Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (80 GB) by Archos
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Digital camera reviews of Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (80 GB)
Digital camera Review: Excellent media player!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had the Archos 605 80 GB for about a month now, and have been very happy with it.
I was upgrading from the Archos Jukebox 20 Recorder (which has served me well for about 5 years now) and that's why I wanted to stay with Archos. The few times that I have used an IPOD I really have not liked it.
The main reason for upgrading was to get more hard drive space. The Jukebox only had 20 GB, which filled up pretty quickly. I didn't think I needed 160 GB, but 80 GB seemed reasonable.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting to use this for video playing, but, as a nice surprise, the screen is very watchable, and makes for easy watching if you are on a plane or somewhere like that.
Upgrade the firmware (to 1.3.52 or later) as soon as you get the unit - with the installed firmware I had an issue where after a while of playback, the sound would start crackling. 1.3.52 fixed that.
Pros:
- 80 GB of space, and not too bulky or heavy
- no need for itunes or special software, just plug it in via USB and it appears like an external hard drive
- can record inbound audio/video (but requires DVR station - which is a must buy, by the way)
- can also also browse via directories on the hard drive itself (my preference), or via artist/album/title/etc
- playlists are reasonably easy to create on the unit itself (though not so easy to do on a computer and then transfer the created playlist to the archos, that doesn't seem to work)
- has a 'lock' feature so that it can be carried around in a pocket
- the DVR player can be plugged in anywhere in the world (100 - 240 V)
- touch screen
- charge via USB
Cons:
- no voice recording feature like the Jukebox 20 had (used to use the Jukebox 20 as a dictaphone). though this might be possible using the DVR recorder and a microphone, which I have not tried
- battery life - as noted here, the battery life doesn't seem to be quite what is advertised, music about 10 hours, video about 4 (though this is with the occasional suspend and resume). The battery dock seems to be a necessary purchase (have not purchased yet)
- why is the earphone jack on the opposite side of the player from the control buttons? If I am carrying this thing in my jacket pocket, I need to take it out of my pocket and out of the carrying case to change tracks, volume, etc
- not quite sure why there is an external speaker on the unit? seems unnecessary
- since it has a touch screen I really don't use the buttons very often
- not really a con, but I liked the fact that the Jukebox 20 had removable AA batteries, the archos 605 is an internal battery that cannot be removed
Wish list:
- would be nice if this unit had those headphones where it has some of the controls in the headphone cable itself (like some portable CD players have the headphones where in the cable there is a control for volume, change tracks, etc) so wouldn't have to take the thing out of my pocket to do this
Have not tried yet:
- WiFi web browsing
- video recording
Highly recommended unit!
Digital camera Review: Fantastic Screen and Video Player
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had my archos for a few weeks now, which means I've seen the ipod touch as well. Well lets be honest - most people will want this device for video mostly. So, for video purposes there is NO comparison, the Archos blows away any apple product in terms of resolution (and brightness). I've seen them side by side. The screen on the archos also has less glare, plus the kickstand is really handy.
Now the archos is not as portable (having a larger screen and hard drive), but the ability to have 40-50 movies on it is at once is also a huge plus. Lastly, at the price it can't be beat. I love it.
Digital camera Review: Fantastic device!
Summary: 5 Stars
This device is a superior alternative to the ipod for portable media viewing. I upgraded from the Archos 604 (also a great device). Wi-fi browser is a bit slow, but does work. I wish there were an e-mail client for this device, or current Flash supported plug-in. Hopefully this will be fixed soon.Digital camera Review: First one - Useless; second one - somewhat useful
Summary: 1 Stars
The device couldn't be recognized by my computer. I tried changing the device USB mode as described by the great many people in various forums who have also run into this problem but it didn't work. (An all to common occurrence from the on-line comments.) I wonder if Archos is passing off reconditioned units as new via their Amazon sales.
I'm waiting for the replacement from Amazon and will update the review if there is any difference.
While waiting I decided to see what else was wrong with the first unit - only a couple "minor" things, it would not connect to any wireless networks and the battery didn't register an appreciable charge even after being connected to a charger for 24 hours.
UPDATE - the second unit arrives. This one appears better. It was immediately recognized when connected via USB to a PC. The battery charged "better" but didn't register a full charge even after a day. The wireless was problematic... It wouldn't connect until I tried about 20 times. I guess we need to redefine the definition of insanity.
What is bothersome is the inconsistency between the two units and the erratic nature of even the one that so far appears to work. One (hopefully) final problem is their customer service... there isn't any. I've been on the phone for about an hour listening to admittedly pleasant jazz, interspersed with the monotone recording others have mentioned saying how important my call is. Perhaps you'll have better luck with your questions and can give them a try at their published support number; 1-877-300-8879.
What I have is fine for me... I only bought the thing to be a backup for CF cards while I'm in the field. If it happens to play music and videos that's a plus but then again, that's what an iPhone if for.
My thanks to Amazon for exchanging the first piece of useless junk. I tried to upgrade the rating to two stars but that part seems locked in. Doesn't matter, only get this thing if it's on sale (again, thank you Amazon) and you don't need it to do too much.
Digital camera Review: Forget the wifi streaming feature
Summary: 2 Stars
I have just bought the 605 with the dvr dock and am not that happy with some of the functionality:
1. the unit 'freezes' quite often (I have only had it a few days), sometimes a reset is required by pressing and holding the 'on' button.
2. playing a movie file from another device on the network is theorectically possible but in practice the picture freezes quite soon after starting and that's that. Using the UPnP server feature via Windows Media Player is much better but then the picture appears ever so slightly 'jerky' which is particularly noticeable when smooth motion is supposed to be taking place. Basically the movie plays but is very annoying to watch
3. sometimes the unit just 'pauses' when you are navigating around in the menus, this is very irritating especially when combined with the other things.
All in all I would not recommned this device for anything except playing media which is on it's local hard drive and web browsing via the wifi connection (browser costs another 30 usd). The streaming features sound good but just get an Apple TV or Archos TV instead then either get and Ipod touch or the 4 gb solid state version of the 605 for media on the go