Archos, TI to release Android-based MID

Texas Instruments and Archos, a company that makes music and video players, announced that Archos will launch a Mobile Internet Device (MID) running on Google's Android platform, giving it the functionality of a smartphone.

The device, called an Internet media tablet, will have HSDPA/HSUPA voice and data support and a 5-inch screen. Although the tablet is only 10mm thick, it will reportedly have an internal storage capacity of up to 500GB. 

"With the integration of voice, Archos is looking to expand beyond portable media players to provide solutions for the converged space, where a foundation in high-quality video content delivery is a benefit," the company said in a statement. The device will launch in the third quarter of this year, but there is currently no pricing information.

It is just the latest device running on the Android platform, and further confirmation that Android may spread to other devices besides pocket-sized smartphones. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, Qualcomm demonstrated Android on its Snapdragon chipset on devices with large displays. 

For more:
- see this article [1]
- see this post [2]

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