Deciding it just can’t wait until next week, Archos has revealed a few details about the new products it will launch at the IFA tech show, which begins on September 6 in Berlin. So, what does it have in store for us? Quite a lot, as it has pre-announced a selection of tablets and smartphones.
Sadly, Archos hasn’t done anything about its confusing product names, so you’ll have to bear with us while we go through them. We’ll start with the new tablets. We should expect revised Platinum range tablets, all of which will feature quad-core processors, screens running 2048 x 1536 pixel resolutions, and all will be wrapped up in aluminum chassis.
The Archos 101xs2 tablet (see what we mean about those names) will share most of those features, plus it’ll come with a Surface-style cover with a built-in keyboard and a set of forward facing speakers. Following on from Samsung’s announcement of the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids, Archos also has a child-friendly tablet coming. Called the ChildPad, it’ll run Android 4.2 with a special version of Google Play showing only kids apps, along with a parental control system. There’s also mention of the tablet being compatible with a range of, “magnetic figures,” although there are no firm details on what these will be.
Closing the new tablet range is the GamePad 2, the sequel to Archos’ tablet/games machine hybrid released last year, and a trio of new competitively priced Xenon tablets, all with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.
Moving on to smartphones, it will launch the new Oxygen range at the show, with the Archos 50 Oxygen at the top of the list. The phone will have a full 1080p display, a quad-core processor, a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel video call camera, and 16GB of storage space. It’ll also be launching a Titanium range of phones, all of which will be models with dual-core processors, Android 4.2, and 5-megapixel cameras.
The good news is Archos will sell all Android phones with Google certification and without its own user interface, so they’ll offer an unadulterated Android experience. This makes the 50 Oxygen sound intriguing, as Archos usually prices its hardware very competitively.
This is just a taste of Archos’ plans for the IFA show, and we should expect more information on the new hardware, plus prices and release dates, once it all gets underway next week.