The Archos 5 brings Adobe Flash 9 support and a full touch-screen interface to the table. Will the swanky PMP sway iPod fanatics? Read our full Archos 5 review here.
Review summary of the Archos 5:
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 Archos has seriously stepped up their game with the Archos 5 Wi-Fi enabled Portable Media Player. The vertical button layout has been scrapped in favor of a massive 4.8-inch touchscreen interface that resonates with style and sophistication. We loved perusing the menu options on the Archos 5 and browsing the Web. Videos looked crisp and the huge capacity of the HDD allowed us to pile in media files by the hundreds. Unfortunately, Archos has not offered a solution to AC charging, and all we got was a USB cable. Also, the max sound volume was too low and the touchscreen sensitivity fell a couple notches behind that of the iPod Touch. However, for an all-around PMP, the Archos 5 is definitely one of the elite within its class. Release: January 2009. Price: $350.
Pros: Excellent video player. Built-in Opera browser is fast and fetching. Bigger screen and sexier interface.
Cons: Lack of built-in 3G capability. Still no AC battery charger. Max sound volume way too low.
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Full Archos 5 Review:
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Design - Very Good
The Archos 5's overall design is a major aesthetic departure from its predecessor, the Archos 605, and that's a good thing. Rather than stick to a generic, uninspired grey body, Archos pulled the out the bling and opted for a mirrored, gunmetal chassis that ranks up in the clouds on our hotness scale. In certain light, the back of the Archos 5 serves as a perfectly viable alternative to a compact mirror. The screen is equally reflective and engulfs the entire façade of the body, leaving minimal gripping room along the sides. That was one of our biggest gripes. We found that we had to confine our fingers to the perimeter of the body in order to brace the Archos 5 in an unobtrusive way. There were times when a finger or thumb would leap the invisible fence and inadvertently freeze our progress while watching "Fistful of Dollars", but halfway through the film, we had mastered the art of the Archos 5 brace technique.
The ultra-glossy screen was perhaps the most formidable hurdle while viewing content, particularly in broad daylight. We were constantly searching for the optimal angle to reduce glare. While we're complaining, it's worth mentioning that the Archos 5 does not contain a slot for a stylus, nor does it ship with one. We'll dish out our thoughts on the interface in just a bit, but there certainly were times when a stylus would have come in handy. The pivoting kick stand was carried over from the Archos 605, a feature that plays very nicely with airplane and train fold-out trays. Due to the thin metal construction, the kickstand is slightly flimsy and we stressed over putting a nasty bend in its shaft. Size-wise, the Archos 5 is approximately 20% larger than the iPod touch 3G, but the main difference comes down to weight. For a PMP, the Archos 5 is a bit hefty, especially when pinned against the iPod touch or Sony PSP.
Interface - Very Good
Archos went with a fully touch-screen interface this time around, which benefits their latest PMP in a few ways. First off, the Archos 5's interface is one of the sexiest we've seen on any PMP, even swankier than the iPod touch's minimalist uniform. The screen is exceedingly crisp and provides a beautiful picture, and the left-hand menu icon setup is convenient. Icons increase in size when they are selected, which makes menu navigation feel interactive. We also liked the fact that we could highlight an option by touching it once and then activate it by touching it a second time, unlike the iPod touch, which is so sensitive that one single accidental finger stroke will launch an unwanted program.
Action was smooth and we were even able to adjust the touch-screen's sensitivity by calibrating it to the size of our finger. When it comes down to ultimate sensitivity, the iPod touch still holds the title in that department, as we were forced to repeatedly tap a few options on the Archos 5 in order for them to take hold. Another benefit to a full touch-screen setup is a bigger 4.8-inch screen, thanks to the space salvaged from omitting the vertical panel of buttons on Archos 605. Not only is this more stylish, but we're also introduced to a brand new world of fully independent touch operation that relies on larger icons and menus. We loved the ample Photo viewing pane, which displayed up to 63 thumbnails at a time, and we could magnify each with a single touch.
When it comes down to it, the Archos 5's interface may not be as sensitive as the iPod touch's, but it's certainly less cluttered and seems to be more polished. We had fun applying animated wallpaper, and every option within the interface appeared to be woven together seamlessly.
Music - Good
The Archos 5 has a great built-in music system, but the device lacks file transfer software. We were able to sync with Windows Media Player, but Mac options were whittled down to good old drag-and-drop action. We experienced the same issue with the Archos 605, and we think it's time for some music software for the next generation PMP. Windows Media Player fans are the only ones who win in this situation, while the rest of the Mac-loyal world are forced to delve through folders and manually copy files. In this case, the iPod touch wins, and it will continue to win until we see something fresh from Archos.
