Finally someone getting serious about tablets, and that someone is Archos, who just officially announced five new Android models: the 28, 32, 43, 70 an 101. If you’re confused, don’t be, as each model name stands for it’s diagonal in inches, with one decimal, so the Archos 28 is 2.8 inches, Archos 32 is 3.2 inches, Archos 43 is 4.3 inches, Archos 70 is 7 inches and Archos 101 is 10.1 inches.

    All tablets are powered by Android 2.2 Froyo and feature a lot of multimedia functions, because that’s the focus of all Archos gagets.

    Below is a picture with all the important features and pricing of the five stars:

    Pricing and features of the five Archos tablets

    Pricing and features of the five Archos tablets

    As you can see there are a lot of options to chose from here. Personally I would go for the Archos 70 or the 101 (not decided on size yet), but let’s do a rundown of features for all of those five models.

    Archos 28 – 4 and 8 GB versions, starting from 99$

    This is your typical 2.8 inch smartphone, but without the phone part. If features a 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, a resistive screen and that’s pretty much it. I don’t get it why someone would want a 2.8 inch tablet, but for this price I bet Archos will find enough buyers

    • 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU
    • Graphic accelerator: 3D OpenGL ES 2.0
    • 2.8” TFT LCD Resistive Touch screen, 320×240 pixels (QVGA)
    • WiFi (802.11 b/g/n)
    • Microphone, accelerometer, USB 2.0 host
    • Size: 100 x 54 x 9 mm – 3.9” x 2.1” x 0.35”
    • Weight: 68 grams – 2.4 oz
    Archos 28 - 2.8 inch tablet

    Archos 28 - 2.8 inch tablet

    Archos 32 – 8 GB version, starting at 149$

    Now we’re stepping up in size, price, power and features. Compared to Archos 28, this one brings an 800 MHz CPU, a digital camera, TV out port and 50 $ more as a starting price.

    • ARM Cortex A8 at 800 MHz with DSP
    • Graphic accelerator: 3D OpenGL ES 2.0
    • 3.2” TFT LCD Resistive Touch screen, 400×240 pixels (WQVGA)
    • WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
    • USB Host, Microphone, Accelerometer, TV output
    • Digital Camera
    • Size: 105 x 55 x 9 mm – 4.1” x 2.1” x 0.3”
    • Weight: 72 grams – 2.5 oz
    Archos 32 - 3.2 inch tablet

    Archos 32 - 3.2 inch tablet

    Archos 43 – 8 and 16 GB versions, starting at 199$

    Things are getting better and better now, with a 1GHz CPU, a HDMI output port and a kickstand. Screen resolution was also increased for Archos 43, while the price remains in the still affordable range.

    • ARM Cortex A8 at 1 GHz with DSP
    • Graphic accelerator: 3D OpenGL ES 2.0
    • 4.3” TFT LCD Resistive Touch Screen, 480×854 pixels (FWVGA)
    • WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
    • USB 2.0 host, microphone, accelerometer
    • HD Camcorder: 2 MP – recording format: 720p H264 / AAC .MP4
    • Size: 135 x 65 x 9 mm – 5.3” x 2.6” x 0.4”
    • Weight: 130 grams – 4.6 oz
    Archos 43 - 4.3 inch tablet

    Archos 43 - 4.3 inch tablet

    Archos 70 – 16 and 250 GB versions, starting at 274$

    Now we’re stepping in serious Android tablet territory with 1 GHz CPU, capacitive touchscreen and a bigger 7 inch diagonal. Price is still kept at reasonable levels, under 300 $.

    • ARM Cortex A8 at 1 GHz with DSP
    • Graphic accelerator: 3D OpenGL ES 2.0
    • 7” TFT LCD Capacitive Touch Screen, WVGA 800 x 480 pixels
    • WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
    • USB 2.0 host, microphone, accelerometer, front facing VGA camera, microSDHC port, HDMI output
    • ARCHOS 70 internet tablet Flash series: 201 x 114 x 10 mm – 300 grams / (7.91 x 4.49 x 0.43 – 11 oz)
    • ARCHOS 70 internet tablet Hard Drive series: 201 x 114 x 14 mm – 400 grams / (7.91 x 4.49 x 0.55 inch – 14 oz)
    Archos 70 - 7 inch tablet

    Archos 70 - 7 inch tablet

    Archos 101 – 8 and 16 GB versions, starting at 299$

    This will be probably the one you want, with a high resolution screen and price still under 300 bucks. Weight is also minimal, at approximately 1 lbs.

    • ARM Cortex A8 at 1 GHz with DSP
    • Graphic accelerator: 3D OpenGL ES 2.0
    • 10.1” TFT LCD Capacitive Touch Screen, 1024×600 pixels (WXVGA)
    • WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
    • USB 2.0 host, microphone, accelerometer, Front facing VGA camera, HDMI output, SDHC port
    • Size:  270 x 150 x 12 mm
    • Weight: 480 grams
    Archos 101 - 10.1 inch tablet

    Archos 101 - 10.1 inch tablet

    The bad news

    After searching all over the place I couldn’t find any reference about the Google Android Marketplace. It would be a pity for Archos to miss on such a great feature. Without it I feel all those 5 multimedia Android tablets are incomplete, and will seriously jeopardize sales. Hopefully Archos will come to its senses and fix this.

    All those Archos tablets will be available starting end of September and mid October.