Archos Home Tablet: Android-based multimedia, web browsing and apps

There’s no doubt that Archos is very good at making technologically attractive products ... whether we’d actually open our wallets and buy one, is, however, a different question entirely. In any case, the French manufacturer is back to have another go with two multimedia tablets, the Home Tablet 7 and 8, with a price tag that’ll give the competition a run for its money.

Both tablets will be based on the Android operating system and the ARM 9 processor clocked at 600 MHz (slower than the Archos 5). The products aim to 'bring the best of web browsing, multimedia, live information, social networking and applications into the home'. So once again, Archos is trying to bridge the gap between the smartphone and the PC. Two different versions of the Home Tablet will be released: take a look at their specifications below.

Archos 7 Home Tablet	Archos 8 Home Tablet
Glossy, 7’’ touch screen Screen resolution: 800x480 Wi-Fi 1 x 3.5 mm jack Stereo speaker Micro SDHC card reader USB OTG port for connecting a keyboard or mouse, or to connect to a computer (TBC and via an optional adapter) Composite connection to a TV possible via the jack port Thickness: 12 mm Weight: 350 g Battery life: 7 hours of video playback or 44 hours of audio playback 2 GB: £129.99 8 GB: £149	Glossy 8’’ touch screen) Screen resolution: 800x600 Wi-Fi Stereo speaker 1 x 3.5 mm jack Low-capacity battery for moving between rooms SDHC card reader (32 GB) Thickness: 12 mm Weight: 400 g 4 GB: £129.99 Spec subject to change before release
MARCHANDS €     Pixmania ce...  18.73  Compare prices	MARCHANDS €     Pixmania ce...  18.73  Compare prices

So what exactly are these tablets designed to do? According to Archos, the Home Tablets are mainly intended for web browsing, multimedia (audio and video with DivX, MPEG4 and H264 up to 720p but with a low bitrate (TBC)), and downloading Android applications from the Archos store (click here to see the list of available applications). The Archos 7 is scheduled for release in April 2010 with the Archos 8 set to follow in May.

Why are they being sold as in-home rather than portable devices? Well, they’re probably being recommended for home use due to their low storage capacity and the Archos 8’s small battery. On paper at least, we’re having trouble seeing the attraction of the Archos 8. Surely an extra 2 cm of screen would be better than that huge border and its limited portability isn’t exactly a turn-on. Such features are explained by the fact that Archos is positioning the Home Tablet 8 in the same market as 4:3-format photo frames (better for displaying photos than the 16:9 versions) with the added advantage of an Internet connection for easy access to pictures stored online. Plus, unlike the Archos 7 Home Tablet, the Archos 8 will also come with an integrated software application to help users manage and display photos.

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