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Topic: Hardware

Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

Summary: Archos is starting the 2012 tablet party early with the Honeycomb-running 70b Internet Tablet.

Ricardo Bilton

By for The ToyBox |

Weeks ahead of CES 2012, Achos has announced its latest tablet, the 70b Internet Tablet.

Featuring a 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 display, the 70b sounds a whole lot like the Kindle Fire. And that makes sense, seeing how Archos plans to sell its tablet for $199.

Likewise, that price likely speaks to the direction the prices of most tablets are headed in 2012: Down, down, down. In matters of price, cheaper is usually better, especially for consumers daunted by the $400+ price tags that have come with most devices this year.

Available, in January, the 70b will ship with Android 2.3 Honeycomb, not Ice Cream Sandwich. Whether Archos plans to offer owners an upgrade path isn't quite certain, but we'll find out for sure as the release date draws nearer.

Topics: Hardware, Browser, Laptops, Mobility, Tablets

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26 comments
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  • How much profit is Archos making at $199?

    This is a very important consideration. If Archos is losing money on each sale, they may go out of business and people who bought these are out of luck. Unless Archos is making as much or more profit on each of these as Apple is on their iPad then Apple can out spend Archos on R&D and eventually force Archos to quit the tablet market or, like Apple has done with so many other companies, force them into bankruptcy.

    Consumers do not win when 1 company has more than 100% profitshare in a market.
    toddybottom
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

      @toddybottom

      Archos isn't losing money on this tablet. Archos has been buidling cheap sub $300 Android tablets for some time, and doesn't have other services to help subsidize the machines.

      From what I've read these are decent tablets that feel "chintzy" and "cheap" but which get the job done.
      dsf3g
      Reply Vote

      • I would never buy an Archos

        @dsf3g <br>I don't trust companies that don't make big profits. They simply don't have the resources like Apple does to be innovative and to spend a lot on R&D and to honor their warranties.

        What we need is a 2nd and even a 3rd profitable company in the tablet market. What we don't need is 1 profitable company and a bunch of losers which is what we have now.
        toddybottom
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

        @toddybottom<br>Hopefully, it won't turn out like desktops where one monopoly squeezes all the margins ensuring everyone has a 10% profit to cover R&D and warranties. If we only had competition.
        anono
        Reply Vote

      • anono: Apple only makes 10% profit on iMacs and Minis?

        That would surprise me. Do you have any proof?
        toddybottom
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

        @toddybottom<br>Well if you think OSX is the monopoly desktop OS I was referring to I shouldn't be surprised you call Apple a monopoly for tablets. You probably think Apple has over 100% market share in tablets and phones.
        anono
        Reply Vote

      • I got you to change your story very quickly this time

        You wrote: "Hopefully, it won't turn out like desktops where ... everyone has a 10% profit"<br><br>You believe that everyone in the desktop market makes 10% profit. Apple is in the desktop market with iMac, Mac Mini, and even Mac Pro (forgot about that one). So either Apple is only making 10% profit in the desktop market or your original post is a lie. Choose.
        toddybottom
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

        @toddybottom<br>That was a reply to your post where you were looking for the 2nd and 3rd profitable company. Apple didn't count because they were the 1st as implied by your post.

        To spell it out, in essence what I'm saying is that if you want that 2nd and 3rd profitable company then you better hope everyone (not including Apple because they are the 1st profitable company) doesn't have it's margins crushed by a monopoly OS.
        anono
        Reply Vote

      • Glad you admitted you were lying in your original post

        "Hopefully, it won't turn out like desktops where ... everyone has a 10% profit"

        So you were lying when you wrote this. Good to know.
        toddybottom
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

        @toddybottom
        I already answered you accusation of me lying. Would it help your reading comprehension if I reposted it.
        anono
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

        @toddybottom [b]You finally admitted that not everyone got 10% profit in the desktop market and that you were lying when you wrote that originally. We don't need for you to admit it all again.[/b]

        You [i]really[/i] need to work on your reading comprehension... Let me give you a quick lesson. The post that you referred to as a lie:[b]

        Hopefully, it won't turn out like desktops where one monopoly squeezes all the margins ensuring everyone has a 10% profit to cover R&D and warranties. If we only had competition.[/b]

        The relevant part is: [i]...where one monopoly squeezes all the margins ensuring everyone has a 10% profit...[/i] The one monopoly - which YOU had already referred to as Apple - is the one squeezing thereby making the remaining companies... the [i]everyone[/i] part... Perhaps for those of YOU who are unable to grasp this concept the post should have read [i]everyone else[/i] but the OP likely counted on intelligent people responding to his posts... awkward...

        From one of your posts: [b]What we need is a 2nd and even a 3rd profitable company in the tablet market. What we don't need is 1 profitable company and a bunch of losers which is what we have now.[/b]

        So what are you? You praise Apple so much on some posts I'd swear you were a born again frothing at the mouth Apple zealot and on other posts you trash Apple like they stole your girlfriend... I'm figuring you are some sort of out of work former IT guy looking for thrills by trolling tech sites - but I've been wrong before.
        athynz
        Reply Vote

    • I Think Apple Can Continue to Ignore Archos

      @toddybottom
      I think that Apple can probably continue to ignore Archos, like they've always done, and Archos can continue to chug along and stay in business by offering something that is a little different, like they've always done.

      I don't think Archos has stayed in business this long by offering hardware at below cost. Also, I see quite a few cheap Chinese tablets available for less than $200 dollars with a capacitive screen and even a 1Ghz+ processor (just don't expect Gorilla Glass). I'm sure they're not losing money, so I expect Archos isn't either.
      CFWhitman
      Reply Vote

    • Archos build quality is poor

      @toddybottom have tried two different Archos devices - both poor quality, buggy firmware, and lousy support - would never buy anything else from them - if you want a device in this price range buy a Fire or Nook

      And Android 2.3 is not Honeycomb
      archangel9999
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

    Guessing you mean 3.2 Honeycomb not "Android 2.3 Honeycomb".
    clcrockett
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

    I'm just wondering how long Apple can continue to deny that there's a market for 7" tablets.

    I own an HTC Evo and an HTC Flyer in large part because Apple has consistently insisted that they have no plans to build a 7" iPad.
    dsf3g
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

      @dsf3g So you bought 2 7" tablets just to spite Apple? Really? Wow...
      athynz
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

    I'm just wondering how long Apple can continue to deny that there's a market for 7" tablets.

    I own an HTC Evo and an HTC Flyer in large part because Apple has consistently insisted that they have no plans to build a 7" iPad.
    dsf3g
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

    2.3 Honeycomb? 2.3 is Gingerbread. The screen shot of the device is Honeycomb, so I'd assume that's what it's coming with?
    tslovejoy1969@...
    Reply Vote

  • I have the 7.0

    And, it don't feel chintzy or cheap.
    I bought it for some testing of some new wifi access points I was installing. Yes (you and my wife have now mentioned) I could have just used my HTC Touch Pro2 Windows 6.51 Pro smartphone, but this is a lot more fun.
    And, yes - it runs Flash pretty well.
    Yes, I like that it fits in my pocket. Yes, it has pretty good battery life. Yes, it has a huge hard drive for a tablet (250gb) but that was not a factor when I bought it.
    I wanted a non-i anything under $200.
    This was in stock. And, I am quite pleased with it.
    I am waiting for a Windows Phone with a keyboard on Verizon.
    jhevener@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Archos announces the $199 70b Internet Tablet

      @jhevener@... Where did you get a 250 GB HD, out of 8gb storage? Or do you mean a 7.0 is a different Tablet?
      T-Wrench
      Reply Vote
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