Archos 605 500963 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (80 GB) | List Price: $349.99
Discount Price: Too low to display
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Brand: Archos
Binding: Electronics
Features: - The ARCHOS 605 80GB, WiFi bridges the gap between the PC and the TV. For the first time, you can stream content from the PC or the Internet to the TV or PMP--all through a wireless home network and the ARCHOS 605 WiFi and DVR Station.
- Play all your digital entertainment: movies, TV shows, photos and music
- Record your favorite TV shows
- Stream and watch videos from your PC
- Download movies and music directly on your PMP using the ARCHOS Content Portal
Great product! [Posted on 2008-09-02]
I have been using this for almost a month now and am very pleased.
Overall the unit is easy to navigate and the screen is very clear and bright. The touch screen is ok but not as responsive as say an IPHONE. The hard buttons are nice to help navigate as a backup to the touch screen. Menu's can get a little odd but once you know your way around it is easy enough. It holds an amazing amount of stuff and easily all the media I could use on any given trip.
I have connected it to my DISH network receiver and had quickly and simply downloaded several shows and movies. I also have the browser add-in, which will work in a pinch but is not the best mobile browser I have ever seen. And finally, I have the GPS attachment, which is great. The instructions are clear and decently loud with the included speaker, or you can tie it into your head unit's input jack if you have one. There is some logistics getting the thing mounted to the GPS cradle (it in NOT a quick snap in) but the display is pretty glare resistant and menus are easy once you know your way around.
Overall, I am very pleased and will use it for traveling as both GPS and for taking my movies, shows and music with me.
RGUARD.
Amazing Archos Device - 605 WiFi [Posted on 2008-09-08]
This device known as the 5th Generation 605 WiFi is amazing.
Before I begin on the Positive note, lets talk about what I didn't like.
Wifi access is limited to an open shared source ex.(Starbucks or Hotels). I didn't have luck at all connecting to a wifi device with enhanced security enabled. Also the internet interface (Opera) lacks the activeX ability I was hoping for. Lastly the Battery takes too long to Charge, coming in at a wopping 8 hrs via usb or 4 hrs from a wall outlet. Once you tackle these hurdles your Golden! This little puppy is amazing! Internet connectivity is relatively fast, the screen resolution is beautiful and very sharp. The layout of the buttons and the overall feel is just right. They got the sound right too it is smooth and crisp. A new feature is the Content Portal which still seems to be in development but has great potential, Love the concept. Widgets are plentiful for that personal touch and the menu and settings are very detailed. Adjustments range from alarm clock to parental control, appearance and tv control. I hope this description doesn't sound all business, because this device is a lot of fun. Speaking of fun did I mention the cool games that are available? There are 4 game packs you can download from archos' web site and that's not all! Setup an account with CinemaNow and view movies right on your device or PC cheaper than renting at Block Buster. I'm happy with this amazing device, I'm sure you will be too.
The Perfect Beast.... [Posted on 2008-09-12]
I took off one star for the frequent resets needed while using WIFI. Another star off because of the crummy battery. I am on my second 605, the first being defective (battery).
Pros:
1 Great screen, and it's a touch screen.
2 Good sound. Not loud but clear.
3 Lotsa accessories available.
4 Fairly user friendly.
5 Web Radio/TV plugin satisfactory.
6 Dish Network plugin great.
7 Choice of touch screen or buttons.
8 80gb!
CONS:
1 Really bad battery quality. On a full charge it should run four
hours straight on video. If it does not, return or exchange it.
2 Occasional hardware resets needed in normal use. If you use WIFI,
you will be doing a LOT of resets.
3 Browser plugin not so hot. Will not do my favorite internet radio
site "Pandora".
4 You can use music from "Rhapsody to Go", but it will not stream from
Rhapsody uPnP server (WIFI).
5 Questional reliability. Some places on the net say 25% failure rate.
6 A BIGGY: Customer support is "junk". Useless. Don't expect any help.
7 Use of uPnp servers erratic. Sometimes it does not see them.
8 You can use various music software to load the 605, but most of them
mess things up in some way...avoid software like this. Use hard drive
mode and Windows Explorer.
9 Sound is great, but just a bit bright.
10 For full functionality you have to shell out mucho bucks to buy
plugins.
11 If you exchange defective unit, it's a real pain trying to get plugins
transferred to new machine. No problem with free Dish Plugin.
12 Long battery charge time. 8 hours or over with USB connection...
connect directly to computer, do NOT use USB hub.
13 The 605 draws a lot of current. When loading LARGE amounts of data
the 605 battery can go dead in the middle of it because it draws
battery power as well as USB power during connection to PC when
transferring data (using the 605 hard drive).
Although the 605 is not ready for prime time, I still love it. If only
there were not so many "CONS".
Don't expect much, like firmware updates, since Archos has released its
new line of "media tablets".
Do a lot of online research about this product before buying it.
BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!
A good headphone amp REALLY makes the 605 shine.
The mini battery dock with charger is an ESSENTIAL accessory. Fast charging time.
My system:
Archos 605 WIFI
Headroom Total Airhead headphone amp.
Sennheiser HD580 headphones.
BEWARE you will need extra $ needed to get this running [Posted on 2008-09-25]
I purchased the 605 and the DVR station. I didn't realise that you had to purchase a whole bunch of "plug ins" to get it working - I feel totally duped. One to get the Wifi web browser running, another to get the TV recorder to work, another to play MPEG2 at $20.00 - $30.00 each....
Great Concept, Awful Package [Posted on 2008-10-03]
I did a lot of research to figure out what player to buy and finally purchased the Archos because of its capabilities. I was fully aware of the additional expenses for the plug-ins and accessories but decided that they would be well worth it to expand the capabilities.
The Archos was a fun player and, with the plug-ins, the video quality is incredible. The browser was a bit slow and the image quality of recorded TV programs was not spectacular but the capabilities of the player were incredible.
Within 1 month of purchase, my first player's backlight went out. Nothing showed up on the screen. After navigating through customer service (which I had expected to be bad based on reviews), I was told to send the player in for repairs. Instead, I returned it to Amazon since it was within their warranty.
Amazon sent me a replacement. Within two months this second unit had completely failed. The software stopped working, the battery wouldn't charge, nothing worked. It was complete junk.
To their credit, Amazon completely refunded the price for the second unit as well as all of the accessories that I had purchased. Since I am now an Amazon customer for life, I promptly turned around and purchased an i-pod touch.
The screen on the i-pod is smaller and the video quality is slightly less, but it is indestructible and has given me no problem. This is well worth it after my ordeal with the Archos 605.
The 605 has some really cool features and the image quality is incredible but I have found it to be absolutely unreliable. The fact that the package is a piece of junk overshadows the capabilities.
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