Hey, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Nukey and I am 23, from Tiverton in Devon. I'm qui...
Hey, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Nukey and I am 23, from Tiverton in Devon. I'm quite a well rounded guy who like to try new things...
Anyway good luck and see you soon!
Member since:29.06.2007
Reviews:2
Members who trust:1
Yet again Archos pulls out all the stops and brings us a fully featured portable device, only this time a few previous issues have been addressed...
The Archos 605 Wifi comes in different capacities, the 40GB model being the one I am now a proud owner of.
Out the box:
When I first unboxed the Archos I was struck by the look of the model. Ever since the 605 Wifi was released I assumed the model was silver, but was absolutely shocked when I found a white device staring me in the face. All surprises aside, I was quite happy with the overall look, which is what pushed me more to buying the unit.
I took the device out of the box and it was surprisingly light, weighing a little less than the previous model, the 504. I also noticed something strange about the battery too; tapping the back of the unit shows hollow space between the battery and the hard drive, of which neither are removable, unlike the previous model which supported swapping batteries.
The unit is ever so slighly smaller in width to the previous 504. I noticed a slight difference in the feel of the product too; the plasic buttons being one of the things that changes it's texture.
Before
switching the unit on I had a rummage around inside the box to see what the device came with (okay okay, maybe I did have a little play around before looking in the boxes :) ), and what I found was the typical contents as featured previously. It come with a DVR saddle (explained later), a quick start guide, two styluses, a USB cable (which is specific to the device, also explained later), a pair of sub-standard earphones and a case.
DVR saddle:
Along with the unit itself was a DVR saddle included. It is a grey piece of plastic which sits on the DVR station itself.
From my last model I own a DVR station for the Generation 4 series, and I can confirm that this DVR station is fully compatible with the 605 Wifi. So unless you require the fancy remote control that comes with the Generation 5 DVR station, the Generation 4 DVR station will suffice for this unit.
USB cable:
Archos have decided to stick to their unit-specific USB cables, of which is different from the 504 cable, as there is an additional notch on the end of the cable. The cable fits to the bottom of the unit, and is also used to charge the device from your computer's USB port.
Quick start guide:
Basically it just says charge the unit before use, only in a more glamourised manner.
Case/pouch:
Archos have mastered the art for years in making top line, good quality products. Maybe they should stick to just making electricals because they have a nack of making their carry cases either too small or evasive of use of the unit itself. In this case, the case was slightly too small for the device and took me 5 minutes to remove from the player, once it was fitted inside. Also it took some force, so you have been warned. If you do use the case make ure you go careful in removing it, as a cracked screen is something you don't want to be dealing with, especially with this device.
Earphones:
You need to be made aware that the earphones that are supplied with these units, (even previous models), are purposely of a poor quality. The earphones are purely for testing purposes, and aren't expected to be used with the device as a permanent solution.
Stylus:
The unit comes with two black, plastic styluses.
The box itself:
You may also notice that the packaging for the device is slightly different. The box was slightly smaller than expected, and was filled in on one side. Opening the box and sliding the inner box out I was greated by an advertisement for DailyMotion. You may have the same if you purchase the unit.
I also noticed that they have upped the looks by using a foamy type packaging to seat the unit into. If anything, I would have to describe this as "velvety". Underneath this velvet tray was a piece of card which you lift up (attached to the box) whereby you see all the included items, all wrapped up in little bags.
The unit:
Screen:
The screen was what surprised me the most, but in a perculiar way. The screen is more vivid than the 504 in shady conditions, but in daylight almost unreadable. The screen is a high resolution touch display (800x480) and smudgeproof. That is something that did please me, the fact I dont have to keep wiping the screen every five minutes. But the screen brightness in daylight did somewhat disappoint me.
Audio player
The audio player is a bit fiddly, and should you just wish to use the buttons to queue songs, you may run into difficulty, as it is impossible to go back to the top of the library using the buttons, while within an album. If you are familiar or a previous owner of the 504 you may notice a few slip ups when it comes to learning the controls, quite often accidently pausing the song instead of turning the volume up.
Apart from this the audio player seems fine, they have used the same graphic equalizer as the previous x04 series, but have ditched the VU meter, instead replacing the space with buttons for skipping back/forwards songs.
You may want to ensure your videos are encoded at a high resolution because where the screen is higher resolution you will notice everything from ringing and blocking right through to jaggies.
The video player is of a great quality, and supports all the typical formats. Also included within the screen settings are options to turn the screen contrast/brightness/gamma up and down, to make video appearance as good as possible.
Overall I was quite inpressed with the video quality.
Photos:
Something I did notice with the photo viewer was an issue with the photowall where the thumbnails are missing, but this may change as firmware is released. Photo quality was excellent.
Internet connectivity:
The Internet connectivity is quite resourceful when it comes to consuming the battery, as it will disconnect when it's not being used. Connection was good and solid, and acceptable for mobile use.
Overall I am quite happy with the device, minus the daylight use of the screen. I would recommend this device over the previous models, for the fact that you get more features for your money.
Also plugins are available for additional formats and the web browser. For information on the file formats the unit plays, please visit www.archos.com
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Superb video, easy to record from TV and DVD, excellent screen and easy to use Disadvantages: Nowhere to store stylus, rubbish case, expensive extras to get best out of it
jasonalakija 24.10.2007 (24.10.2007)
·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Archos 605 WiFi 160 GB
Advantages: Record from TV/DVD, Excellent for watching movies, has many features Disadvantages: Expensive upgrades, poor inbuilt speaker, limited for gamers
Ruraji 19.08.2008 (19.08.2008)
·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Archos 605 WiFi 160 GB
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (89%):
helpful by (5%):
