Over this past weekend, I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself a brand new netbook.  I have been eyeballing these ultra-portable computers for some time now, mainly for one simple reason: the train.  Most of you know that I ride the train to work every day…a commute which includes a 10-15 minute walk from the train station to my office, and back again at the end of the day.  Needless to say, my seven pound laptop, with assorted accessories was starting to weigh me down in more ways than one.

There were three netbooks I had been considering: The Lenovo IdeaPad S10, MSI Wind, and Asus EeePC 1000H.  Although all three were similar (they all use the same Atom chip, ship with Windows XP Home Edition, and feature a 10 inch screen), there were slight differences, which finally led me to decide once and for all on the Wind.

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Just as I am getting ready to wrap up my multi-part overview of the iPod Touch, Archos drops a bombshell with their new seventh generation media players, which they refer to as, “Internet Media Tablets.”  As you can see in the image above, these are aimed straight at the iPod Touch, and I have to say they look like they could give the iPod some serious competition.  The new Archos comes in three models, the Archos 7, Archos 5, and Archos 5g. 

According to SlashGear, the differences between the three are pretty obvious:

The Archos 5 is available in 60GB, 120GB and 250GB capacities, with a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen and 0.5-inch thickness, while somewhat curiously the Archos 5g only comes in one 30GB variety.  The bigger Archos 7, meanwhile, has a 7-inch touchscreen (still at 800 x 480), either 160GB or 320GB capacity and is 0.63-inches thick.

All three offer Wifi connectivity.  The 5g also offers HSDPA cellular broadband.

I have reviewed the previous two generations of Archos media players, and have always been extremely impressed by their offerings.  I can’t wait to check these out and watch video or read an ebook on that gorgeous seven inch high resolution screen.

The Archos store currently has a big “Coming Soon…” sign on it, but rumor is that these new players should be available in September, with prices starting at $350.

[via Archos and SlashGear]