This morning, a new line of Android phones was announced from Archos, a company known for their GamePad and Platinum line of tablets. The line is called Platinum and contains three different phones – the 35 Carbon, the 50 Platinum, and the 53 Platinum. As mentioned in the title, the devices are priced at an extremely competitive rate, with the 3.5″ 35 Carbon starting at just $99. 

From there, the 5.0″ 50 Platinum will go on sale at $220, while the larger 5.3″ 53 Platinum is set at just $250. Each device is “Google certified,” runs pure vanilla Android 4.1.2, sports an IPS display and supports Archos’ cloud-based storage for contacts and files. Both the 50 Platinum and 53 Platinum contain quad-core Qualcomm processors, so it would appear Archos is stepping up their game in the specs department.

Unfortunately, these device will go on sale starting in Europe this May and we are currently awaiting word from the company if we can expect to see them go on sale here in America. My guess would be eventually, yes.

An unlocked phone of this caliber at an incredibly reasonable price? Anyone interested?

ARCHOS leverages years of Android tablet expertise to launch a smartphone range starting at $99 

New Platinum range will allow end-users to experience full access to the Android ecosystem, IPS screens, Quad-core CPUs and 8 Megapixel cameras in a sleek design

Denver, CO – April 18th, 2013 – ARCHOS, a pioneer in AndroidTM devices, is pleased to announce its first line of GoogleTM certified smartphones. Each smartphone will feature a super slim design, IPS screen with amazing viewing angles, a powerful Qualcomm CPU and the flexibility of dual SIM cards which allow the user to manage two providers simultaneously.

The ARCHOS 35 Carbon ($99.99), ARCHOS 50 Platinum ($219.99) and ARCHOS 53 Platinum ($249.99) will be the first in a new line of smartphones to be released and will be available starting in Europe at the end of May 2013.

“The smartphone market is shifting, as SIM-free sales versus subsidized sales are increasing, and ARCHOS is prepared to respond, as we can offer retail channels affordable, unlocked and feature-rich smartphones without the need to subsidize,” says Loïc Poirier, CEO of ARCHOS. “Furthermore smartphones and tablets are interrelated markets that have quickly crossed over with the arrival of “phablets” – half-phone, half-tablet devices. It only makes sense that this should be our next phase of products as this would be a natural fit for our brand and long term growth.”

Ranging from 3.5” to 5.3” in size, the first three smartphones to be released in Q2 will include a range of features, connectivity, CPU’s and storage. The flagship device, the ARCHOS 50 Platinum, features a stunning 5.0 inch full black IPS display paired with a quad-core CPU at 1.2GHz and 8 M Pixels camera. End-users will have an experience similar to a Samsung Galaxy S3 for half the price.

In addition, all smartphones in this new line will include:

• Pure un-skinned Android OS
• Google Certification for access to Google PlayTM and Google Mobile Services including Google NowTM
• Dual SIM flexibility to manage two providers simultaneously from one phone
• An IPS Screen with amazing viewing angles
• Full Black Screen Process
• ARCHOS Media Centre Apps for music and videos
• Cloud-Based Contacts and Storage
• Front and Back Cameras for capturing the perfect picture

For full Smartphone technical specifications please visit:

50Platinum: www.archos.com/products/smartphones/platinum/archos_50platinum/index.html

53Platinum : www.archos.com/products/smartphones/platinum/archos_53platinum/index.html

35Carbon : www.archos.com/products/smartphones/carbon/archos_35carbon/index.html

For more information about ARCHOS products visit www.ARCHOS.com.

Archos Unveils Platinum Line of Smartphones, Insanely Affordable and Running Vanilla Android is a post from: Droid Life

Yesterday, people noticed that the Archos GamePad became available through select online retailers. It is priced at a low $179, and features a 7″ 1024×600 5-point touch display, a dual-core A9 processor with 1GB of RAM, and a quad-core GPU. Sure, it’s no Project SHIELD, but this would be a perfect gift for a game-loving child or as a flight companion. 

Below, I have placed the hands-on video that Kellen and myself recorded at this year’s CES.

Picking one up?

