Two great tastes that taste great together! Blockbuster and Archos are teaming up to sell a $299 Archos 10 netbook to consumers who just can’t be bothered to “shop around” and “not go to a freaking Blockbuster for computer hardware.” What’s next? Electric toothbrushes?
The move is an odd one for the company. Both Archos and Blockbuster are fading in relevancy and it’s unclear if Blockbuster is suggesting you use the netbook to stream movies you download from the Internet – maybe from Blockbuster’s own site? The Intel Atom-based netbook doesn’t have an optical drive so all I can think is that Blackbuster wants less foot traffic in its 1,000 stores.
Blockbuster Enhances Consumer Electronics Offering With Entertainment-Ready ARCHOS Netbook
DALLAS, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — As a part of its consumer electronics offerings, Blockbuster Inc. will now feature a netbook for sale in 1,000 BLOCKBUSTER((R))( ) stores in the U.S. which will enable consumers to access entertainment on-the-go. The ARCHOS 10 netbook, manufactured by ARCHOS(TM), a leader in the portable media market, emphasizes mobility, connectivity and multi-media capabilities, all in an affordable personal computer. One of the first mini laptops to provide direct access to media on the move, the ARCHOS 10 netbook will be sold in participating BLOCKBUSTER((R)) stores and includes an embedded link to www.blockbuster.com.
“Blockbuster strives to provide consumers with convenient access to media entertainment when and where they want it. Enhancing our consumer electronics offerings with an affordably priced netbook that allows customers to access our online rental, retail and download services, whether they’re at home or on the road, is a natural fit,” said Joanne DeLorenzo, vice-president, product for Blockbuster Inc.
The ARCHOS 10 netbook, available at select BLOCKBUSTER stores for $299.99, features a sleek design, a pleasingly light (less than 2.8 pounds) and compact size, a 10-inch ultra-bright LED screen and a small, but easy-to-use keyboard. Also included in the WiFi-ready Netbook are an Intel((R))( )ATOM(TM) processor, 1GB RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Microsoft((R))( )Windows(TM) XP and a built-in web cam. Featured software include Lotus(R) Symphony, Outlook((R)) Express, Internet Explorer((R)), parental controls, virus protection and multi-media applications like XnView(TM) for viewing pictures and vTuner(TM) for Web TV and Radio.
This reminds me of the season of Curb Your Enthusiasm when Mel Brooks hired Larry for ‘The Producers’ because he so desperately wanted it to fail so that he could rid it from his life.
Perhaps Blockbuster just really really hates being in business and hemorrhaging money, so they’re doing whatever they can to get their shareholders to walk so they don’t have to deal with the stress of running a failing business anymore?
And yes, those are two solid run-ons in a row. You’re welcome.
Amazon is selling it at the same price. Tis the 3 cell battery version.
Blockbuster might be selling the 6-cells version.
Archos is the best European consumer electronics company. Perhaps you Americans are jealous because Archos is so superior?
Archos is not fading, they are releasing the best valued Netbook right here, $50 or more cheaper than Asus, Acer, Samsung and the other big Netbook brands.
This has nothing to do with Archos being better or ‘us Americans’, it is about Blockbuster selling ANY netbook…They are a movie rental store.