Two days ago was the long anticipated Archos event in Paris where they revealed the Archos 5 Internet Tablet. Now it’s available for pre-order at Amazon.com. They start at $369.99 for the 32GB and max out at $499 for a 500GB model. If you recall last month when some photos were leaked at B&H, there was a distinction made between A5S and A5H (each with 3 storage sizes), the former being the flash drive model.  It looks like the total number of variations out now is only limited to three, a 32GB flash version and 160/500GB hard drive. Archos has done away with the A5S and A5H labels.

All the units run on an 800MHz OMAP3440 processor with a 4.8″ 800 x 480 touchscreen. Yes, it can handle 720p of output when used with a an optional DVR Station or HDMI Mini Dock. It supports all the major video/music/image formats, even 4GB files without splitting them. With full GPS capability, FM radio transmitter/receiver and a host of built in search/messaging/media/social networking applications, it gets you thinking about what Archos did not include in this mini tablet. Head over to the new Tablets for the Net video section for a slew of Archos 5 videos from the tubes.

Floating Archos 5 pic from Archos Fans.

If you can’t stick on a detachable keyboard to the tablet, why not just stick an ultra-thin keyboard in the package? That’s what Archos seems to have done in these new hands-on pictures taken by Engadget of the Archos 9PCtablet.

It looks like a slim USB keyboard  fits neatly with the tablet into a sleeve. Definitely a plus for net tablet critics that say touchscreen devices have limited use other than web browsing. In addition, the sleeve is perfect for protection for the screen, the first attempt I’ve seen for large sized MIDs. The Touch Book on the other hand allows the keyboard to be physically detached and so you can just use the tablet form. It is not clear from the Engadget post if the Archos branded keyboard comes standard with the tablet. Considering these keyboards run in the order of $80 a pop, it will be interesting to see the price point of the combined purchase.

The Archos 9PCtablet will run on an Intel Atom 1.2GHz Z515 processor alongside Windows 7 with 1GB RAM and 80GB of internal storage.  It will be Bluetooth and Wifi capable while being equipped with 2 antennas to receive DVBT TV. It should be available in October around the same time that Windows 7 is released.

Last week, pictures of an Archos tablet were reveled through FCC documents and we found out they were now called A5H and the A5S. These tablets were pictured before as early as last year, though the FCC documents showed some modifications to the exterior. Those pictures showed a scruffy white tablet on a boulder rock.

Now, some sharp-eyed Archos Fans have managed to capture some screen shots of the tablets going on pre-order at B&H, a professional digital imaging shop. Prices start at $293 for the 16 GB SSD model (A5S model) with the 32 GB version going for $369. The A5H will at $319 for a 160GB one and $419 for a whopping 500GB version. Seriously, how many videos do you want to put on that thing before your school/work/relationship life suffers?

At $293, this 5″ tablet might be the cheapest so far among all the upcoming tablets. The 12″ CrunchPad will have a price point of $300-400, while the Apple tablet is rumored to be between $600 and $1000.  But why get this Archos instead of the iPod Touch? Screen real estate.  At 3.5″, web browsing for extended periods of time is not ideal. The 5″ might be a perfect size to for it to still be a truly pocket device while still allowing for comfortable web browsing.

After notifying developers of AppsLib, an Android app store for “high-end Android devices”, Archos has announced the September 15th date to show of its new 5 inch Android tablet in France. No surprise there that the specifications on the AppsLib store sound exactly like that of that upcoming tablet which have been known for months.

Why is this high-end? First off, the HDMI output and the 720p support. Most tablets such as the CrunchPad or Asus T91 only dream to have such luxurious, including a 500 GB of internal storage and 3.5G connectivity instead 3G.  With a browser that supports Flash and a thickness of only 0.39″,  this unit is certainly going to be getting some tablet street cred this fall.

From Pocktables.