Archos Announces Android HoneycombTablet

Archos’ has announced its latest generation of tablet computers in the shape of the Android Honeycomb powered G9.

Two variations have been announced for release at the end of September, the 8” Archos 80 G9 and 10.1” Archos 101 G9. Each feature a huge 250GB hard disk – an actual spinning disk – for storage and agile OMAP 4 processors with dual-core ARM Cortex A9s for power.

The high performance tablets are aggressively priced. The 8” version will cost £199, while the 10.1” registers at £249. Both run Android Honeycomb so users will have access to the Android Market’s 200,000 plus apps and the devices also support Flash.

Connectivity is provided via WiFi however the tablets are 3G ready and a USB port on the back will accept a specially designed WWAN dongle from Archos. The slimline ‘3G Stick’ for the G9 costs an extra £49.99 and is compatible with other laptops and PCs.

In terms of display, the 101 model harbours a 1280 x 800 16:10 screen while the 80 model’s screen is 1024 x 768 4:3. Both play 1080p HD and Archos claims the large memory means users could potentitally store 50 hours of full HD video.

Increasing competition

Few can doubt that the tablet market belongs to the Apple iPad, for now. But, in the Android Honeycomb OS, rival hardware manufacturers now have a more robust system on which to base their devices and begin chipping away at Apple’s domination.

A similar scenario is already playing out in the smartphone market and the growing list of manufacturers entering the tablet space has the makings of a credible challenge to Apple’s hegemony – though commentators have pointed out that so far Android tablets have few developers, not many users and a tiny revenue stream compared with Apple’s iPad.