Laptop Thoughts: Archos Updates Their Androids for More Tablet Power

"Whether it was the mediocre reviews or the competition coming up behind them, the French company knew it was time to step it up, and its Archos 70 and 101 attempt to right all those wrongs. The 7- and 10-inch tablet both have Android 2.2, 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processors, and capacitive screens. Oh, and don't forget the front-facing VGA cameras. With each ringing up at $299, has Archos finally mastered the art of the cheap tablet?"

Archos has been making tablets for quite some time, but not in the traditional sense. For a couple of years, their Portable Media Players have morphed into tablet-like devices, following trends seen in the iPod and other media devices. With Android maturing, they have thrown their lot in with Google and largely focused on building their media player empire on the platform. It sounds like a good idea, and it probably makes things a lot easier to develop, though I am curious how well they can differentiate themselves from the bazillion other Android based tablets out there. Their media software is sound, which is to be expected, but there are Android apps that offer significant codec support as well, so I guess it will come down to polish. Can Archos maintain itself as a premium media player company?