Archos revamps Android tablet lineup with Gen10 XS

Archos has finally debuted its long-awaited Android-powered Gen10 XS tablet lineup.

The new line of devices is led by the flagship $400 10.1-inch 101 XS, which weighs in at a light 21 ounces and measures only 8mm thick.

The 101 XS – which is slated to hit physical and virtual shelves in mid-September – will be followed by additional Android-based tablets, including 97 XS and 80 XS.

The entire Archos Gen10 XS line is Google certified, features Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and offers full access to Google Play which is well stocked with over 600,000 apps. And yes, all Gen10 XS tablets will be upgradable to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) by the end of 2012. 



The Gen10 XS tablet lineup is also packaged with a Coverboard, which Archos describes as a “a unique magnetic keyboard that offers protection, a kickstand, docking and easy typing.” 

Indeed, the 5mm thick protective cover is secured to the tablet with magnets. To open, the Coverboard simply twists to separate, revealing the full keyboard and magnetic kickstand. 



Additional Gen10 XS tablets specs include:


* 1.5 GHz smart multicore processors (OMAP 4470 CPU).

* PowerVR SGX544 GPU. 
1GB of RAM.

* 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.

* 16GB of internal storage.

* MicroSD card slot.

* Micro USB slot.

* Wi-Fi/Bluetooth 4.0.

* 
OfficeSuite Pro 6.

Interestingly, the Gen10 101 XS has already received mixed reviews, with Gizmodo describing the tablet as “one step forward, ten steps back.” In contrast, TechCrunch terms the Gen10 XS a “successful” experiment, while Mashable concludes that the tablet is simply “productivity done wrong.”