Archos Releases 5 Android Internet Tablet Devices

The Android tablet is promising to give the iPad stiff competition. While the iPad was the first commercially successful tablet computer, Android based competitors are currently in development and nearing entrance to the marketplace. It is up to the forces of the market to determine how successful Android tablets will be.

Archos Internet Tablet

Archos is one of the largest companies currently working on the Android tablet market. They have several Android froyo tablet solutions coming to the market.

Archos 28 Internet Tablet:

The Archos Android tablet Archos 28 is a small personal media player that is capable of playing videos, audio and movies. The device is loaded with the Archos App library due to Google not allowing access to the app market. This small device will retail for $99.99 and will ship with Android froyo.

Archos 32 Internet Tablet:

The Archos 32 is a 3.2 inch screen with 8GB of on board storage. This device adds a composite port to allow for images to be displayed on a television. Also, this tablet has a camera on the back that is capable of recording video in 720p. It will be available for $149.99 in mid September.

Archos 43 Internet Tablet:

The Archos 43 is a device that is equivalent in size to the Dell Streak or the Apple iPhone. It supports a 1 GHZ ARM Cortex A8 processor. The Archos 43 is capable of playing games or doing any other tasks that you might want to complete wherever you go. This device is going to be available in mid October and will retail for around $199.

Archos 70 Internet Tablet:

The Archos 70 is an updated version of the Archos 7 home tablet. This device is going to be around four tenths of an inch thick. It will weight in at only 11 ounces! The Archos 70 does not have a rear camera but will be equipped with a front facing camera. There are going to be pre loaded video chat applications on the device that will allow people to communicate through the device. This tablet will be available for $274.99 and is expected to ship in mid October.

Archos 101 Internet Tablet:

The Archos 101 is the crown jewel of the Archos lineup. This device is expected to ship in mid October and will be around $300. This device is only half an inch thick and weighs just over nine tenths of a pound. The 1 GHZ on board processor will make playing video a snap. It shares some of the features of the Archos 70 including the VGA camera as well as USB and HDMI ports. The kickstand that is included with this device will also ensure that you are able to watch movies or show slide shows wherever you might be.

Conclusion

Archos is releasing a large collection of Android froyo tablets over the next couple of months. These tablets can be had for any price range as well as any features that a user requires. Whether a user wants a simple and easy to use model or they want the fully featured model, Archos is offering up a diverse product line that will please their customers.

For reading this article online, visit Archos Internet Tablets and for more articles related to Mobile Reviews, visit Mobile Phones

How Competition is Driving Innovation Among Android Device Manufacturers

Back in 2008, Google's Android OS could only be found on one device, the HTC G1. The device was exclusive to T-Mobile, which ranks fourth among wireless carriers in the US. The HTC G1 was a capable phone, but it wasn't on par with the specs or build quality of Apple's iPhone. With the increasing market for smartphones and in particular Android devices, this has helped drive innovation among manufacturers.
Since Android is open source, manufacturers look for ways to differentiate themselves. Companies like HTC have developed a software overlay they call "Sense" that changes and improves upon the user interface of the stock Android OS. Not to be left out, Motorola has developed a similar overlay called MotoBlur. Through software, these companies hope to differentiate themselves from other Android devices. Motorola's user interface is designed with social media in mind. Customers looking for a more robust Facebook experience will likely gravitate to an Android phone with MotoBlur.
At the core of all these phones is the Android OS. While companies will introduce tweaks to the use interface using Sense or MotoBlur, this simply isn't enough to drive sales of phones. In the past year, there have been a number of phones released from HTC, Motorola, Samsung and LG. With each release, there has been a significant bump in features. Cameras have seen increases from 3 megapixels to 8 megapixels. Displays now span 4.3 inches. There have also been increases in the amount of storage memory and processing power. Only Apple's iPhone runs their iOS. With Android, customers can choose from a variety of devices across all the major US wireless carriers. With this level of standardization and choice, phones are seeing feature upgrades every two to three months. Manufacturers are no longer releasing phones to compete with today's market, but they need to build more impressive phones to compete with the next generation of phones. In the past, the product lifecycle would be one or two years. That's accelerated whereby a phone is competitive for three to six months at best.
At some point, the feature race will have similarities to the megapixel race that occurred with digital cameras. At some point, there are only so many megapixels needed to print an 8x10 photo. Similarly, you can only make a screen so big and processor so fast. Eventually, the market will reach a point where consumers are going to look for other factors when determining their next smartphone purchase. This is likely to be in the design elements of the phone or the quality of the camera optics.
The last few years have seen tremendous demand for Android phones and this is likely to continue. The competitive marketplace has been the cause for increasing innovation among smartphone manufacturers. In the end, consumers have reaped the benefits with improved features and software. Expect the innovation to continue, with the focus gradually shifting from specifications to design elements and further improvements to features that are most important to consumers.

Michael is a writer for Everything Android where he writes reviews of EVO 4G cases and provides daily news coverage on all things Android. When he's not writing, you can often find him helping out new users in the site's Android forums.

