Slowly but certainly, we’re heading into an age driven by lightweight computers; at least for a certain niche of the market which does not require all that a full fledged PC or Mac offers. In fact, I am myself in the process of shifting to a lightweight Chrome OS based desktop from a Windows 7 (yeah I’m still using that) environment.
A device that further populates the market in question is the Archos ArcBook, a device that just saw a launch from the French maker. The ArcBook comes with a 10.1-inch touchscreen with a not-so-impressive resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, essentially making it an entry-level tablet that has an attached physical keyboard. The netbook (if you choose to call it one) runs on a dual-core processor clocked 1.2GHz along with 1GB of RAM, which honestly should do good only for the most basic tasks.
Along with Office Suite Pro 6 pre-installed, the ArcBook comes with a full-blown Google Play Store, and free 15GB of Drive storage.
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It runs Android v4.2.2 which again isn’t the most impressive thing about the tablet; we here at GizChina have had enough discussions about devices running outdated Android versions thanks to a certain chipset maker that refuses to budget (read: MediaTek). Nonetheless, the device is offered at $169.99 which should make it easier for you to digest things, with availability set to commence next month.
I personally think something like an Acer C720 for just $30 more would make for a much better, all-round solution than the ArcBook, provided you can do with Chrome OS instead of Android and the lack of touch-based input. On the other hand, the ArcBook could be a good choice if you’re looking for a budget solution for your kids’ laptop.