LAUNCHED: Android tablets with keyboards

Archos is launching a new line of tablets, Gen10 XS, starting mid-September, including a 10-inch Android tablet that boasts a removable keyboard.

Archos is launching a new line of tablets, Gen10 XS, starting mid-September, including a 10-inch Android tablet that boasts a removable keyboard.

The Archos 101 XS is the first tablet in the French electronics brand's new line. Thinner than the current iPad at 8mm (against 9.4mm for the Apple device), it weighs 600g.

Its 10.1 inch screen boasts a resolution of 1280 x 800, and the device runs on a 1.5GHz processor, with 1Gb of RAM and 16Gb of Flash memory (which can be extended with MicroSD cards). It is WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, but there will be no 3G version.

It will ship with Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which could later be updated to Jelly Bean.

Magnetic keyboard

The tablet will be shipped with a removable magnetic keyboard that will double as a protective case and kickstand, similar to the keyboards for the Transformers line of Asus tablets and the upcoming Microsoft Surface.

The 101 XS can also connect to a TV via HDMI, and can be operated remotely using an Android phone, via a special app to download from Google Play.

The Gen10 XS tablets ship with Archos Media Center apps, allowing the reading of most audio and video formats and compatible with Full HD 1080p files.

The tablet will be available mid-September for €379. Two other models, 97 XS and 80 XS, will be added to the line before the end of the year.