16
May
xenon small

Archos Reveals The $200 80 Xenon Tablet: Android 4.1, 8-inch 4:3 Screen, And (Surprise!) A 3G Radio [Update]

Posted by in ARCHOS, News

Archos has been cultivating a reputation for cheap, mostly reliable tablets since long before Android slates were mainstream. Their latest creation isn't all that remarkable: the 80 Xenon is squarely aimed at the iPad Mini, with an 8-inch, 1024x768 IPS screen, a Qualcom 1.2ghz quad-core (Snapdragon S4?) processor, 1GB of RAM, and a price tag of $199.99. Oh, and it comes with unlocked 3G wireless broadband. Wait, what?

xenon

Yes indeed, the 80 Xenon is specifically designed and marketed with mobile wireless in mind. According to the Archos PR, the tablet will work with "any operator", which we assume means pentaband GSM.

13
May
ChefPad-Icon

Archos ChefPad Tablet Appeals To The Clumsy Cook Who Is Too Lazy To Search Google Play

Posted by in ARCHOS, News, Tablets

I like to cook, and sometimes I bring my tablet into the kitchen with me to look up a recipe. For some of you, this might not be dedicated enough. You demand a dedicated kitchen tablet, and Archos is ready to deliver. Their new ChefPad is "a tablet for the cooking enthusiast." It comes with a selection of cooking oriented apps and a silicone case that makes it a dream come true for the four of you who could not settle for anything less.

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The Archos ChefPad comes with Chef Apps Zone, which filters through the Play Store to present a curated selection of cooking apps.

18
Apr
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Archos Announces A New Line Of Ultra-Affordable Smartphones, Prices Start At Just $99 (No Contract)

Posted by in ARCHOS, News

When it comes to buying a new smartphone, Archos generally isn't the first company that crosses ones mind. The company is looking to change that with a new line of highly affordable "3G+" smartphones, which were just unveiled today. Say hello to the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum, and 53 Platinum.

This trio keeps the somewhat familiar Archos branding – the number indicates the display size, while the suffix alludes to the "quality" of the product (i.e. Carbon is lower-end, while the Platinum name is reserved for higher-end products).

ARCHOS 35 Carbon

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The 35 Carbon is the smallest and packs the least impressive specs of the trio, but for $99 without contract, you shouldn't expect much in the first place.

30
Mar
1[9]

Small OTA Updates Rolling Out To The Kyocera Rise On Sprint, Wi-Fi Archos Cobalt 80

Posted by in ARCHOS, News, Rise, Sprint

While these two devices are essentially unrelated in general, today they have one thing in common: they're both getting small OTA updates.

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Sprint's Kyocera Rise is getting bumped up to build 1.011sp, which brings a few enhancements and general bug fixes:

Kyocera Rise Software Update - 1.011sp

Enhancements/Fixes

  • Qchat enhancements
  • Camera Gallery App crashes when attempted to edit picture
  • User can not pull down status bar during a call
  • Overlap when signing into Gmail™
  • Bluetooth connectivity issues

On the other side of the fence is the Archos Cobalt 80, which appears to be getting its first update. This one's just a very small bugfixer, which resolves a couple of issues:

Version 20130202 - March 29th, 2013

  • Fix an issue with Google talk no sound on loudspeaker on video chat.

25
Feb
1[6]

Archos 80/101 G9 And 101XS Receiving Updates To 4.0.28 And 4.1.2 Respectively

Posted by in 101 G9, 101 XS, 80 G9, News

Archos may not be the biggest dog on the block, but it does do a good job of supporting the hardware it releases. It's currently sending OTA updates to its 80/101 G9 and the 101XD tablets, which mostly just bring some minor bug fixes to the devices.

archos-80-g9bquille

For the 80/101 G9, build 4.0.28 mostly brings video tweaks, as well as one small touchscreen optimization:

  • HDMI: avoid interference of CEC detected as DPAD with some games such as Max Payne
  • Video: fix playback of some MP4 files
  • Video: fix aspect ratio on some H264 files
  • Touchscreen panel: ensure on some devices a proper wakeup when powering screen back on

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The 101XS is being bumped to v4.1.2, which delivers some application enhancements, HDMI playback improvements, and a fix for the Google backup manager:

  • Archos applications: add Archos multimedia server back, update Archos Video, Music, File Manager, GamePad Mapping Tool to be in par with GooglePlay versions.

