14 DAY TRIAL // Those who are looking for an affordable Android tablet, but don’t care too much about hardware and software configuration, should give Archos slates a go. However, customers should know that these tablets trade high specs for low price, which might not appeal to some.
Anyway, it appears that the company’s products are quite popular in the United States; otherwise, we wouldn’t see so many ARNOVA tablets being launched every year.
The latest device announced by Archos is called ARNOVA 8b G2 and is the sequel to the Arnova 8 G2, which was unveiled last year.
Most of the specs are similar, but they’re a bit different when it comes to design. Unlike ARNOVA 8 G2, the new tablet lacks physical buttons, which might indicate that the manufacturer plans to push a Honeycomb update in the near future.
Obviously, an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade isn’t out of the question either, but this will probably take longer. For the time being, ARNOVA 8b G2 is powered by Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.
Unfortunately, the tablet does not provide access to Android Market; instead it allows users to download third-party apps via AppsLib store.
ARNOVA 8b G2 is pre-loaded with a slew of application selected by the manufacturer, which are meant to give users a head start when it comes to customization and personalization of their device.
The tablet is powered by a 1 GHz ARM A8 single-core processor and packs 512 MB of RAM, 4GB (8GB) of internal memory, as well as microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB). In addition, the slate comes with an 8-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 800 x 600 pixels resolution.
There’s no rear camera, but ARNOVA 8b G2 sports a front-facing VGA camera for self-portraits and video calls. It also features microUSB port, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, as well as G-sensor and built-in speaker.