Hands-on video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via: Google Shopping | Engadget

Archos Android-Powered GamePad Now on Sale Online For $180 is a post from: Droid Life

Today, ARCHOS announced their new Platinum Range tablet lineup. There are three tablets and each boast some pretty noteworthy specifications. There is an 8″ slate called the 80 Platinum, a 9.7″ called the 97 Platinum, and an enormous 11.6″ beast called (you guessed it) the 116 Platinum. 

Each tablet in the lineup will incorporate the following features listed below.

• High-Definition IPS display with capacitive multi-touch screen
• QUAD core CPU at 1.2 GHz with 8-core GPU, with 1080p video decoding
• 2 GB RAM
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Full access to the 700,000 applications
• Archos Media Center applications
• Front and Back Cameras
• Mini-HDMI and Micro SD ports

Being the competitors ARCHOS are, these tablets are priced quite well. The 8″ tablet will start at just $199 and launches in February, the 9.7″ will sell for $299 at the same time, and the 11.6″ monster will go on sale in April for $349. At those price points and with these impressive specs, it looks like they might have found a winning formula that can get consumers interested.

Think you might pick one up?

ARCHOS Introduces the New Platinum Range 
The Platinum tablets are amongst the first Android tablets to offer a super high resolution IPS screen combined with the performance of a Quad-Core CPU

Denver, CO – February 14, 2013 – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, introduces the Platinum range, a new line of tablets that feature a sleek aluminum design combined with the best high definition IPS displays, quad-core processors and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. There will be three tablets in the range including an 8-inch, 9.7-inch and 11.6-inch all of which deliver true vivid colors, sharper text and amazingly fast performance.

The entire Platinum range will all share the following features:
• High-Definition IPS display with capacitive multi-touch screen
• QUAD core CPU at 1.2 GHz with 8-core GPU, with 1080p video decoding
• 2 GB RAM
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Full access to the 700,000 applications
• Archos Media Center applications
• Front and Back Cameras
• Mini-HDMI and Micro SD ports

The ARCHOS 80 Platinum, an 8” tablet, features a 1024×768 resolution IPS screen and when compared to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 it is almost twice as fast, has double the RAM and has a back camera for a fraction of the cost. The 80 Platinum will be available in February for $199.

The ARCHOS 97 Platinum HD, a 9.7” tablet, features a stunning 2048×1536 resolution IPS screen, which is comparable to the Retina display found in the iPad, but is 40% less expensive.
The 97 Platinum HD will be available in February for $299.

The ARCHOS 116 Platinum, an 11.6” tablet, features a 1920×1080 resolution IPS screen, unlike anything currently on the market. The 116 Platinum will be available in April for $349.

ARCHOS Intros Platinum Line of Tablets – HD IPS Displays, Quad-Core CPU’s and 2GB of RAM is a post from: Droid Life

When we crashed the ARCHOS booth at CES to check out their new GamePad, they also showed us their new lineup of Titanium tablets, which actually offered some decent specs on top of good looking hardware. Although, at CES, when you are surrounded by a million other Android tablets, it’s hard for some to stand out and actually impress a skeptic. 

There are four tablets in the line, each featuring an HD IPS display, a dual-core 1.6GHz processor coupled with quad-core GPU, Android 4.1, and of course, it’s Google certified. They have a 7″, 8″, 10.1″, and a 9.7″ variant, each set at an amazingly competitive price.

For pricing and further details, check the presser down below.

ARCHOS Introduces the New TITANIUM Line at CES 

CES, Las Vegas – January 10, 2013 – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics introduces the Titanium line in its Elements range of tablets.

This range offers high-end specifications at an aggressive price and all tablets will feature:

• High Definition IPS display capacitive multi-touch screen
• Dual core CPU at 1.6 GHz with Quad core GPU, with 1080p video decoding
• Sleek aluminum design
• Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’ with the 700,000 applications on Google Play and the Archos Media Center applications

The ARCHOS 70 titanium (7 inches), priced at 119€, $119, £99 offers similar features to competitors such as Amazon, at a better price point.

The ARCHOS 80 titanium (8 inches), priced at 169€, $169, £149 has been designed to offer similar user experience as the iPad mini, for a fraction of the price.

