Archos intros 80 G9 and 101 G9 Android 3.1 tablets: 1.5GHz CPU, 250GB HDD, 3G-ready (hands-on)

Angling for a new Android 3.1 tablet, are ya? If so, Archos has a new pair emerging from Paris today, the 80 G9 and 101 G9. Predictably, the biggest differentiator between the two is the screen size, with the former offering an 8-inch panel with a 1024 x 768 screen resolution and the latter stepping up to a 10.1-incher (1280 x 800). Both of 'em are proudly using Seagate's 7mm Momentus Thin in order to scale to 250GB, but of course, only time will tell how a power-hungry HDD will do in tablet form factor.


Under the hood, you'll find a dual-core OMAP 4 processor (1.5GHz ARM Cortex A9), support for Flash, access to the Android Market and a full-size USB port -- one that's good for accepting the outfit's new G9 3G WWAN stick ($49). You'll also get an HDMI output, support for 1080p playback and a pay-as-you-go option with the aforesaid 3G dongle. The duo is scheduled to go on sale at the end of September (you know, just a month or two before Ice Cream Sandwich makes Honeycomb look like old hat), with the 80 G9 going for $279 and the 101 G9 for $349. Don't ever say Archos' accountants didn't look out for you.

Update: We snagged a gallery's worth of hands-on shots from Archos' reveal today in Paris. We're running back for more as we type, so hang tight!

Update 2: I noticed that the ES specifications link for the new G9 tablets mentions a 16GB + microSD arrangement for those who aren't feeling a 250GB HDD. Interesting!

Archos 80 G9 and Archos 101 G9 press images

Archos G9 series tablet hands-on gallery!

The G9 range features the industry's fastest dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, the largest storage capacity with a Seagate 250GB Hard Drive, Honeycomb 3.1, Android MarketTM, 1080p HD video and 3G capability

DENVER, CO – June 23, 2011 - Today, ARCHOS, an award winning technology innovator and pioneer in the tablet market, introduces an unrivaled combination of speed and storage with its latest tablets featuring an OMAP 4 processor with an ARM® Cortex™ dual-core A9 running at 1.5 GHz and Seagate's 250GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) capacity.

The 8" ARCHOS 80 G9 and 10" ARCHOS 101 G9 are powered by AndroidTM 3.1 "Honeycomb,''* the latest Android version. ARCHOS G9 tablets come with Google's full suite of mobile applications and Android MarketTM, giving users access to over 200,000 applications such as games, books, social media and news. With the latest version of Honeycomb, G9 tablets also offer a full web experience complete with Adobe® Flash® support for on-the-go web browsing, communication and applications.

Additionally, the G9 tablets feature a unique 3G ready solution where customers no longer need to choose between WiFi and 3G models at purchase. ARCHOS 3G Stick is a standard 3G stick for laptops which has been designed to be compatible with all ARCHOS G9 tablets. All G9 tablets come with a concealed USB port on the back of the device that when paired with the ARCHOS 3G USB Stick will enable 3G connectivity.

The G9 tablet range continues to push technological boundaries and features the following innovations.

Fastest Tablet Experience Ever

ARCHOS have decided to push their G9 tablets even further by loading them out with a 1.5 GHz dual-core OMAP 4 processor from Texas Instruments™. With 50% more raw computational power, ARCHOS G9 tablets have the power needed for a great Android experience.

For example, with the 1.5 GHz OMAP 4 processor the ARCHOS G9 tablet enhance a user's web browsing experience with page load time reduced by up to 50% over tablets running the Nvidia Tegra 2TM processor at 1 GHz.

All your HD multimedia in your hands or on TV

With the best multimedia experience, ARCHOS G9 tablets are the only tablets able to decode 1080p H264 High Profile videos whilst current standard tablets are not even able to play 720p H264 High Profile smoothly.

ARCHOS have replaced the standard multimedia apps with ARCHOS boosted apps for video and music to give to users more format compatibility and a unique user interface.

With film and TV series metadata automatically downloaded, even video files are automatically organized by title, actor, director, year, season and episode, ARCHOS have redefined the tablet device category by providing consumers more ways to experience HD entertainment.

ARCHOS G9 tablets also feature an HDMI output, giving users full access to their Android experience on TV including movies in 1080p resolution.

WiFi or 3G, no need to choose, it's up to you whenever you want

This patented solution lets the consumer add a standard PC 3G stick to his tablet whenever and wherever. The ARCHOS G9 3G Stick has been specially designed to fit perfectly into the back of any G9 tablet. Just remove the cover and slide in the ARCHOS G9 3G Stick to unleash the full portability of your ARCHOS G9 tablet.

With this innovative USB 3G stick, consumers will no longer have to choose between a WiFi and a 3G tablet at purchase. For just a $49 upgrade, the users can purchase the ARCHOS G9 3G Stick and start enjoying 3G connectivity on his ARCHOS tablet or PCs compared to other tablets where 3G modules add over $100 to the cost and there's no option to add it later.

This cutting edge 3G stick offers one 3G solution for both a tablet and a laptop and uses just one data plan1. Offered as a Pay-As-You-Go Plan, there is no subscription required and the consumer need only pay for what they need when they need it.

Top performance, best value

While the competitors' tablets are priced starting at $499, ARCHOS is offering an 8'' tablet starting at $279 and 10.1'' tablet starting $349.

ARCHOS is offering cutting-edge performance such as a more powerful and faster processor, unique 3G solution, enhanced multimedia experience and more storage capacity with the built-in 250GB HDD from Seagate.

ARCHOS are the first in the industry to offer a tablet with a hard drive, bringing 8 times more storage at the same cost of a standard 32GB tablet.

ARCHOS are also the first to offer such high performance at such affordable price, making ARCHOS G9 tablets the best cost-performance value.

The ARCHOS 80 G9