Archos Smart Home Phone now available -- get Android on your landline

By Richard Devine
last updated

It was way back in June 2011 that we first saw Archos' Android based Smart Home Phone. Flip forward to January 2012 and the device is finally available to purchase, coming in at £130 over here in the UK.

Archos promises that this is a fully featured Android smartphone, with a wide range of communication applications installed as stock. As with several Archos products, the Smart Home Phone does lack official Android Market access. Applications are taken care of via their Appslib service. 

Aside from apps, the phone is WiFi-enabled, comes with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 8GB of internal storage and even a front facing camera, possibly a little excessive for a home phone. But, hey, it's running Android. Thats never a bad thing.

Source: Archos

More: Archos 35 Smart Home Phone spec sheet

32 Comments
  • Landline? I haven't had a hardwired phone since 2002.
  • Are in you in the US?  In the UK it still seems like a pretty standard feature, I've still got one. It rings from time to time ;-)
  • but why?
  • Used to be the only way to get broadband. Only got fibre optics a year ago.  Plus it seems my bank are happier if i have one!
  • Why not? With the bundled Verizon plans for TV and internet, land-based voice comes essentially free. You can say the same for Ooma as well, particularly since I got the Ooma Telo unit for free from someone else who was moving. It's cheaper than getting a mobile phone for my chatty daughter.
  • I'm in the US and still have a landline, unlimited calls keeps my cell phone bill down a bit and it's practically free when included with my quadruple play
  • it's practically free when included with my quadruple play
    This.  I'm pretty sure the phone jacks in our house work if I wanted to plug a phone into them.  It's included with the cable and Internet bill.
  • Oh I also ditched Comcast TV about a year ago - I'm strictly Netflix and online viewing. Internet is with Comcast, still. Saved me a LOT.
  • @Richard Devine - yes, I'm in the US. It was a convenience thing at first, to keep a phone number if I moved, then it just became the defacto standard since I could keep a number I'd had for years at that point. Up until just a few years ago some companies would hassle me because the area code a prefix show me in a different part of Chicagoland than I live now and would balk at the difference between that and my address. Not recently, tho.
  • Even in the US, only the major city dwellers have switched over to mobile and VoIP - which is less than 20% of the US area. There are so many remote places and businesses who do all their calls via land-line. On 11th Sept 2001, when the world trade center was crashed into, mobile network was down and many relied on land-line. Younger generations might not see the practicality of a land-line, but once they grow up (mature) they will get a land-line. Reason? 911. Mobile phones are not reliable 911 trace back / reverse address look up or location from where they are calling.
  • Archos? Yuck. I can already see messages like... "Would you like your phone to ring? Click here for the $16 plug-in."
  • This was three years ago... since Archos embraced Android, it's been a lot friendlier...
  • But can it be rooted?
  • You remind me of "Will it blend?" lol
  • I've been waiting for a landline phone that would sync with my google address book.
  • Interesting... But only works if you live alone, in which case you might as well just save the money and apply it to your cell bill. I'm sure I wouldn't need all my kid's/wife's numbers in the family phone mixed up with all my business contacts. My house phone is bundled too, and ends up costing next to nothing, but I forward it to my wife's phone.
  • I have a separate family account at Google, hosting common contacts, calendar, etc. I'd love to get this phone and set it up with this account.
  • "Applications are taken care of via their Appslib service." Have they blocked sideloading? If so, this is a one way ticket to ransome-ware.
  • Why would you need apps on your landline phone? You won't take it with you when you go out, so I don't see calendar apps being needed, since you'd be right there next to your computer to check those things. Games? Again, WHY? Root required apps? Why would I even care about rooting this device? It's an appliance, even moreso than the industry thinks smartphones are, and I'm fully in support of individuals OWNING the hardware they buy, and being allowed to load/reload/root ROMS and apps as they please.
  • You are not seeing the bigger picture. 1. Landline with internet is a good thing. Easy communication with kids or elderly at home who do not have a mobile. 2. Cheap Skype / gtalk camera phone, no need to have 2 or 3 different devices. 3. integrated address book, so easy to send text messages from home. 4. If one is working from home and does not travel (elderly or disabled), they only need this phone, no need for a mobile.
  • WTF???
  • Essentially I only use my lndline for mortage broker and car payments and I will hve 1 for when I have kids because if they are like me they will not hndle things with care I have to hve an otter box just to walk to my mailbox haha and home phones re alot cheaper butt this looks like I might buy this for the office so I can have it haha
  • I would be interested if it had access to the Android Market. Other than that, I wouldn't be.
  • I have a land line still. I'm in an area where cell coverage is spotty (which still baffles me to this day). My job requires that I have a line available at all times. So, a land line is still useful to some folks.
  • In general, I like the idea of Android everywhere ... big questions:
    Can it be rooted?
    Can it be a GoogleTV remote?
    Can it run Skype, GTalk, GMail?
    (And can they be PW protected so random house guests can't do anything untoward?)
  • That's great. I hope can able video call and use with my magic jack, It's awosume
  • Video Calling Home! Thats all the reason needed!
  • i have one because there is no cell coverage at my house, kind of a necessity for me.
  • Great idea, but don't believe Archo's is the company I'd buy it from. Their support is pretty non-existant and they've been waxing about this product on their website for what seems like eight or so months. I'm sure someone like Samsung could bang such a product out in short-order and could practically give it away and flood any market demand - and actually provide support.
  • Together with the desktop phone running Android that was shown at CES, this opens so many possibilities! My landline will have some purpose again, after all :)
  • 1. Landline with internet is a good thing. Easy communication with kids or elderly at home who do not have a mobile. 2. Cheap Skype / gtalk camera phone, no need to have 2 or 3 different devices. 3. integrated address book, so easy to send text messages from home. 4. If one is working from home and does not travel (elderly or disabled), they only need this phone, no need for a mobile.
  • Land Line, I only have one because I have 3 kids and a many that do not use cell phones as the kids are kids, I did move it to VOIP through my cable company. I had tried magic jack for them but you had to reset that every once in a wile under there old system and they could not figure it out. But now with triple play It does not seem to cost me anything any way. I NEVER use it personally. If I was single or no kids I would not have a land line. OH I also have my alarm through it .