80 G9

ARCHOS this week unveiled two new tablet PCs, the 8-inch ARCHOS 80 G9 with a 1024 x 768 screen resolution and 10-inch ARCHOS 101 G9 (1280 x 800). Featuring a fast 1.5 GHz dual-core OMAP 4 processor and Seagate's 250GB hard drive, these are the first tablets to include physical hard drives on board.

The G9 tablets run Android Honeycomb 3.1 and have your typical tablet specs – support for Adobe Flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, a 720p front camera, access to the Android Market – but they also include a full-size USB port where you can insert the (optional) ARCHOS 3G Stick, which provides 3G connectivity. Now you don't have to choose between a Wi-Fi or 3G model. For a $49 upgrade, the 3G stick gives you 3G connectivity with a Pay-As-You-Go 3G Plan – so you only pay for what you need, when you need it. Both models also include HDMI output and support 1080p HD video playback.

The 8- inch ARCHOS 80 G9 and 10-inch ARCHOS 101 G9 will be available at the end of September. The 8-inch tablet starts at $279 and 10.1-inch starts at $349 – much cheaper than the competition!