With built-in Wi-Fi and a colorful touch screen, the Archos 604 Wi-Fi handles almost all your video and audio files on the go. Is it worth building your collection?
Review summary of the Archos 604 Wi-Fi:
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 The Archos 604 Wi-Fi is a simple portable media player. It does only what it is supposed to, without additional frills like transfer software or advanced organizational options on the device. Overall, it left us disappointed, but this wasn't a problem that pouring a few hundred extra dollars into the mix wouldn't fix. Perhaps if we had purchased the plug-in to play our preferred video file types, the charger to charge the device without using our laptop, and the DVR dock to record shows from our TV, we would have been happier. Still, it performed its tasks adequately, and without complaint, and at least half of our commute was made better by having it. Release: March 2007. Price: $450.
Pros: Simple interface with a clean look and easy buttons; easy to access the features; lots of audio support; video looks good.
Cons: Lack of essential accessories to charge the device and use built-in DVR functions; poor battery performance; no transfer software; screen door effect on low-res screen.
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Full review of the Archos 604 Wi-Fi:
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Design
The Archos 604 Wi-Fi looks like a basic slab of brushed metal. It isn't altogether unattractive, but it lacks any real design flourish. The buttons, each a two-way rocker switch, are aligned down the right side of the device, and though we found them easy to use, they certainly weren't as intuitive or inviting as the Apple iPod's clickwheel. The screen is a nice looking, 16-million color, 4.3-inch touch panel. It suffered from a slight screen door effect, and we definitely preferred the Nokia N800's 800x480 resolution screen to the 480x272 pixels we got on the Archos. Still, text looked great on menus and web browsing, and movies looked good, though a bit washed out. The screen kept up with special effects and fast-moving action nicely, though. The device also has a secret kickstand, not mentioned in the instruction manual, that pulls out from the back, though we mostly used the 604 as a handheld. One of the biggest flaws of the design is the lack of a stylus slot. Though you don't need a stylus to access the menu functions or the features of the device, it certainly helped while typing Web addresses, so we will be sad when (not if) we lose it.
Interface and transfer
The interface on the Archos 604 Wi-Fi is purposefully bare, which makes it less confusing than other PMPs and Internet tablets we've seen. Simple icons greet you on startup for Music, Videos, Pictures and the Web. The device synchronizes with Windows Media Player, on the Windows side, and acts as a simple hard disk drive on the Mac side. Again, this makes things nice and simple, but leaves out more advanced organizational options that we would have liked. For instance, we weren't exactly sure how to create playlists from our Mac, where all of our music is stored, and you can't create playlists on the device. The movie list comes up with tiny video previews of the movie, which was neat. Menus are located on the right side of the screen, accessible by the menu button, and these were generally easy to navigate. Overall, the effect is a simplified, easy-to-use interface, without too many options. In a way, this is ironic, because simplicity may lure in first-time users, but the lack of transfer software, or detailed instructions on how to use or convert media for the device, means that only advanced users need apply.
Video and music
The Archos handles a wide range of media files, almost. The device does better with audio than video, ironically, handling MP3, AAC, WMA and PlaysForSure files from subscription download services, which we liked. For videos, we tried a mix of files downloaded from our TiVo, and some, ahem, backups that we made using HandBrake for the Mac. No illegal BitTorrents here, no sir. The TiVo MP4 videos worked just fine. The backups were okay, but we were disappointed to learn, after hours spent converting the files, that though the Archos is okay with MP4 videos, it won't play them if the audio track is encoded in AAC. So, we had to re-encode with MP3 audio instead. The player can handle AAC audio, but only after you pay extra for a separate plug-in from Archos. The same goes for higher-quality H.264 video, also available only with a plug-in you must buy.
Web browsing
The Archos 604 Wi-Fi had no trouble picking up our open Wi-Fi network. Web browsing was nice, though the strange, vertically-oriented control layout made scrolling and scanning across pages less than intuitive. Pages loaded fairly quickly, though not nearly as quickly as on our laptop. Advanced Flash functions aren't available, so you won't be watching any YouTube videos, which is disappointing on such a media-oriented device. Pages looked completely perfect otherwise, and were easy to read with clean, detailed images. The touch screen keyboard could have been more sensitive for our taste, and the keys seemed a bit smaller than our fingertips, which made us want to reach for the stylus.
Accessories
The Archos 604 Wi-Fi comes with headphones, a stylus, a USB cord and a leather sleeve. When we first opened the box, we were sure that Archos had simply forgotten the charger, but they hadn't, they just don't include one with the device. You have to pay extra. This is a poor decision, we think. Usually, we compliment a company for including USB charging as well as wall charging, because it cuts down on cables. It would seem that one point of the Archos 604 Wi-Fi would be to replace your laptop on trips where you don't need productivity, as the Archos can handle Web browsing over Wi-Fi. Instead, Archos requires you bring your laptop along.
This problem is compounded by the poor battery life we got from the 604. We charged the device over night, then watched about an hour of video on our train ride into Manhattan. At the end of the day, without charging the device, we tried to resume our video, and the Archos 604 Wi-Fi woke up for only enough time to tell us our battery was dead. Does the company expect you to bring your laptop with you everywhere to charge the device during the day? Of course not, but they do expect you to pay extra.
You'll also have to pay extra for DVR functions, which come only with an extra accessory. This is too bad, because DVR seems to be a compelling feature for this device. Also, though some Archos '04 devices come with a built in camcorder, the 604 requires you buy an additional accessory as well. And, to top it all off, the headphones Archos included were fairly uncomfortable, and of mediocre quality. So, all you get of value is a proprietary USB cable and a stylus, and the device has no dedicated slot for the stylus, so count on losing and replacing it soon enough.
Price and availability
The Archos 604 Wi-Fi is available immediately from Archos and other online retailers for $450.
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