the move.

• Stay in contact with relatives with the Webcam through Skype : Make voice and video calls and send instant messages anytime, anywhere, with access to Skype coupled with a 1.3M pixel webcam and wireless Internet connectivity, for easier communication and increased work efficiency.

• Parental Control: Protect yourself and your family by preventing access to inappropriate sites, monitor computer activities and encourage responsible use of the Internet with a 6 months free full version of Parental Filter.

Ready to work

• Send and receive emails with Outlook Express: Manage multiple email accounts, easily view, send and receive email, synchronize contacts and store and view attachments with the familiar Outlook Express email program.

• Create and exchange “Office” documents with Lotus Symphony: An unlimited software that provides the functionality you need to perform the most common document creation and editing tasks, making it ideal for business and personal projects alike. Built on open standards Lotus Symphony is compatible with ODF (Open Document Format) and Microsoft Office formats.

• Protect yourself from viruses and junk mails: Keep your ARCHOS 10 safe from viruses, spyware, adware, phishing attacks and identity theft with a 6 months free full version of BitDefender™ Antivirus 2009.

Read to play

• Instant access to the ARCHOS Media Club: Instant access to VOD content, (with a £40 promotion offer). With direct access via the Media Club directly on the ARCHOS 10 desktop, users can download content for rent or purchase directly onto the ARCHOS Mini-Laptop.

• Listen to free music from all major record labels via Deezer: Instant access to free music directly from your ARCHOS desktop.

• Pick your favourite radio station and TV channel on the Web with vTuner: When connected to a WiFi network get instant access to nearly 1,000 Web TV channels, over 10,000 Web radio stations and 100,000 podcast directly from your ARCHOS 10 desktop. Radio and TV start streaming instantly from a worldwide list of traditional and independent stations. It’s easy to watch daily news and sport at any time, whether you are at home or on the go.

• View and convert photos with image editing software: Xnview an unlimited software allowing you to edit photos and create photo slideshows with transition effects. The perfect and simple tool to resize photos to be send by mail or post on social networking web site.

Prices and availability

The ARCHOS 10 will be available from selected retailers and the ARCHOS online store www.archos.com from January onwards. The ARCHOS 10 is available with a recommended retail price of £349...

The ARCHOS 10 is supplied with a mains power charger and user manual and includes the following software: Lotus Symphony – Working Suite (unlimited version), BitDefender™ Antivirus 2009 (6 months free version), Parental Filter (6 months free version), XnView (unlimited version) and Vtuner Web Radio & TV Player.