Archos has just announced the second generation model of its handheld gaming tablet, the GamePad 2. Admittedly, I had been using the previous model for a couple of months and while I loved the build quality and form, I think it was a bit slow and sometimes unresponsive. This new one, however, is definitely a step up. While the screen is expected to remain at 7-inches, the resolution will be bumped up to 1,280 x 800 pixels, and the processor has also been improved to a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip, clocking in at 1.6GHz. Of course, you can find the standards: Wifi, Bluetooth, HDMI out (mini), plus a Micro USB 2.0 and a microSD card slot. But if all that isn’t enough, the GamePad 2 will also include a bigger battery pack, as well as 2GB of RAM, an integrated microphone, a pair of stereo speakers on the front, and an earphone jack to let you use the slab as a music player on the go. The French says it will be running on the latest Android 4.2 Jellybean OS while internal storage will come in either 8GB or 16GB options. The slate is is expected to make its debut in Europe by the end of the month for an estimated price of $245, and will ship in the US in Q4 for $200.
