I have heard that the ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet doesn't have the Google APIs SDK, but rather the plain vanilla Android 1.6 OS build. Is this true? And does anyone know of any other devices like this currently on the market or in the works?
I'm particularly interested in phones, but would like to know about any such devices. My company adds maps to our apps but they are often optional, so I'd like to know if I need to be worried that these apps won't be available to non-maps devices.
There are a bunch of Android-based tablets out there (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices). The link doesn't have information as to whether or not they have Google apps installed, but if you do some research, you can find more info. The 1&1 Smartpad for example doesn't seem to have proprietary Google apps (I don't see any on the screenshots: http://www.slashgear.com/11-smartpad-android-tablet-drops-in-germany-3092321/).
Now the thing to keep in mind is that if a device doesn't have Google Maps, it probably doesn't have Market either. (To go back to the 1&1 example, I see a "1&1 Market" app on the screenshots).
Your best bet may be to provide your app on all known major app sites (http://www.andappstore.com, etc) and even your company's website in addition to the Google Market to maximize exposure. Al Sutton's andappstore in particular is a popular site for people with Android-based devices that don't have the market.