14
Feb
1[8]

Archos Announces New 'Platinum' Line Of 8, 9.7, and 11.6-inch Tablets With Quad-Core Chips And 2GB RAM

Posted by in ARCHOS, News

Archos, the undisputed champion of budget tablets with high-end specs, is back at it again with its new line of Platinum devices. This series contains three different tablets with similar specs: 8-inch, 9.7-inch, and 11.6-inch models.

Each of the three devices features a "high definition IPS display" (though each has a unique screen resolution), a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 8-core GPU, 2GB RAM, miniHDMI, microSD card slot, dual cameras, and Android 4.1.

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As mentioned above, the three devices are only different in screen size and resolution:

And, like with other Archos products, these devices are priced to move, with the 80 coming in at $199, the 97 for $299, and the 116 going for a very reasonable $349.

11
Jan
wm_IMG_1654

[CES 2013] Hands-On With The Archos TV Connect And Archos GamePad (Videos)

Posted by in ARCHOS, GamePad

If you follow Archos, you probably know the French tablet-maker's product formula by now: "cheap and usable." This is a strategy that has allowed the company to expand its product line greatly over the last year, and to branch out into less familiar territory. In particular, the recently-announced TV Connect and Gamepad are two devices unlike anything Archos has made previously.

TV Connect

The TV Connect's purpose is quite simple: you have Android running on your TV, with a TV-remote-meets-gamepad style controller. This is accomplished with a bar that sits atop your television, and plugs in via HDMI. The processor and memory guts are housed in the bar, while the controller is basically just a transmitter device, powered by two AA batteries.

10
Jan
titaniumhd97

[CES 2013] ARCHOS Introduces Titanium Line, Including The 70, 80, 101, And Previously Seen 97 Titanium HD Tablets

Posted by in ARCHOS, News

ARCHOS is not messing around! After releasing the first in its iPad Titanium line of tablets, the 97 Titanium HD, sans price, the company is back for more with three new slates in the family: the 70 (a 7" tablet), the 80 (an 8" tablet), and the 101 (can you guess? can you? I bet you can. Yes, it's a 10.1" tablet!). The company isn't even being shy about its intent. The 70 specifically targets "competitors such as Amazon", the 80 goes after "the iPad mini, for a fraction of the price", and the 9.7 "aims to be an alternative to the new iPad." Well, yeah.

03
Jan
archos3

ARCHOS Announces TV Connect: An Android-Powered Device That Turns Your TV Into A Giant Tablet

Posted by in ARCHOS, News

You're crazy for this one, ARCHOS! Today, the company most known for releasing the best cheap Android tablets before the Nexus 7 swooped in and drove a wedge between the concepts of "cheap" and "inexpensive" announced the TV Connect. This thing is designed to plug into your set and essentially turn it into a giant Android tablet. With a remote control. No, it's not Google TV. What.

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The TV Connect will come with a 1.5GHz "Multi Core" processor of indeterminate origin, 1GB RAM, 8GB of storage, and Android 4.1. It also comes with a built-in HD camera for video chat purposes (think Logitech/Skype's living room solutions).

22
Dec
archos_97titanium_office_hidef_5

Archos To Release New Tablet That's Basically An iPad Because Why Not?

Posted by in 97 Titanium, ARCHOS, News

I could tell you about the Archos 97 Premium's features. It's specifications. The version of Android it's running. How much it might cost. But honestly, Archos has made it a near certainty that no one will remotely care about any of these things, because of the 97 Premium's decidedly interesting design. Let me just do a little side by side for you.

archos_97titanium_front_hidef_2  iPad_PFV_PFVLF_Springboard_PRINT

Is the 97 Premium an iPad? No. Is it so obviously meant to draw comparisons to the iPad that it borders on something I'd expect out of a fly-by-night Chinese manufacturer? Definitely.

Archos has, however, been careful to avoid a couple key design trademarks of Apple's tablet.

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