Archos 32 Internet Tablet now available for purchase ($150)

Archos is now shipping its 3.2 inch handheld Android tablet. The Archos 32 runs just $149.99 from the Archos Store.

I’ve been running a story a day this week about the 5 new Android tablets Archos introduced last week. I just so happened to run the Archos 32 story earlier this afternoon, without realizing that this would be the first of the new tablets to go on sale.

With 8GB of built in storage and a 3.2 inch display, the Archos 32 is sort of an Android equivalent of the iPod touch — but cheaper. You do get what you pay for in this case. The iPod touch starts at $229 and has a 3.5 inch, 960 x 640 pixel capacitive touchscreen display, an A4 processor, two cameras, HD video recording capabilities, and a sturdy metal case.

The Archos 32 has a 3.2 inch, 400 x 240 pixel resistive touchscreen display, an 800MHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, a VGA camera, and a plastic case.

That said, the low price isn’t the only thing the Archos tablet has going for it. This little guy has a composite video output for connecting the tablet to a TV. It can also support a wide range of audio and video formats that would make the iPod touch choke, including WMV, DivX, Xvid, MKV, WMA, OGG Vorbis, and FLAC as well as H.264, MP4, MP3 and AAC.

The Archos 32 is currently shipping with Google Android 2.1, but Archos says Android 2.2 will be available in October. The tablet does not come with the Android Market or Google apps such as Gmail preloaded. Instead it comes with the third party AppsLib market which includes about 5,000 free and paid apps which are available for download — all of which should work on the Archos 32 even though it doesn’t have 3G, GPS, or telephone capabilities.

thanks Stephen Merritt!

Archos 32

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key specs
reviews • 0
prices

TypeAudio / video player
Media typeInternal storage (8 GB, Flash)
Screen size3.2 inches
Announced08/31/2010

see all specs →

Posted on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010, 5:56 pm by Brad Linder

http://ARMdevices.net/ Charbax

Google Marketplace can always be easily installed on Archos Android tablets. It’s just an apk to download and install.
Pingback: Archos 32 – 3.2″ now available to buy from Archos | Tech on the Go – News and Reviews covering iPhone, Android and Mobile Computing
http://ARMdevices.net/ Charbax

As long as you keep forgetting to mention it’s always been easy to install it and extremely likely will continue to be easy to install.

The reason I post it in the comments is because your blog influences other blogs who keep posting wrong information about Google Marketplace on Archos devices.

I get thousands of newbies on my http://forum.archosfans.com that keep complaining about lack of Google Marketplace and it would simply be much easier if bloggers just pointed out the truth.

Archos is not allowed to say that Google Marketplace works on their devices. Google is not allowing them to do that. But bloggers are absolutely allowed to write as much as they want about tricks, tips, hacks, jailbreaks or whatever they want.

Also, I’ve seen you comment that it was hard to install the Google Marketplace, thus you obviously just need to watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef_ODQplFbU to see that it is not hard at all, it’s just a one click process.
http://ARMdevices.net/ Charbax

As knowledgable bloggers we know better to say Marketplace is supported on this or that hardware. And not just gobble up the marketing status quo dictated by Google.

It’s not just Archos tablets, also the K-Mart tablets, Toshiba tablets and Smartbooks, HP smartbooks, and dozen other Chinese android Tablets and laptops. They ALL SUPPORT the Google Marketplace.

Not officially because Google does not allow them to. But you can EASILY install it. Most often, no root hacks, no jailbreaks, no hacking or ADB methods required.

Google Marketplace is just an .apk and Android is an open platform that cannot block .apk installations, even the ones “controlled” by Google.

It would be like saying Windows XP was blocking Office or Photoshop for them not being pre-installed for free. It just doesn’t.
http://ARMdevices.net/ Charbax

Google cannot identify devices and block them. And more attention to this matter would only be good for Archos as Google would be pressured by media to open up the Google Marketplace to cheaper and better Android devices.

The truth is today only companies making more than $5 Billion in revenues per year are allowed to pre-install the Google Marketplace. Not that revenue is a pre-requesite for Marketplace, it just happens to be that large companies have access to hardware components and sales channels in different ways.

And you would know that readers of blogs like your absolutely have absolutely no problem downloading a 2mb file to their computer and dragging and dropping it over to their Archos root folder and then click on it from the Archos file browser app to launch installation of Google Marketplace. I mean, comon, you are not writing reviews in a housewives cooking magazine are you (although I am sure that soccer moms are more than clever enough to download and install an .apk even).

People that consciously read reviews on blogs to decide what to go out and buy obviously know how to download a file onto a device and click on it. So what is the point in disseminating wrong information?

