8-inch costs just $279; 10.1-incher is $349
Archos today announced a pair of new (and relatively affordable) Honeycomb tablets -- the Archos 80 G9 and Archos 101 G9. Both feature Android 3.1, a dual-core OMAP 4 processor running at 1.5GHz, and a 250GB Seagate hard drive.
The Archos 80 G9 -- which runs just $279 -- is an 8-inch device with a 1024x768 resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio. The Archos 101 G9 -- $retailing at just $349 -- sports a 10.1-inch screen and a 1280x800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio.
In addition, both tablets can take advantage of Archos' new 3G stick -- a USB stick that, for an extra $49 turns the Wifi tablets into pay-as-you-go 3G devices.
The Archos 80 G9 and Archos 101 G9 will be available at the end of September and will be featured at the IFA conference earlier in the month in Berlin.
More: Press release
Reader comments
Archos announces pair of G9 Android Honeycomb tablets
We'll have to see how much RAM it has and how well it actually performs and feels. They have the flash version with 16GB and that is the starting price you see at $279 and $349. How much extra the 250GB HD will be is something they don't specify. The bonus of the 250GB version is that you could likely swap it out for a SSD drive (pricey but faster).
No rear camera, just the 720P front facing webcam too. Also wonder what the build quality will be like with all the plastic in it. Too may questions right now. By September we will likely see some upcoming rumors on the iPad 3 features and some more upcoming tablets too, so I shall wait and see what's best in the Fall.
Here's what their website says about the flash storage and hard drive:
"32 GB flash or a 250 GB hard drive, it costs us manufacturers the same price, so why should you have to pay a premium for the extra space?” At least that’s what we think at ARCHOS.
ARCHOS’ G9 tablets with hard drive storage are only 3mm thicker than their flash counterparts.
source: http://www.archos.com/products/gen9/feat_storage.html?country=us&lang=en
Call me a negative but I think this is going to have a garbage screen. Plus I don't know if it will run all that well even with the TI Omap at 1.5ghz. It says it's coming out with 3.1 yet we have only just heard about 3.2 that will have support for Qualcomm chips. So far nothing but Tegra has been powering Honeycomb???
If I was going to wait till the end of September for something like this then I might as well wait another month or two and get the Next Gen Transformer or Galaxy Tab
I guess I should continue my tradition of Archos Tablets. Archos 5 - Archos 70 - Archos 101 G9?
Congrats Archos on getting your first official Market access. I will miss hacking it on.
No info at all on the screen?
If it's IPS, it might be interesting. The iPad has a better screen than the Transformer..and the Tab has a better screen than the Transformer...
"The Archos 80 G9 -- which runs just $279 -- is an 8-inch device with a 1024x768 resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio. The Archos 101 G9 -- $retailing at just $349 -- sports a 10.1-inch screen and a 1280x800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio."
Interesting!
Although having a hard drive doesn't sound very "tablet-y". Noise, vibration sensitivity, heat, weight, and lower battery life are all revisited with the addition of a hard drive.
The 3G "card" idea is excellent. Price is good too. No specs on memory? 1GB maybe??? Guess we shall see how it turns out...
.....so many honeycomb tables...,, so little apps....
I won't buy anything else made by Archos. They have really really bad device support. My Archos 5" internrt tablet is still on android 1.6. Their device look cool,but they dont follow up with device support. Besides hdd drive = bad idea.
Wow since I got mine at Christmas of last year, it has gone from Eclair out of the box to Froyo, and since then they have done 4 updates and have included ext3 file system support so you can run mkv files. Maybe the 5i just does not have the ummph to support anything beyond 1.6.
I guess the moral of the stary is research before you buy or you might be stuck with something you do not want.
I have the 7th Gen Archos 7i and I got to play with the HDD version and I have to say that even with the HDD it was quick and still had a good battery life. On my unit I am getting 12+ hours of usage out of it.
I was looking at getting an Acer or Xoom tablet but I think I might now be looking at getting a new Archos as I am more then happy with the last generation.
Would you be able to use the Pay as you go 3G usb stick with other Tabs?
Reviewing the specs on their site (http://www.archos.com/products/gen9/index.html?country=us&lang=en)shows a flash only version as well as the advertised hard drive version.
Just watched the promo vid...apparently it has a 720p front facing cam and a kick stand also.
Hells yeah.
The hard drive will mean less battery life, but that's the beauty of Android, isn't it? A bunch of devices that let consumers decide what tradeoffs they want.
And who knows, maybe they'll toss a humongous battery in these suckers, too. I'll take a little more weight if it means 8+ hours of real-world use.
Regardless, this is a killer price point for Honeycomb tablets. It means the $350 8" Vizio tablet will have to come down to $300 or lower in September. Everybody wins. Except Apple.
That hard drive is going to mean it's likely heavier than the Xoom and way more power hungry than anything else on the market. OTOH, hopefully it'll drive prices down on the Acer and Asus.
Your Xoom weighs 708 grams (24.9 oz) while the Archos weighs 599 grams (21.9 oz). The Galaxy Tab 10.1 weighs 565 grams (19.9 oz).
Definitely looking forward to that, will likely pick one of them up. A fully support Android 3 tablet with Archos' media support... (a tablet that will in all probability support Hi-Def mkv and other formats...)
1.5 combined or 1.5 each totaling at 3.0
Clock speeds are not cumulative.
Those are freaking great specs and an amazing price, I'm just worried that the hard drive will significantly slow down the speed of the tablet. Oh, and the bezel looks really really bad and I don't really like how the camera is off to the side. D:
I hope they end up having a flag memory (16gb) option for same $ or less, like they did for some of their past tablets.
The only thing that bugs me is a lack of mention of RAM. Hopefully it's 1 GB, but even if it's not that price is very compelling. Hopefully it'll make people like Motorola bring their prices down to compete.
Nook Color is a better deal IMO
How?
The only downside I see is the potential trade off in battery life from having a HDD. Otherwise, it sounds great.
Not for me, but this is no doubt a good thing for the Android tablet economy. A set of nice looking tablets at great prices.
So, instead of flash storage, they're going with a platter-based hard drive? Okay, that certainly allows for some bang-for-your-buck storage-wise (see: 250 GBs for $279), but waiting for the drive to rev up is going to be annoying. Especially since it's a Seagate. I've heard nothing but bad things about Seagate hard drives.
Ah, well... this kicks the pants off of most of the tablets on the market, especially price-wise.
That 8 inch tablet just killed the hewuai mediapad
I am thinking I just found my birthday present. Great timing and everything.
Fastest processor yet, largest hard drive and a great price. I may have to reconsider the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Would love to see the reviews.
Good job Archos? Great Job Archos...ill probably buy a transformer but this is a great deal.
Any intel on whether it has a rear and front facing camera?
zooming in on the press release shows that the black circle on the left side of each device is most likely a front facing camera.
Hmm..I haven't even considered getting an Android tablet but these look quite compelling at these prices.
Agreed, excellent specs to price ratio
its about damn time Archos made a legit Android tab. as long as it performs well in hand-on reviews, i will definitely take the 101
edit: this is exactly what the Android tab market needs, a bad ass tablet for a fraction of the price. hopefully it will drive down the insanely overpriced big name brands.
Still thinking of getting the galaxy tab for myself but that 8 inch tab would be cool for some of my family members or a cheap dev tablet.
That form factor, with those specs and with the full Android Market AT THAT PRICE makes this the the most "bang for your buck" Android tablet yet.
Good job Archos.
Not too shabby.
-Suntan