Why Windows Mobile 7 Won't Save Microsoft

Ever since Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer announced Windows Mobile 7 at MWC in Barcelona, everyone in the mobile tech world has been talking about it. Microsoft used to be a pretty big player in the mobile phone space, but recently they have lost massive market share to competitors like RIM's Blackberry, Apple's iPhone, and Google's Android. But is Windows Phone 7 going to save Microsoft and pull them back to the top? Although it is very possible, here are a few limitations that are working against them:




1. Late Release



Windows Mobile 7 was initially slated to be released by 2009. Now, Microsoft is saying that it will be released in late 2010. Instead, in 2009 they released Windows Mobile 6.5, which is supposed to be a brief holdover until the new software could come out.



The main problem for Microsoft is that the longer they wait before they actually release Windows Phone 7, the longer their competitors will have to build market share. In 2009 alone, they lost 13% of their market share. How much will they lose in 2010? Because smart phones are such a social device nowadays, this results in a worse experience for all existing Windows Mobile users.



2. Bad Reviews



The reviews for Windows Mobile 6.5 were definitely not favorable for Microsoft. This bad press doesn't lead people to sit on the edge of their seats anticipating Windows Mobile 7. The good news is that this has forced Microsoft to completely start over and build a new operating system from scratch. Hopefully they get it right this time.



3. Multi-tasking



One of the rumors going around is that Windows Phone 7 may not be able to multi-task. Of course, this is also a limitation of the iPhone, whereas Blackberries and Androids currently have multitasking capabilities. It is also rumored that iPhones will support multitasking with the release of its 4.0 software. If this is the case, then Microsoft could be left behind even before they begin.



4. Bing



Microsoft's Bing search engine definitely isn't bad, but most people still want to use Google. Most people find nothing wrong with Google, and they don't want to have to learn a new search engine when the one they have been using for a decade is perfectly fine. Windows Mobile 7, of course, completely integrates Bing. Users will have to jump through a bunch of hoops if they want to use Google. All the other phones integrate with Google because they don't have a search engine of their own to promote.



5. Upgraders could be left in the cold



People who are already using Windows Mobile 6.1 or 6.5 might find that none of the apps they bought work on Windows Mobile 7. Since Windows Mobile 7 was built from the ground up, backwards compatibility is unlikely. Microsoft has said that they will most likely release some porting tools for developers or an emulator, but this isn't a perfect solution.



6. Apps



When it comes to smart phones (and computers), it's really all about the apps. Apple will have had a 3 year head start on Microsoft, and their App Store currently boasts more than 150,000 apps. Google's Android and the Blackberry have been struggling to catch up for over a year. Microsoft hasn't even started.



7. Usability



Although this isn't a limitation YET, it is worth keeping in mind. Microsoft is normally very good at creating devices which can perform a lot of tasks and which have a lot of features. Where they usually fail is in the customer experience and the usability of their products. Hopefully they really concentrate on this aspect with Windows Phone 7.



Windows Mobile 7 looks like it could be a great device if Microsoft gets it right. Unfortunately, their competitors have a multi-year head start, and Microsoft will be climbing an uphill battle.



Chris Pine spends his days working in the trash can industry. In his spare time, he pursues his passion of reading and writing about a wide variety of topics, including science, philosophy, nature, and humanity. If you are in the market for trash cans or trash bags, please visit his websites at Automatic Trash Can and Red Trash Can.

Most Popular Free Android Apps

This list of the most popular free Android apps run the whole gamut, showing the range and the power of free Android apps in general. These apps can really turn your Android phone into a stronger and more helpful device. Surely, you wouldn't want to miss that opportunity? Here are ten of the most popular free Android apps available:
Compass
In a way, it would be very surprising if a run-of-the-mill compass app was on this list. Well, it's not and this Android app is far more than a mere tool to tell you which way is north. To name a few of the features this app brings to the table will be enough to sell most on the idea that it's a practical, handy app to have on their Android phone. Essentially this is a half compass, half GPS Android app. It tells you the direction, but it also tells you the speed at which you're traveling, the exact coordinates of your location and more things that can be used for fun or to potentially save your life if you're trapped somewhere.
Handcent SMS
Do you want to send SMS and MMS messages through your Android phone? Don't get what I'm asking? More simply: do you text? If you do, you need to get Handcent SMS for Android. Basically, it takes your phone to entirely new level and texting dimension. Trust me, when you've used this app for a while, you'll wonder how you lived without it for so long!
Facebook
I really shouldn't have to say a single word about this app. I do feel it's necessary to say that it's the *Official Facebook App for Android*. Enough said!
Ringdroid
Perhaps one of the most hands-on free Android apps, Ringdroid allows you to edit various audio files so you can create your own ringtones and alarms. Tired of editing songs to create your own ringtone? Well, they've thought of that too! You can create ringtones for your Android phone from scratch as well (using the Ringdroid app on your phone).
Places Directory
This Android app does exactly what it sounds like. It allows you to find the nearest gas station, shopping mall, shoe store, movie theater, or even a great place for a burger. It is simple to use yet very efficient and effective: a must-have Android application!
Backgrounds
Do you want to keep your phone looking new and fresh every so often? Get Backgrounds, one of the most popular free Android apps that has more than 10,000 wallpapers for free. With this app, your phone will never look drab again.
Google Sky Map
Probably not the most useful on this list, but it's definitely one of the most interesting. The Google Sky Map is exactly that: a planetarium right inside your Android phone. What's more? No need to say more than it's a Google program!
Astro File Manager
You wouldn't know it from this app's name, but Astro File Manager is among the top most popular free Android apps. It is a task manager and among Android's best one at that. You will be able to manage files, read and open.zip files, send files, backup applications and much more with this amazing app.
Barcode Scanner
Perhaps one of the most ingenious free Android apps on this list, this bar code scanner app lets you access prices, reviews, and other related files by scanning the barcodes on various items in stores and elsewhere. Most importantly for Android phone users, it will easily decode the QR Codes attached to Android apps that you find all over many of the Android websites online. Just download this free app, click the icon and take a quick snapshot of an app's QR Code. Next thing you know, you'll be at the Android Market again, but this time at that app's info and download page!
Shazam
Everyone loves music; well most of us love it. I'm guessing if you haven't heard of Shazam and what it does by now, you're probably part of the minority. If that's the case, this app will nearly instantly identify songs playing, even in noisy environments. That's the core of Shazam, but luckily for all of us, it's spawned into much more than that! You'll just have to download it (for free) to see all of the possibilities!