On the other hand, playing music files on the Archos 5 is tantamount to iPod touch functionality and intuitiveness. The music controls are smooth, including the extremely sensitive volume bar and duration meter, which can be adjusted effortlessly in minute increments. We get to see album art and song information, though the Archos 5 lists the title of the next and previous songs, providing a sneak preview. Our main issue with listening to music on the Archos 5 was its lack of volume at the top level. The Archos 5 couldn't compete with a noisy subway, and we often found it too quiet even for casual listening. At max volume, we cycled through all the equalizer presets and found Live to be the loudest, but it still couldn't match the iPod touch's volume cap.
Videos - Very Good
The Archos 5's video feature was probably our favorite. Since we're frequently riding subways, buses and planes, movies are one of the few gleaming orbs of excitement we have to look forward to during our monotonous travels. The picture is beautiful. We loved the onscreen interface, which allowed us to touch various portions of the screen to access only certain controls, like the volume control or progress bar. One of the coolest features was the ability to save a particular video frame as wallpaper in real time, though the aspect ratio was skewed on 16:9 movies.
Unfortunately, sound was our biggest issue with the Archos 5, and it was even more irksome while watching videos as opposed to listening to music. It was difficult to combat the cacophony around us while watching videos because the maximum volume level was significantly low. Archos needs to pump up the volume on future models. We were still able to adjust equalizer presets and fiddle with Left and Right speaker balance, but it's hardly worth it while sitting in an airline seat next to the wing.
Regardless, the Archos 5 blows the iPod touch away when it comes to playing videos. Of course, getting videos onto the device is a different story. Archos offers the Archos Media Store, which is their version of iTunes. Instead of buying new films, though, we used some digital movie files we already had on hand. The Archos 5 supported most of the video formats we tried without problems. For avid travelers, the Archos 5 is a premier video machine.
Internet - Very Good
The Archos 5 has Adobe Flash 9 support, in addition to a built-in Opera browser. Since a majority of the Internet's media content is now flash-based, the Flash 9 update makes sense, and it came to our aid on sites like YouTube and other video sharing sites. There were certain web pages that could not load flash content, however, so only Adobe Flash 9 supported content will work properly on the Archos 5.
Finding a connection was a snap and once we were logged on, the Opera browser just made everything flow as smoothly as hot butterscotch. Between the suave interface design, hasty page loading times and the ability to view entire web pages, thanks to the massive 4.8-inch screen, we'd take the Archos 5 over the iPod touch any day. On the downside, only the highest end Archos 5 units will come with built-in 3G, and these haven't yet hit the street. Wireless is great if you know where your hot spots are, but users on the road will be up a creek if they plan on checking email and paying off college loans on a bus.
Value - Good
Considering the fact that Archos included the Web browser and spruced up the interface, we're seeing the Archos 5 as an exciting departure from the Archos 605, one that is definitely worth shelling out the dough if PMPs are your thing. Toss in the bigger 4.8-inch screen, which rocked for movie sessions, and the dramatically improved design, and call us impressed. The battery is still enclosed, and it lasted us approximately 4 hours while consecutively watching movies at medium screen brightness. Best to sprint for an extra, external battery for the player. Still, the Archos 5 is a major improvement over the Archos 605, and we'd highly recommend it to travelers and consumers looking to keep all of their media on one portable device.
Now let's talk figures. The Archos 5 costs $350 for the 60GB model, $400 for the 160GB model and $450 for the 250GB model. If you're also looking for a portable HDD, the 250GB model makes sense, though many ultra-portable HDDs these days are significantly cheaper. Tack on $50 for a battery docking station and we're looking at half a grand for 250 gigabytes of touch-screen PMP goodness. Even on the cheap, the 60GB Archos 5 is quite and investment. For the same price as the 250GB Archos 5, you can get the 160GB Archos 7, which features a whopping 7-inch touch-screen. The 32GB iPod Touch is $400, which makes the 60GB Archos 5 seem far more enticing. It all boils down to personal preference. Expect any decent PMP to run you a decent chunk of change. We'd opt for the Archos 5 over the iPod touch as a renaissance PMP any day.
Price and availability
The Archos 5 is available now for $350 to $450, depending on hard disk drive capacity.
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