Archos 7, a 7-inch screen cell phone

Archos today announced (officially) the Archos 7, a 7-inch Android-based tablet that will cost $199, and might prove very popular to those who can’t or don’t want to shell out $499 for an iPad.
Weighing 12.8 ounces and measuring 8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches, the Archos 7 is light enough to hold for extended periods of time. This slate runs Android 1.5, and since it’s not a smart phone, it can’t access the Android Marketplace. However, Archos has created its own app library named AppsLib (natch) that will stock programs designed to run on the 800 x 480 pixel screen. At launch, there should be about 1,000 apps, which will expand to about 3,000 by June when the device starts shipping. That’s paltry compared to iTunes or even the Android Marketplace, but it’s a start.