If you’re in the market for a dirt-cheap notebook, but your budget doesn’t allow for any splurging, you might want to check out the Archos ArcBook, which is the company’s newest Android-based laptop. When it comes to notebooks, it doesn’t get much cheaper than this.
Draped in black, the Archos ArcBook wears a 10.1-inch touchscreen display with a 1024×600 resolution, is powered by an ARM Cortex A9 dual-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, and wields 1GB of RAM. The ArcBook ships with 8GB of RAM, and supports Wi-Fi connectivity, though it’s unclear which wireless standards are supported. Port selection consists of two USB 2.0 connections, a 3.5mm audio jack, as well as a MicroSD card reader. It also sports a keyboard and touchpad, though we’re unsure if the former is of the QWERTY variety.
The Archos ArcBook runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, which is quite dated. However, at least it’s secure from the Heartbleed OpenSSL bug, which can’t be said for Android 4.1.1, and is still used by millions of devices. The ArcBook also ships with Office Suite Pro 6, which is compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.
Measuring 10.69 x 7.12 x 0.87-inches and weighing 2.8 pounds, the ArcBook won’t weigh you down, and should be pretty easy to carry around for long stretches of time.
Though an exact release date for the Archos ArcBook isn’t available, you’ll be able to snag one for $169.99 sometime in June.