The ARCHOS 101 titanium (10.1 inches), priced at 199€, $199, £169, is around 30 per cent cheaper than competition with comparable features.

The ARCHOS 97 titanium HD (9.7 inches), with a resolution up to 2048 x 1536 pixels is priced at 249€, $249 and £199, and aims to be an alternative to the new iPad for half the price.

ARCHOS Introduces Affordable Titanium Line of “Top Tier” Tablets is a post from: Droid Life

We just got done hanging with the ARCHOS crew here at CES, and while we were there, we were able to go hands-on with the brand spanking new GamePad. The device sports built-in buttons, triggers, and toggles, all dedicated for gaming centered around a semi-okay display with a resolution of 1024 x 600. The hybrid device is powered by a dual-core processor, quad-core GPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of on-board memory which is expandable. 

It is now available here in the U.S. for the price of $169, which is actually quite reasonable, given ARCHOS even built their own key mapping software that works like a charm. All in all, it is a neat little device that kids would probably go crazy for. The toggles were a bit cheap feeling and the display isn’t close to HD, but it meets a very low price point that Project SHIELD from NVIDIA will likely come no where near.

Check out our hands-on with the GamePad down below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: Hands-on With the ARCHOS GamePad [CES 2013] is a post from: Droid Life

This week, Archos announced the TV Connect that will be on display at this year’s CES. According to Archos’ CEO, the TV Connect is a, “bigger, better way to enjoy Android.” But, what is it? The TV Connect turns the TV that sits in your living room into an Android tablet of sorts. Think of it as Google TV, but with a tablet interface instead. 

You control the OS through a large remote that supports multi-touch input and the device is completely licensed by Google, which allows for access to Google Play and all of your favorite applications. Beyond that, the device also comes with a sensor that sits atop the TV (with built-in webcam) for video calling.

The device will be at CES next week, so you can expect us to possibly get some hands on with it if we have the time. According to the release, the whole package will sell for $129.99.

Via: The Verge

Archos TV Connect Turns Your HDTV Into an Android Multimedia Center of Sorts is a post from: Droid Life

The Archos GamePad is a device we have brought up a few times, but we have been waiting patiently for when we could finally get our hands on one. Thankfully, Archos officially launched the device in Europe today, as well as giving us here in America a new time frame to look forward to, early Q1 2013. What makes this device so special are the built-in gaming controls for a complete on-the-go gaming experience. It comes equipped with Jelly Bean, a 7″ display, and a lightweight portable body which shouldn’t tire out your arms. 

Luckily for me, Q1 is right around the corner! Is this type of device something you could see yourself getting excited over? I think if the price can be low enough to compete with other hand-held gaming systems, then we could have something special (and rather unique) here.

ARCHOS GamePad Available

The first true Android games console, the ARCHOS GamePad combines powerful tablet hardware with revolutionary gaming software

Denver, CO – December 6, 2012 – ARCHOS, announces the retail availability of the highly anticipated GamePad, a new type of tablet that combines physical gaming button controls and an ARCHOS patented mapping tool with a full AndroidTM-powered tablet experience. Bringing physical buttons and analog thumb-sticks to mobile gaming, the ARCHOS GamePad blends power with unique mapping software that allows you to link the virtual controls of any game to physical controls. A thin and light Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device, the GamePad also features full access to Google PlayTM and Google Mobile Services and is now available in Europe for 149.99€ with a North American release scheduled for early Q1 2013.

“Android device users spend more than 9 hours a month gaming on their devices and yet are not completely satisfied with the touch-screen experience,” says Henri Crohas, Founder and CEO of ARCHOS. “We feel this area of gaming is proven and will continue to grow. With the introduction of the GamePad we are uniquely positioned to feed the demand of gamers who want a better gaming experience on a tablet.”

By combining the GamePad’s 14 physical buttons and dual analog thumb-sticks with the revolutionary ARCHOS game mapping tool (exclusive to ARCHOS), the GamePad brings the physical aspect back to the gaming experience. Adding to the experience is the 16 million color, seven inch, five point capacitive, 1024 x 600 pixel screen. At only 10 mm (0.3 inch) thin and with a weight of 330g (0.7 lbs), the ARCHOS GamePad is the perfect on the go gaming console.

