Archos introduces G9 series tablets

Once again our news turns to tablets. This time it is Archos who are showing off their new Android 3.1-based tablets as they launch the new G9 series. It comes in two varieties an 8″ and a 10.1″.

The two tablets are very similar and it is only the screensize that separates them, although of course the resolution of the 8″ model is 1,024*768 while the 10″ is a nice 1,280*800.

Underneath the chassis you will find a new revised 1.5 GHz dual-core OMAP 4 processor which should certainly give a lot of power for use with the Android 3.1 OS. There is also an ADMI output for playing back 1080p video and a very useful full-sized USB port. The main intention for this is to accept an optional 3G dongle offered for the G9 tablets to add more functionality than just the built-in Wi-Fi connection.

As is usual with Archos ther tablets are available with either a SSD or a mechanical hard drive, although the SSD version is 3mm thinner and is somewhat lighter. Maximum capacity is however 250 GB, although there is the built-in 16GB of flash memory which can itself be extended with a MicroSD card.

Finally, the prices of the G9 tablets are very competitive, the 10″ model starts at £259 while the 8″ tablet starts from £199. Even with the added £50 3G dongle that’s a fair bit cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Tab or Motorola Xoom and while it may not be a direct competitor with the iPad it is certianly worth thinking about as it does offer all of the features just with a different interface but for half the cost.