The leak of 6 new Archos players was great and all, but there was only really one in the lot that caught our interest – the Archos Vision A43VB. Since the news of the leak broke around the world, further details have emerged of the video-capable PMP.

The nicely-priced 99 Euro player (or ~$135 USD) is rather rough around the edges. The device sports a well-sized 4.3-inch touchscreen, but the interface is not only basic but lacking. The GUI lacks responsiveness and the ability to correctly detect the human touch.  It all feels rather clumsy, but we’ve been informed that it is “still under development”.

The 8GB storage capacity will come bundled with a microSD card slot for expansion. It is apparently capable of supporting a wide variety of formats including the popular Chinese RMVB format.  Archos are in “close works with a Chinese company to optimize” the player which is another way of saying that the player is a rebranded Chinese MP4 player.

Don’t expect the A43VB to be riding the Android wave. Instead, it is running Archos’ own proprietary OS which is a far cry from the glitz and glamour we’re used to.

The player comes bundled with an eBook reader, photo viewer, calendar, sound recorder, and stereo external speakers. Expect a battery life of 30 hours of audio on a single charge.

Check out the video for a better look…

Note: We have been accused by Nicolas Charbonnier (alias “Charbax”) of archosfans.com of stealing his video content, an accusation which we take seriously. Unbeknown to us, the video was originally posted as part of an article on archosfans.com. In our defense, we sourced the video through a search of YouTube and not via archosfans.com.  If Mr. Charbonnier does not want people embedding his videos in their content without linking to his articles, we suggest that he not publish his videos to YouTube.

The world’s largest computer expo, CeBIT, is upon us, and the rumor mill is flowing, but what’s better than a rumor? A leak. Six new players have been added to the Archos Vision line in a revamp of the current Vision line. Although details are still emerging, here is what we know.

• A14VG Vision (as seen above): This compact player features a 1.4-inch display with 4GB memory including an FM tuner and microphone. Weighs in at 24 grams. Expect to pay around 35 Euros (or ~$47 USD).
• A15VS Vision: At only 6mm thick, this player supports MP3, WAV, FLAC and APE sporting a 1.5-inch display with a 4GB capacity. Expect to pay around 40 Euros (or ~$52 USD).
• Vision A18VB: Another smallish device, this player features a 1.8-inch screen but with a larger 8 GB capacity. Continuing in a pattern, expect to pay around 50 Euros (or ~$68 USD).

The remaining three are slightly more appealing…

• Vision A24VB: Features a respectable 2.4-inch screen with 8 GB capacity. Support for a number of formats including MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC and APE. Includes FM tuner. Will come in at around 70 Euros (or ~95 USD).
• Vision A30VC (pictured above): It comes equipped with a healthy 3-inch touchscreen and the same 8 GB of storage. Includes a few more features not limited to an FM tuner/transmitter and camera. It will retail at around 90 Euros (or ~$122 USD).
• Vision A43VB: This is the most impressive of the six. It has a spectacular 4.3-inch touchscreen, 8GB of internal memory plus a microSD slot for expansion. Most notable is the price – just 100 Euros (or ~136 USD).

Word is that all of the aforementioned players are essentially re-marketed Chinese players (to be confirmed). The A43VB is said to be an OEM RAmos. For a better idea of what to expect out of the Archos camp, take a look at a video published to YouTube.

[via gmp3 and archoslounge]

If getting a look at five new MP3 players is like Christmas, Christmas might have come early this year (or late depending on how you look at it). In an attempt to restore its reputation from the lagging demand for its Internet tablet, Archos has resorted back to what it knows best: MP3 players.

The Vision line which was introduced in the middle of 2009 has undergone a revamp of sorts.  There is the addition of a single new player which is unheard of, but most of the other changes are rather exciting.

Archos Key

First up is the Archos Key which is reminiscent and comparable to the Clipper. Usually not seen from Archos, the Key is an entry-level player going for a great price.

As a USB-capable device, the Key will retail for around 20 Euros (or ~$28 USD) featuring support for MP3, AAC, WAV and WMA. Capacity is limited to 4GB of storage with a surprise Micro SD slot. Additional features include an FM radio transmitter and voice recorder.

The overall design is simple but elegant featuring a look-alike iPod scroll wheel of a miniature size.

We continue after the jump…

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Since the announcement of the Archos Clipper, Vision 2, and Vision 3, there has always been the question why there was no Vision 1.  Was the clipper the first player to intro the Vision series? Well, the question has finally been answered in the form of an announcement of Archos’ newest player – the Archos Vision 1.

This little player makes even the iPod Nano look large.  At just 28 grams, the Vision 1 is truly infinitesimal.

The player supports a host of file types including but not limited to APE, FLAC, MP3, WAV and WMA formats. If you thought this baby was audio-only, think again.  Although the 1.5-inch, 128 pixel display is probably on the small side, the Vision 1 supports AVI video files.

Sporting a small battery in an effort to keep weight and size to a minimum, the player is capable of a whopping 20 hours of continuous audio on a single charge.

Expected to hit stateside with a November/December release date, the Vision 1 will retail for about $40-45 USD – bargain!

[via neuerdings]

Skoubi, a keen reader over at ArchosLounge, has sent in his pictures of his attempt to prolong the life of the Archos Vision 3’s battery by simply replacing it.

The current battery in the player is rated at around only 780m amps. Unfortunately, we have no word on if the user was successful in his attempt.

The images give us a clear glimpse into the components comprising the device. There is clear evidence of a Rockchip RK27105 which is the workhorse of the player.

Archos Vision 3 at Amazon

The executive chairman of Archos himself, Henri Crohas, has taken it upon himself to unveil the revamped line of Archos media players. Archos have been hard at work developing three new players:

• Archos Clipper
• Archos Vision 2
• Archos Vision 3

The Archos Vision 2 and Archos Clipper are considerably smaller than the rest of their counterparts. Nonetheless, the players offer a trendy and unique design which will be appeal to the masses.  Unfortunately, there was no prototype available of either of these players.

As depicted above, the Archos 3 is considerably larger yet fits nice and snug in the palm of a hand. Similarly to the Clipper and Vision 2, the Vision 3 offers a trendy and unique design but is additionally lightweight in its size-to-weight ratio.

Admittedly, the user-interface is rather simple; do not expect all the bells and whistles.

The Vision 3 uses a touch wheel to navigate the screen. Unfortunately the wheel is quite small and rather difficult to utilize especially for precision navigation.

ArchosLounge is reporting that Archos is extending its range of players with additional larger sizes (greater than 3 inches). We guess that this will depend on the success of the aforementioned players.

The infamous 5 and 7 series of Archos media players will now be revamped and make up Archos’ new line of Internet tablets.

Stay tuned…

[via ArchosLounge]

Here’s a new story gone unnoticed. Just when you thought that Archos couldn’t possibly launch another series of media players, it appears that a series 4 is in the works. The above depiction is a slide that was briefly displayed at an Archos conference.

According to ArchosLounge, “The players presented during the conference were named Clipper, Vision 2, 3 Vision, Vision & 7 … 4 Vision!” The details are sketchy so the least, but a revamp of the current line of players could be rather exciting.

Thocan of ArchosLounge insists that the Vision 4 is a mere typo. The caption meant to read “Vision 5″. We’re crossing fingers and hoping that a 4-inch 4-series is in the works…

[via ArchosLounge.net]