Budget Android tablet maker Archos is branching out into notebook territory with the launch of a $170 notebook featuring a 10 inch touchscreen display and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean software.

It’s called the ArcBook.

arcbook

The specs are a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Archos is promising over 9 hours of battery life from the 8000mAh battery. On the other hand, the laptop has a low-resolution display, a relatively slow processor, and an aging version of Google’s Android operating system.

Here’s what Archos is offering in its first ArcBook laptop:

  • 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel capacitive touchscreen display
  • 1.2 GHz Rockchip RK3168 ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core CPU
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 8GB of storage + microSD card slot
  • WiFi
  • 2 USB 2.0 ports
  • Stereo speakers and 3.5mm audio jack
  • Front-facing webcam and built-in mic

The ArcBook has a full QWERTY keyboard with Android function keys and a touchpad that supports single-finger input and one-finger clicks only.

It measures 10.7″ x 7.1″ x 0.87″ and weighs 2.8 pounds.

While it runs an operating system designed for phones and tablets, the ArcBook is a Google certified device, complete with access to the Google Play Store. It comes preloaded with Office Suite Pro 6, but you should be able to install other office and productivity apps, web browsers, or other software that you’d expect to use on a notebook… although if you expect Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, or other Windows apps, you’ll probably be better off buying a cheap Windows tablet or notebook.

But while prices for cheap Windows computers seem to be getting lower and lower, it’s still tough to find a $170 Windows notebook that offers all-day battery life.

This isn’t the first 10 inch Android notebook to hit the market… but surprisingly enough, it looks like one of the best options to date. That might not be true for much longer though… HP is expected to launch a 14 inch Android notebook featuring an NVIDIA Tegra processor soon.

via ArcTablet

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11 replies on “Archos launches a $170 Android laptop: The ArcBook”

  1. Does not compare favorably with Chromebooks or even cheap Windows 8 touch screen laptops.

    If you need a permanently attached keyboard then it should be fairly obvious that you would want *at least* 1280×800 display, if not full 1080p.

    1. Not a fair comparison. Most new phones cost three times as much as this.

  2. Chinese manufacturers have been putting out Android laptops for years, each looking, well… kind of like this one.
    What you are paying for with this one is the luxury of blaming a better known manufacturer for your troubles as opposed to blaming a more obscure company.

  3. It’s essentially a cheap tablet with an attached keyboard. For a little more, you can get a Chromebook with better specs.

  4. And like most Archos products, it looks nice at first… I’m sure more flaws will present later in its life, and then Archos will completely abandon it and move onto their next product instead of providing software or hardware updates. They suffer from serious ADD when it comes to their products.

    As for the upcoming HP, I wonder if there’s a market for a 14″ Android book? And if the Asus TF300 is typical for the NVIDIA processor, its web browsing performance is going to be lousy.

    1. Archos always seem to me to be straddled uncomfortably between dirt cheap and good quality. In other words, they’re never quite cheap enough for an impulse buy, but not good enough to be a wise investment.

      1. I still lament that they gave up the HD tablets/media players. I still have a fully functional Archos 5 with Android 1.6 .and a 500gb HD. It’s fairly worthless as a working/playing tablet (other than light web browsing), but hands down, it’s the best media player (and recorder) I’ve ever owned. And my daughter still has an Archos 7 250GB as her car-trip movie player.

        I’d kill for a new 4.8″ or 5.3″ device with decent Android specs and options of a 1TB HD or a 240GB SSD.

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