It might not be the sexiest tablet around — and it doesn’t pack the most impressive hardware — but the just-spotted Arnova 8 G2 at least manages to land at today’s magic Android tablet price point: $199. Like the Archos G9 10, though, the Arnova 8 G2 isn’t cheap enough to compete with the Kindle Fire.
Inside the Arnova 8 G2, you’ll find a 1GHz Rockchip 2918 single-core processor, 4GB of internal storage, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, an accelerometer, and microSD expansion. Perched atop it’s innards there’s an 8-inch capacitive display (a nice step up from Arnova’s previous resistive offerings) that pushes 800×600 pixels — not the highest resolution display around, but the 4:3 aspect ratio does provide a comfortable reading experience.
While the tablet runs a fairly current flavor of Android (2.3.X), it probably won’t ship with access to the Android Market. Arnova’s other tablets haven’t , but at least you can get your app fix from alternative sites like the Amazon AppStore and GetJar.
But Arnova — the budget brand backed by Archos — has missed the mark with its pricing. The first-gen Arnova 8 sells for about $145 on Amazon, and it’s not a bad deal at that price despite its shortcomings. The original Arnova 10 can be had for $179.
Now…there’s plenty of room for other tablets at $199 even with the Kindle Fire on sale. Consumers crave choice, after all. But with middling specs and a low-resolution display, Arnova needs to step back and take a good, long look at the 8 G2 and think about knocking its price down a few bucks. People won’t pay a premium for a brand they don’t recognize, but they will open their wallets for a bargain — like the previous batch of Arnova slates.
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