REVOLUTIONARY MAPPING TOOL

Thanks to the revolutionary ARCHOS mapping tool, even back catalog games that weren’t made for physical controls can work with the physical controls of the ARCHOS GamePad; ‘map’ any on-screen virtual control to the physical controls of the GamePad for hundreds of games within the tool or use its drag-and-drop interface to ‘map’ any game in seconds.

Check out our YouTube video showing how easy it is to use: HOW TO MAP BUTTONS

The mapping profile for each game is automatically saved so whenever that game is launched in the future, the ARCHOS game mapping tool will automatically load the corresponding mapping profile.
FEATURES & SPECS

• Operating System: Google Certified Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Smooth Gaming Experience with 3D Graphics: Quad-core Mali 400 MP GPU paired with a 1.6GHz Dual-core CPU.
• Memory: 8GB of internal memory with microSD slot or up to 64GB of additional space.
• Mini-HDMI: Use the mini-HDMI port to connect the GamePad to your TV for a big screen viewing experience.
• Google PlayTM: 700,000 apps and games and includes DRM support for downloading books, magazines, music, movies and TV shows.
• ARCHOS Media Center applications: tailor made apps for video and music that include metadata scraping, auto-subtitles and of course, the best format and codec support around including 1080p video decoding.

For more information about GamePad visit www.ARCHOS.com.

ARCHOS GamePad Now Available in Europe, US Coming Early Q1 of 2013 is a post from: Droid Life

Today, device maker Archos has announced their newest upcoming product, the GamePad. The GamePad, which features a 7″ display, physical control buttons and analog sticks, may just be the greatest Android gaming device to hit the market. With access to Google Play, users can finally play all of those first-person shooters with ease and no more onscreen controls. 

Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a quad-core GPU and Ice Cream Sandwich, the GamePad includes automatic game recognition and mapping tools, so no worries on having to set up specific button layouts. The Archos GamePad will hit Euro markets at the end of October for the price 150€. No word on an American launch yet.

So, is this the future of Android gaming?

ARCHOS combines physical gaming controls with a full Android-powered tablet to create the GamePad

Denver, CO – August 29, 2012 – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, is proud to announce their first gaming tablet. This new type of tablet, the GamePad, combines gaming controls with AndroidTM for a full tablet and gaming experience in one. Gamers will not only have access to all their favorite games, they will also have access to email, Internet, apps and more through one device.

The GamePad features a 7-inch, capacitive screen, physical control buttons and analog sticks. This Google certified tablet has full access to Google PlayTM for the tens of thousands of games available, runs a dual-core processor @ 1.5 GHz combined with a Mali 400mp quad-core GPU. In addition, the GamePad includes automatic game recognition and mapping tools – patented technology to ensure control compatibility with every advanced Android game.

Until now, tablets provided gamers with touch controls that lacked response and compatibility for their advanced games, providing a disappointing gaming experience. As one of the main tablet uses, there is a strong need for a tablet that does more for gaming. Thanks to the complete touch and physical controls of the ARCHOS GamePad, Gamers can enhance their experience starting at the end of October 2012 for less than 150€.

“When Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, was first released they included game controller support within the framework and that is when we decided to build the GamePad,” says Henri Crohas, ARCHOS Founder and CEO.

Some leading game developers have already embraced the physical controller support that was introduced with ICS rendering their apps compatible with the physical controls of the GamePad or with game controllers plugged into tablets or phones.

However many games originally did not include physical control mapping, which is why ARCHOS developed their mapping and game recognition tool; a patented technology that allows any virtual controls to be mapped the GamePad’s physical control buttons.

“Thanks to the mapping and automatic game recognition systems included on the GamePad, we already have over a thousand android games compatible with the ARCHOS GamePad’s physical controls, including back catalog titles that originally didn’t include physical controls,” continued Crohas.