I own the Android Apps Finder site where you can find every Android app.
The main goal of the site is to provide everyone an easy way to read about all of the Android apps. Along with the apps, there's a great news section that will keep you up-to-date on the Latest Android App News

If you want one of these for free, just click on the pic

If you are looking for a friendly reliable service, look no further.

So, I have recently purchased an Eken m001 for my wife, as a birthday present. I was getting fed up with her clogging up my laptop checking out her facebook every time I was in the middle of something. After a bit of research into the Android Tablet market I decided on the Eken m001, as all my wife would be using it for was literally facebook and maybe a bit of google-ing should the little ones fall ill.
So I finally obtained one from the world's most loved auction site, and after 8 days it finally made it's way from Shengzen, China to my frontdoor step. At first my wife was a little bit dubious, but she got used to it fairly quickly.
Then, shock horror, I went to go and use it when I found it lying on our bedroom floor, which is a fairly dangerous place to be with a 2 year old running loose around the house. And alas, when I went to switch it on there was a lovely crack on the LCD screen.
After contacting Eken and getting no reply I consoled myself to the fact that we would have to purchase another one.
That's when I saw  the niffty looking FlyTouch 7" Android Pad, which I snapped up at a bargain price. It just did not have the same feel as the Eken, which I was very surprised about, as it cost more than the Eken.
I started searching the forums for some advice on how to repair it myself and where to source the materials from when I heard a name Hardware Heroes mentioned.
So I  contacted these guys myself and when I got a really speedy reply on my HTC, I headed on over to my Inbox.
The reply started that unfortunately they could not supply me with the parts, but instead offered to carry out the repair at a VERY REASONABLE price. From what I could see I couldn't have sourced the parts for the price I ended up paying, which included the posting back to me.
So I eagerly replied that I would like them to carry out the repair. A few days later I received another email just to check if I had posted the item, which I hadn't, and then received another email saying it had arrived safely. This was  followed by another email, that the repair was completed, along with an offer to update my firmware for free before it was returned.
My overall experience was that of outstanding service and delivery and I can only recommend these guys, be it for repair, advice or if you are in the market for an Android Tablet yourself.
Head on over to HARDWARE HEROES.
Ben Greeb

The Best Tablet Computers in the Market

Looking for the best tablet computers?
This article presents a list of some of the most popular slate devices available in the market today with their unique specifications and reviews.
The Archos 9 PC has an 8.9-inch, LED backlit display, 1,024 x 600 resolution, Intel Atom CPU, a 60GB hard drive and 1GB of memory that defines a solid hardware. Users can just drag and drop files to this device whether via USB port or wirelessly. Since Windows 7 is used, this is one of the best tablet PCs for loading any codec you want as there is no need for any media file conversions.
The Dell Mini 5 also dubbed as Dell Streak is Dell's first attempt to grab some of iPad's limelight. It is a much smaller device if compared to the iPad with a 5 inch capacitive touch-screen. It will be run by Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon processor and has the latest Google Android version. This also features front and rear cameras for video calling. With 3G and Wi-Fi, connectivity is possible but other hardware details are a bit unclear.
Are you into utilitarian gadgets? Then the following unit is perfect for you.
The Panasonic ToughBook CF-U1 has a rugged look with it considering that Panasonic manufactures devices that survive almost any type of rough handling. It has an Intel Atom processor, 16GB solid hard drive and 1GB of RAM. Its 5.6 inch touch-screen is resistive but then again, you wouldn't need a capacitive screen when using the gadget in mud or rain. The swappable battery is a nice touch, making it one of the best tablet computers. The device houses 2 batteries so if one dies, the second one takes over.

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