Archos' Android internet tablet to launch later this year

Ben Woods

Archos has announced that it will be launching an Internet Media Tablet with Android smartphone functionality later in the year

Published on Feb 10, 2009

The internet media tablet, an internet-focused media tablet which incorporates voice functionality is due for release by Archos in Q3 2009.

The Archos Internet Media Tablet, shortened to IMT, is designed to function as both a multimedia device and a mobile phone.

The multimedia activities such as web browsing, playing music, or watching movies are taken care of by Archos' own in-house operating system whilst the phone functionality is looking set to run on the Google Android OS.

If the information released by Pocket-Lint.com is correct, the IMT will ship with a 5-inch touchscreen display, 3.5G HSUPA connectivity and compatibility to run embedded Flash and Flash videos. The IMT will also feature access to the Archos on-demand multimedia library and functions for recording TV.

Archos has made some impressive claims about the IMT; such as that the battery life will sustain around 7 hours of continuous video playback, and that the internal memory will come in varieties “up-to” 500GB, and if this leaves you wondering if the device will be the size of a brick, then worry no more as Archos claims that the device will be ultra-thin at only 10mm thick.

Bringing Android on-board to provide fully-fledged smartphone status and access to the Android app store means that the device could carry some serious weight in the touchscreen device category this summer with its impressive multimedia credentials already having been established.

The Archos is due for release Q3 2009, so we'll be keeping our eye on this one very closely come the end of June. We'll keep you informed of any news or gossip about the IMT in the interim.