What may happen in the store, when Joe or Beth go into the Best Buy and asks the salesman why there is no Google Marketplace, and the salesman is instructed not to tell consumers that it is easy to install it “unofficially”, that is where the problem lies for Archos in terms of sales. But I also think only a minority of those types of consumers really understand what the Google Marketplace is compared to that AppsLib thing that comes pre-installed with also thousands of apps (although 10s times less apps, reason just being developers don’t know or don’t care to add their apps to that list and it’s not opt-out but opt-in).
http://ARMdevices.net/ Charbax

Just as Microsoft doesn’t block the installation of any .exe files on Windows, Google does not block installation of any .apk files on Android.

So saying that Archos doesn’t support Google Marketplace is like saying Windows doesn’t support Flash or PDF files just because for some reason Adobe wouldn’t have given the licence for Microsoft to pre-install it (which they do, but I use this as an example).
I want an Archos 43IT

Not to interrupt you guys or anything, but the Market4Archos.apk is currently only working with Donut.

The new Gen8 Archos tablets with Froyo doesn’t currently have a Google Market Place hack… yet.
Hopefully there should be one soon, and then it’s easy peasy.
http://liliputing.com/ Brad Linder

You’re starting to sound like a broken record. Do you really have to post the same comment about a hacked version of the Android Market which may or may not continue to work since it isn’t officially supported by Google or Archos every time I mention an Archos product on this site?

There’s a big difference between officially supporting the Android Market, and producing a product that hackers have figured out how to sideload the market onto.
http://liliputing.com/ Brad Linder

Hard as in… you have to find the hacked version, download it to a computer, manually copy it to your device, use a file browser to find the file and install it. There are much harder things in this life — but when you compare it to installing anything that *is* available through the Android Market out of the box, it’s a very different experience.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this isn’t officially supported — just like the Android Market for the Augen GenTouch78 wasn’t officially supported. While Augen initially promised an updated that would make the broken market work again, the company actually pushed out an update that removed the market altogether and replaced it with a third party app store — because that’s what happens when you try to install something Google doesn’t support.

The more attention you bring to this hack, the more likely it is that Google will simply identify devices running unsupported versions of the Market and block them.
http://liliputing.com/ Brad Linder

Google controls the Android Market, Gmail app, and other apps you’re talking about. It’s more akin to saying Microsoft blocks users who don’t have the minimum requirements from running Office on their machines. Oh yeah, and Microsoft doesn’t offer free downloads of Office just like Google doesn’t offer free downloads of the market4archos.apk file.
http://liliputing.com/ Brad Linder

No. It’s like saying Microsoft doesn’t support installing cracked versions of Windows 7 on PCs. But I’m getting tired of this argument. Clearly I’m not going to change your mind. But I’d appreciate it if you’d stop posting virtually the same comment every time I write about Archos. It’s bordering on spam and I might have to start deleting them soon.
http://ARMdevices.net/ Charbax

The Gen8 is barely even released. Once it is released for few days broadly to a lot of consumers and still no Google Market trick has been posted to the forums, then you can begin asking questions about it not being there.
NanMetroProcess

No seriously, Brad… I have to agree with Charbax on this one! I think most logical readers of your site would as well. I’m not sure why you have such an aversion to him posting and, therefore, contributing to your site?

And to delete Charbax’s posts would also be overstepping it a bit, I think! Mind you, he’s actually somewhat of a champion in this arena (even if a bit on the crazy side!)!

It’d be equally unfair if Charbax were to threaten to delete your posts on his own website (should you ever take the time to post there)!

You shouldn’t be so hot and bothered on this issue as there are simply differing opinions. I personally, agree 100% with Charbax on this.

…on basically everything that he has said in this post. : ) But’s it just a matter of opinion. There’s no need to argue over it!
http://liliputing.com/ Brad Linder

My issue isn’t with his bringing it up once or twice. It’s the fact that he
repeats the same message *every* time I mention an Archos product. I think
he’s made his point.

It’s not as if I’ve never mentioned market4archos before, because I have. I
just don’t think it bears repeating on every single post about an Archos
tablet.
Clouseau51

Archos 32 will be available at CircuitCity.com too. I heard it should be shipping next week. check this out -http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6511950&CatId=5996
Anonymous

Very useful device ,light ,nice and cheap!
Anonymous

Dolphin browser is very impressive on Archos 32!
Gene H

Heck, I just want a case for the 4 Archos 32′s I bought for my 3 kids and my girlfriend’s son and can’t find one anywhere. Closest I’ve found is an Incipio made for an Eris. Any suggestions or recommendations?

Archos 32 Internet Tablet now available for purchase ($150)

Archos 32

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