_“Henri Crohas, the mind behind the great technologies of Archos, he used his own name as an anagram of Archos, to show the world of his intent of total domination. – “It’s amazing what can be achieved in coffee houses, while gazing in those coffee granules”_

I started out getting into portable media tablets way back into 2006; which isn’t that long in real terms but even I have been amazed with the way the market has enveloped these devices and seen quite a few changes in a very short-time. Yes, it is the digital age though I feel that they’ve really installed a major presence that eclipses other media tablet businesses. In fact it was a Archos which got me into portable media products, so I guess they will always be a warm place beside my pillow for an Archos product. – Only joking, but you get my drift. – I did a write-up on a 120GB model that was an Archos series 5; at that scored a high 87% which I mainly put down to storage and graphics capabilities. The 60GB is not so much a massive warehouse of storage but seems to cater better in other sectors; the navigation is quicker, maybe because the tablet isn’t looking for all those folders to load. The display still is the same decent 5 inches squared; which I hasten to add is 2 more inches bigger than the average Creative PMP. On that alone I see Archos superior to other brands when it comes to visual display units or devices. This overall doesn’t mean that the whole package is right for you as many consumers opt for audio enhancement software and the ease of use; rather than my own impressions.

What is noticeable is that the 5 series caters for both workstation platforms the Mac and the PC, so Archos has made an uniformed interface web-browser compatible across the internet spectrum; that makes it ideal for users of iBooks and want to sway data from each device. All software is available and doesn’t require you the consumer to search for initializing software for usage. It is all installed. It is a smaller model than the 704 which was revolutionary two years ago but now you understand the 5 series has taken the ship’s helm. – Archos call their product a tablet, in retrospect it is moreso of one than held on one hand held devices. It is an upper market brand that doesn’t use odd sounding audio technology to make it sound better or more superior. The company, Archos is more honest than that and does not fall victims to re-inventing technology that doesn’t require fixing.

Available at Amazon, please note the devices are over a year old and may have prior owners - £189.99 was the price I got from a reliable supplier.