The ARCHOS 5 features 720p high-definition viewing, TV recording, and built-in GPS with 3-D navigation in addition to Net browsing. It has a five-inch 800x480 touchscreen, and the company emphasized that it has a full-fledged browser and integrated applications. Connectivity is Wi-Fi, or 3.5G from a mobile phone connected through Bluetooth.

Android a 'Major Differentiator'

Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for consumer technology at the NPD Group, noted that ARCHOS is already marketing a Windows -based tablet with a nine-inch screen that would probably provide "a more robust Net surfing experience."

He added that the use of the open-source Android is a "major differentiator," since the ARCHOS 5 is "one of the first Android products for consumers that is not a cell phone."

Current Analysis' Avi Greengart pointed out that the ARCHOS 5 "is not a large enough tablet" to really expand the tablet category. In fact, he said, "in some ways it looks like some of the phone devices we've been seeing."

Whatever category it fits into, Rubin said the impact may be limited in the U.S., since mobile media player maker ARCHOS does not yet have a very high U.S. market share, despite offering technologically advanced devices.

Tablet computers are beginning to emerge as a category. Rubin noted that Toshiba showed one larger than the ARCHOS 5 at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.

There have also been persistent rumors that Apple will bring out a tablet device in the next few months. Depending on the rumor, the purported device is a bigger iPod touch, an entry into the growing netbook market, a new kind of e-book device, or all three.

And the CrunchPad, a Net-surfing Android-based tablet from a company formed by technology blogger Michael Arrington, is reportedly being readied for release later this year.

Third-Party Apps

Rubin noted that a big advantage in the use of Android for this tablet is access to a growing library of applications for that OS. As the mobile-device market matures and expands, the availability of third-party applications is increasingly becoming a factor in purchase decisions.

ARCHOS also unveiled the AppsLib store, which will provide free and paid applications specifically for the new tablet device. The store can be accessed directly from the device and apps can be downloaded in one click.

A visit to the AppsLib store shows it's still under construction, but it appears to be ready to offer Android applications for a variety of Android devices beyond just the new tablet.

Several applications will come preinstalled on the ARCHOS 5, including the eBuddy instant-messaging app, Twidroid for Twitter tweeting, Craigsphone for viewing and posting classified ads, ThinkFree for viewing Microsoft Office files, and Mewbox, a music download service .