Building on the success of the Archos 605 WiFi, Archos has now released the new Archos 5 portable media player.  The units feature a new, faster Texas Instruments central processor, a larger screen (exceptional quality), touch-screen operation, vivid colors, up to 720p resolution, plugin support (most cost extra), and more in a simple, intuitive design.  The Archos 5 supports MPEG, WMV, H.264, AVI, and DivX (versions 3.11, 4, 5, and 6) video formats as well as subtitled files.  Most operations are performed via the touchscreen.  Only the power button and volume controls are separated from the touchscreen operation.  The Archos 5 media player has a fixed battery life, following the new trend of many current devices.  Battery life measures at about 4 hours and 30 minutes during video playback, and 12 hours and 30 minutes during audio playback.

The exterior design of the Archos 5 is made of stainless steel, which provides for a very solid build quality.  However, it also results in the player being highly prone to smugging and fingerprints

The new player also boasts Internet operations such as web browsing and email.  streaming video is also available.  While some Internet TV content appears clear and smooth, other services yield jerky, low resolution content. Of course, this is not under the control of Archos, but it is worth mentioning nonetheless so that buyers are not surprised.

The Archos 5 is compact at 5”x3”x.5”, with a weight of .55 pound for the 60GB version and 5”x3”x.75”, with a weight of .66 pound for the 120GB and 250GB versions.

Available accessories for the unit include the DVR Station, which allows customers to connect the Archos directly to a television for recording TV programs onto the device or transmitting content from the media player to the TV. GPS and Webcam accessories are also available.

Prices

  • Archos 5 60 GB Internet Media Tablet:  $339.49
  • Archos 5 120 GB Internet Media Tablet:  $389.49
  • Archos 5 250 GB Internet Media Tablet:  $439.49

Join the Conversation

8 Comments

  1. I think these small, sleek tablets will become more prevalent in the near future. They have a lot of promise to them. I can see ISS crew using larger versions of these to communicate with people down on Earth somehow. Yeah I know, pie in the sky.. pie in the sky.

  2. It’s awful pricey. And you really have to go with the 250 GB model if you plan on watching video. But I love the look of it and could picture that on my coffee table.

  3. It is AWESOME. And with a Webcam and GPS as well as a 320Gig version available it kicks the IPod’s Ass!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *