IT OS would be nice on them. They have ARM Cortex processors.

I do not really see any real improvement(other than the new physical packaging and plug-in options) over my existing Archos 605 which was hackable at one point. Archos are nice as a PMP.

I got my N800 after Archos decided to release a new 605 firmware to close out the 'hole'.

Being a previous Archos 605 wifi 80gb owner I will say it is a great little movie player and all around media unit (pictures, songs, etc). It boasted about being able to browse the net with full support for youtube and other flash related sites but from my experience the internet support on the device was complete rubbish. Constant lock ups with the browser plug-in, terrible signal strength even when RIGHT next to the access point, shotty support for youtube videos (it only had flash 8)...all led me to get rid of the Archos. I downloaded movies and played them on the Archos and it really did shine there. Not considering the terrible audio output levels (could NOT hear it on an airplane with wrap-around-ear headphones), it really was an awesome movie player with fantastic capacity.

But after owning an N810 for about 4/5 months now, Nokia/Maemo are significantly better. I'll admit I haven't watched a ton of movies on the device (Im cheap and haven't bought a mem card...I know I should be shot for such defiance but Im buying a house now....I have other worries) but the internet browsing is flawless. Right out of the box it "just worked" with all of the sites I frequented. This plus the bluetooth capability which now works perfect with my Nokia phone over 3G, the GPS (although I dont use it much its nice to have in a pinch and it works just fine for me), and the extreme expandability all make it a worth while investment. Yeah its a little more pricey but its definitely worth all the features.

Any idea on what the processor speed is?

Speedometer for the processor is an optional, for-pay extra.

hehe true...be wary of their pricey additions.

But Iam curious what will be driving them?

if Archos, as well as Apple, want to make money by selling software, they should sell their hardware at low price.

Linux Devices' guess is....

"Archos calls the new devices the world's first Cortex-based products. Although processor specs are not listed, the PMPs are likely based on the Texas Instruments OMAP35xx line of system-on-chips (SoCs), which are in turn built around ARM's powerful Cortex-A8 core. Considering the video focus, the devices probably use one of the two high-end OMAP35xx models that offer video acceleration: the OMAP3530, which also includes an OpenGL ES 2.0 accelerator, or the OMAP3525, which does not. Both SoCs are clocked at 600MHz and started shipping in late July."

Apple's main business, just like Archos and Nokia is selling hardware.

Well, The archos sells its codecs so they cant lower the unit cost
atelast thats what they say

I had a archos 605 for a bit and loved it, but it bricked
twice
two units
in two weeks
so i gave up on it and bought a nit instead

but theyre really neat
and anything that my mother can use without confusion is something that is deisgned intuitvly