Archos to Launch Android-Based Tablet in 2009

Archos announced last month that it intended to come to the market with an Internet tablet device that would be powered by Google's Android operating system, and now the company reinforces its previous statement with a new one that announces its plans to release such a device.

Archos has recently announced its financial results for last year, and posted impressive losses, especially when compared to the previous year. Even so, Archos seems determined to regain the lost performance and turn the table in its favor. Among the new devices that the company is expected to release to the market during the ongoing year we should see a new range of MP3 players, the aforementioned Android device, as well as its Archos Internet Media Club film download service.

According to the company, the Archos Android Internet tablet is expected to become available on the market starting the third quarter of the ongoing year. There are only a few new details unveiled at the moment on said device, yet it seems that the company has plans to “integrate telephony to its future multimedia Internet tablet” and deliver “communication and entertainment in a single mobile device.”

The Android platform seems to have attracted a wide range of companies lately, and we already reported that a lot of mobile phone makers had plans to come to the market with Android-powered handsets in 2009. At the same time, some computer makers were also rumored to be interested in the platform for some of their netbooks, though no confirmation of such plans was received yet.

As for Archos' financial performance, the company registered a loss of €17.7 million ($24 million) last year, with a €10.1 million ($13.7 million) gross margin, compared to €17.3 million ($23.5 million) in 2007. The upcoming products from the company, including the respective MP3 players and the Android tablet, are expected to be placed in the €50 and €500 range ($68 to $680).