Android-Powered Archos GamePad Looks Incredibly Awesome, For an Archos Device is a post from: Droid Life

Watch out, folks. Archos is looking to make a blast in the Android tablet market with their new Gen10 lineup of devices. The first to debut is the 101 XS. While it’s a 10.1″ tablet, featuring Ice Cream Sandwich and a pretty beefed up OMAP 4470 processor, it looks to be a direct competitor to ASUS’ Transformer line. I’ve been playing around with it in my day to day routine for almost a week now and have a pretty solid opinion on some of the tablet’s highs and lows. 

Thoughts:

As far as overall specs, the 10.1″ display features a 1280×800 resolution, a 1.5GHz dual-core OMAP chip, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of on-board storage which is expandable to 64GB. The main feature Archos is pushing with the device is the accompanied “Coverboard.” It is a magnetic full keyboard/screen cover that definitely differentiates this device from any other tablet on the market. Sure, others may have keyboard docks, but the only thing making this one different is the fact that it attaches through the magic of magnets.

Archos claims the tablet will receive a Jelly Bean update sometime in Q4, which is fine since market availability in the US doesn’t begin until November. The price is set at $400, and this does include both tablet and coverboard. To help you ease into that price, Archos threw in a copy of OfficeSuite Pro ($15 value) to let you know just how handy this thing can be when editing Word, Excel, and other documents.

Gallery:

Hands-On:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Conclusion:

So, should you go ahead and spend $400 on this thing? I would have to say “No.” With the selection of Android tablets becoming evermore vast, people looking for a decent and cheaper Android tablet should probably go ahead and check out one of ASUS’ offerings. Better build quality and much better software.

During my time spent with this device, I tried to think of who or what type of user would benefit from this tablet. To this day, I still haven’t answered that question to a degree I am comfortable with. Props to Archos for trying something new, but I just find myself unimpressed with the hardware at that price point.

Quick Look: Hands-on With the Archos 101 XS Tablet is a post from: Droid Life

If anyone was looking for an alternative to the Nexus 7, then this might be a good choice. The Archos Carbon 97 is a 9.7″ tablet, running Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. It is powered by a single-core 1GHz processor and has 16GB of internal storage that is also expandable via microSD to 48GB. Unlike the Nexus 7, the Carbon 97 includes a back-facing camera and features a mini-HDMI port for connecting to your HDTV.  

For the price of $250, it’s not a bad little package. No word on if it will ever see Jelly Bean, but it’s good to live in a world of options. If you were thinking about picking one up, here is a discount code that will take off $20 making it a grand total of just $230. “MAC45Z”

Buy.

Does anyone actual need/want a cheap alternative to the Nexus 7? Hard to compete with one of the best Android tablets ever made.

Archos Carbon 97 Goes on Sale, a Budget Friendly 9.7-inch ICS-Powered Tablet is a post from: Droid Life

Archos finally decided it was time to join the legitimate Android tablet game today by introducing two new Honeycomb variants of 8″ and 10.1″ that actually have the market installed.  Before we get into the specs of these things though, let’s talk about the most important piece which may really blow your minds:  price.  The 8″ G9 tablet can be had for as little as $279 with the 10.1″ G9 dropping in at $349.  Remarkable, right?

So what’s packed inside – it’s gotta be garbage right?  Not necessarily.  Archos decided to use TI’s OMAP4 dual-core processor which has been clocked at 1.5GHz and allows them to call this the “fastest tablet experience ever.”  In fact, they are claiming it can outperform the Tegra 2 by up to 50%.  They are also giving customers the choice of either 16GB of on-board storage with the ability to add additional SD cards or a 250GB Seagate hard drive.  Seriously, a 250GB hard drive.  Both tablets come as wifi-only, but an additional 3G dongle stickie thingy can be purchased and connected to give you on-the-go data.  These tablets can decode 1080p H264 High Profile videos – something no other tablet can apparently do.

They have gyroscopes, vibrators (hah), GPS abilities and every other normal tablet feature we’ve seen over the last few months.  When I initially saw the announcement for these, I sort of rolled my eyes, but I’m taking that attitude back and will gladly say, “Nice work Archos.”

Both tablets will be available at the end of September.

Who’s buying?  

Specs | Features

Archos 8″ G9

Archos 10.1″ G9

Archos Introduces Two New Inexpensive Honeycomb Tablets With OMAP4 Processors Clocked at 1.5GHz is a post from: Droid Life