Archos E-Reader Runs Android, Is Up for Pre-Order

Even as a certain e-reader seems to draw close to selling 8 million models, it cannot hope to cover the entirety of the worldwide market alone, hence the many other e-reader cropping up, like Archos' 70b.

While Amazon isn't known for divulging financial figures, so-called sources recently said that the kindle e-reader was approaching the 8 million figure in terms of sales.

This, needless to say, shows just how much end-users like the idea of reading text in electronic format.

That said, other companies long ago took the marketing performance of the Kindle and its rivals (like the B&N Nook) as a cue to join in.

One such company is Archos, whose own model seems to have finally begun to show up online, though it is not yet available.

The Android-loaded product is known as Archos 70b and, unlike most of its peers, utilizes a display with WVGA resolution instead of e-paper.

The 70b was evaluated by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) earlier this month, which means that it should reach US stores soon.

Still, only Europe, currently, can promise to deliver the product, though France was the first country to get the 7-inch device.

The 70b can be seen as less than ordinary because of its WVGA 7-inch touchscreen which can not just read e-books, but also play videos.

As for actual specifications, there are 4 GB of built-in storage (expandable by up to 16 GB via an SD card slot), stereo speakers, USB and a battery life of up to 10 hours.

That translates into 18 hours of music, with the screen turned off, or 6 hours of video playback.

Blogeee reports that users interested in the newcomer will be able to place orders, in France at least, for the price of 99.99 Euro, which is the equivalent of $131. Shipments should start by January 7.