The Archos FamilyPad: a 13.3in tablet that's fun for the whole family

The Archos FamilyPad: a 13.3in tablet that's fun for the whole family Archos has come up with a tablet that’s big enough for the whole family to gather around, so it’ll be perfect for large games of Angry Birds this Christmas. The 13.3-inch FamilyPad has 10x multitouch support, so four people can get their sticky fingers on the screen at the same time, like a 21st century equivalent to playing board games at Crimbo. Or if you want to hark back to the classics, you can play the pre-installed digital board games, too. The FamilyPad isn’t going to give the high-flying Galaxy Tabs or iPads of this world a run for their money specs-wise though. The screen is 1,280×800-pixels, it has 8GB flash memory, a microSD slot, and 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU. If that 13.3-inch display isn’t big enough, an HDMI output lets you run movies to your telly. And there are front- and rear-cameras that are 2-megapixels each. The tablet runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich, can handle a variety of e-mail accounts for all the family, and is available for £274.99.

Archos Child Pad: £99 Android tablet for kids

To a child a tablet looks like a fascinating little plaything. But with the cost of such devices going into the £££ we know that’s far from the case. Archos has gone some way to resolving that little dilemma by announcing a £99 Android tablet called the Child Pad. It even has the latest Android 4.0 operating system. What else? Read on…

At £99, the Archos Child Pad is definitely one of the cheapest tablets we’ve seen. Even so, the specs, for such a cheap tablet are rather impressive. The Child Pad features a 7-inch screen, a 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. So performance should be pretty quick – an essential if it is to be used by impatient youngsters.

 

We’re also impressed to discover that the Archos Child Pad will feature Android 4.0 – the latest update to the Android operating system built-in from day one. Albeit a more child-friendly version of the OS.

Custom skins and pre-loaded games such as Angry Birds provide the fun. And parental controls. Those are there too. Very important, those. The Archos Child Pad will begin shipping at the end of March.

It may not be the most advanced or desirable tablet around, but for £99, it sounds like a bargain. It’s not just for kids, right?

Then again, wait one month and you may be able to pick up a brand new iPad for just £100 more, following rumours that Apple is to release a 7.85-inch iPad.

Archos G9 Android tablet available for pre-order

 

The Archos G9 is an Android-based tablet, offering a decent spec sheet and styling that doesn’t look like just another Apple iPad clone. The G9 was first announced back in June, but it’s set to be available for pre-order in the next few days.

The Archos G9 is one of the latest tablets to hit the shops, and you’ll be able to pre-order it on the 20th September. It features rounded edges and a curved design that set it apart from all the iPad clones, and there’s a decent set of specs on offer to tempt you.

You’ll be able to choose from two different models – the 8-inch Archos 80 G9, and the 10.1-inch Archos 101 G9, and both feature detailed screen resolutions. The 8-inch tablet comes with a 1024×768-pixel display, and the 10-inch model boasts a 1280×800-pixel panel.

Somewhat unusual for an Android tablet, you’ll also be able to spec the G9 with a traditional hard drive. With up to 250GB on offer, could this be the ultimate tablet for home entertainment? We’ll have to wait and see, as we’re not sure what the HDD will do for battery life!

Slightly more conservative buyers will be able to opt for flash memory, with 16GB versions also available.

Will you be signing up to buy the Archos G9? Leave a comment and let us know.

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