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Archos is a company that has made a name for itself by delivering portable media players. But once the company started adding WiFi and web browsers to its PMPs, maybe the writing was on the wall: the lines between dedicated devices like media players and full fledged computers are getting thinner and thinner.

Earlier this year Archos release its first netbook, a remarkably ordinary looking machine called the Archos 10. Recently things got a bit more exciting when the company started selling a version of the Archos 10 with Ubuntu Linux that wasn’t constrained by some of the usual Windows netbook limitations. It ships with 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.

Now Archos has unveiled the Archos 9 tablet PC that features a 9 inch touchscreen, a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z515 CPU, and runs Windows 7. The Archos 9 looks a lot like the company’s earlier portable media players thanks to the lack of a keyboard. But it’ll have the guts of a netbook, and the ability to run a full desktop operating system and connect to WiFi or 3G networks (with an optional 3G modem). The Archos 9 will have an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, and either a 60Gb or 120G hard drive. It should be available this fall. No word on pricing yet.

Update: CNET UK has posted some hands-on photos and first impressions of the Archos 9.

via CNET