Archos team up with Alcatel for smartphone/tablet bundle

Archos – the French PC makers – have announced plans to team up with phone company, Alcatel on the release of a smartphone and tablet bundle.

The collaboration represents the latest in a flurry of tricks and ploys pulled by manufacturers jostling for position in the tablet market.

The two companies will be hoping that this venture gives them an edge, not just on Apple’s impending iPad device, but also on the multitude of Android slates itching to drop in the first half of 2011.

According to the two companies, customers will be able to share their smartphone 3G connection with the bundled tablet via the WiFi hotspot offered by Android 2.2. It seems a degree of thought has gone into the collaboration, rather than it just being a case of selling two items boxed-up together.

Archos have a history of Android tablet production; this bundle will follow on from the Archos 5 Internet Tablet and the Archos 7 Home Tablet series, although this is the first time they have joined forces with Parisian company, Alcatel.

Recent studies have shown that giving the consumer the gratification of “finding a good deal” could be key to a successful product launch, and certainly Archos and Alcatel will be hoping that this move is enough to prevent a repeat of the scenes following Samsung’s Galaxy Tab launch, when customers experiencing a change of heart returned units in droves.
Both companies have told of plans to include “demonstrations” of their new products at the Mobile World Congress, beginning on Valentines Day, so details of further specifications can only be around the corner.

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