14 DAY TRIAL // Archos is up for some Wi-Fi-enabled action and announces its wireless portable media player. According to a couple of leaked FCC documents, a device, which will be known as the Archos 704 Wi-Fi (model 42725), is bound to be released in the near future.
The leaked FCC report unveils the existence of an 802.11b/g wireless connectivity module for the new Archos player. The inclusion of a TV tuner seems unlikely since the published tests on radio emissions contain no mention of such capabilities and little information on the device functionality was divulged by the FCC. Photos included in the report reveal that the player has a 5? LCD screen and as far as one can observe, it looks like Archos has dubbed the player as a "Mobile DVR." This denomination suggests that the player could include some time-based recording capability, and the ability to pause a live video feed is also plausible.
The new 704 is based on a DM420 CPU backed by an auxiliary CPU in order to manage the power supply (+1.2V/+1.8V/+3.3V/+5V), the real time clock with 32.768kHz crystal, and the charger for the 704's onboard 3.7 VDC lithium ion battery. Other details revealed in the leaked documentation indicate that the portable player utilizes DDR2 memory, includes support for Flash memory cards, and may even sport a micro hard drive. The audio component is said to be managed via the all-new AIC31 audio codec.
The French device maker states that the Archos 704 could generate more interest in the portable media player category than its predecessor, the 604 model. Wired connectivity appears to be the antithesis of portability, and Archos is well-known for introducing innovative products that often stretch the current limits of the category.