Let the games begin! The tablet field that Apple has taken a stranglehold on will finally be seeing some competition in the stores, when the Archos 7 Home Tablet- powered by Google’s Android OS comes to a home near you this June.
Although the pre-orders for the tablet on Amazon suggest an April release date, the Archos press release issued today confirms that the tablet will release in June and cost under $200, although an exact day in June was not mentioned. Those that have already placed orders should receive their units sometime in late May.
The Archos 7 Home Tablet will be the first entry into the tablet battles with an Android OS that ships for under $200. The tablet features a hi-res screen that can support 720p HD video, and it allows most video formats. The CPU runs at 600 Mhz, with 8GBs of storage; the unit will feature built in Wi-Fi, a seven hour battery life, and it weighs less than a pound.
One noticeable exclusion in the Archos 7 Home Tablet is that despite the Android OS, the Archos 7 will not have the ability to access the Android Marketplace. Instead users will have access to the Archos AppsLib store.
The Archos 7 Home Tablet is the first in a series of Android-powered tablets due out this year from Archos, although no other release dates have been announced.