Archos 5 (Android) and the Iphone

The Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet originally revealed on August 19, 2008 with Linux as its operating system and it was a solid media player. For me it really made me always consider Archos as one of my favourite gadget companies. It did have flaws as all things do, but now Archos has once again proven its strength in innovation in the portable media world by updating the product into the Archos 5g or Archos 5 Android.

The Archos 5g is a beautiful device with up too 500 GB of hard drive storage or up to 32 GB + a MicroSD slot supporting up to 32GB far a total of 64GB for the flash version. Among the device’s features are a gorgeous 4.8 inch touchscreen at 800×480 pixels, Bluetooth, Wifi, GPS, receiver and transmitter with all these features it is a mashup between a full featured smartphone and an overpowered PMP somewhat like the Ipod touch. With all these features the device is still quite light (slightly heavier for hard drive models) weighing in at 182g and fairly slim to hold with a slightly textured finish on the back side.

For me the best part of this device is the OS which is Google’s Mobile platform Android. The Archos 5 comes with a package of apps that include Webbrowser, Email, Contacts, DroidIn™, Ebuddy™IM, Twidroid™, Deezer™, Dailymotion™, QuickPedia, ThinkFree Mobile, Moov, CraigsPhone, Pages jaunes™ (only for France), High Paying Jobs (only for US & Canada), Alarm clock, Calculator. Visiting the Android App store will give you hundreds of more apps with promises of many more to come so expandability is not an issue when it comes to software and Archos offers many hardware add-ons for it IMT’s so you should have a problem with hardware either. With Android comes possibilites check out this video with remote desktop on the Archos 5:

Remote Desktop on the Archos 5

Engadget posted a speed comparison pitting the Archos 5 Android against the Iphone 3gs a to my surprise the Archos came out on top! beating out the Iphone by no small amount in webpage load times.

Source:Iphone 3gs bested by Android Archos 5 tablet in browsing benchmarks

The closest thing to a flaw I can find is the lack of multitouch and the resistive touchscreen, Archos has foreseen problems with this and they included a stylus which doubles as a kickstand for propping up the device. I haven’t seen any evidence that the screen isn’t sensitive enough but I don’t entirely trust resistive touchscreens. The device also doesn’t yet fully support Flash but that is expected to change when Adobe releases its update for Flash 10 that works or ARM based processors

All in all this device seems like a very well rounded PMP and a sure competitor to the Zune/iPod especially with Google’s Android now behind it. Hopefully a precursor to good things to come in the Archos 9 PCtablet (when it is available, still no way to buy it on the Archos Site)

ARCHOS, is an award-winning company for its constant technologic innovation and leadership in portable media players and it really proves it with the Archos 5.

The user experience has dramatically improved, and the ARCHOS 5 is arguably the best HD portable player that exists. No matter what you want to watch or listen to, view or do, the ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet will let you do this in HD* quality, with accessories featuring HDMI outputs. Archos.com

Archos 5 hands on:

Hand on with the Archos 5

Full Specifications:

http://www.archos.com/products/imt/archos_5it/specs.html?country=us&lang=en

Capacity

• Flash Memory: 8 to 32 GB* + Micro SD Slot (SDHC compatible)
• Hard Drive: 160 to 500 GB*

Display

• High resolution screen, 800×480 pixels, 4.8” TFT LCD, 16 million colors
• Touch screen

Video playback ⁷

• MPEG-4 HD (up to 720p)
• MPEG-48 (ASP@L5 AVI, up to DVD resolution)
• H.264 HD (up to 720p)
• WMV (MP@ML, up to DVD resolution) including WMV protected files
• MKV (up to 720p, 2500kbs, 23fps0
• M-JPEG (Motion JPEG Video) in QVGA resolution
With optional plug-in (downloadable from your tablet or on http://www.archos.com):
• Cinema: MPEG-2, WMV HD (720p), VOB

Audio playback ⁷

• Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 Kbits/s CBR & VBR, 
• WMA, Protected WMA, WAV (PCM/ADPCM), AAC⁹(except protected content),
• AAC+ stereo audio files
• Ogg Vorbis up to 320kbs @44hz
• Flac up to 1000kbs @44hz.
With optional software plug-ins (downloadable from your tablet or on http://www.archos.com):
• AC3 stereo audio and 5.1 sound files (via SPDIF output of DVR Station )

Photo viewer ¹⁰

JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF

Subtitles

Support subtitles files with .srt, .ssa, .smi, .sub extensions

Video recording ¹¹

• Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on. Records NTSC/PAL/SECAM in MPEG-4 AVI format with stereo sound, VGA resolution (640 x 480) @ 30 or 25 f/s
• Via the optional TV Snap-on (only available for Europe): Records TV in MPEG-2 TS format.

Audio recording

• Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on: Stereo line-in, WAV (IMA ADPCM or PCM) format
• Voice recording with the built-in microphone

Others applications

Webbrowser, Email, Contacts, DroidIn™, Ebuddy™IM, Twidroid™, Deezer™, Dailymotion™, QuickPedia, ThinkFree Mobile, Moov, CraigsPhone, Pages jaunes™ (only for France), High Paying Jobs (only for US & Canada), Alarm clock, Calculator…

Interfaces

• USB 2.0: Media Transport Protocol (MTP)
• USB 2.0 Host: Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) with optional Mini Dock, Battery Dock and DVR station
• Micro SD (SDHC compatible) on ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet 8 to 32 GB
• Add-on connectors to connect to the DVR Station and other ARCHOS add-ons

Communication protocols

• WiFi (802.11 b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP, EDR, ARCP, HID, Dial Networking
• FM transmitter (requires the Car-mount that features the antenna)
• FM receiver (RDS)

Miscellaneous

• Built-in speaker"• Built-in leg stand• Built-in Microphone

Power source

• Internal: Lithium Polymer battery
• Device charges via computer USB port
• External: Power adapter/charger (via optional add-on)

Battery life

• Music playback time¹²: up to 22 hours¹³
• Video playback time¹²: up to 7 hours¹³

Scalability

• Device automatically downloads latest firmware updates when the WiFi connection is activated
• Updates can also be downloaded at http://www.archos.com

Dimensions & weight

• ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet Flash series: 143,2×78,8×10,4 mm – 182g• ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet Hard Drive series: 143,2×78,8×20 mm – 286g

Minimum system requirements

• Microsoft® Windows® XP, Vista, or higher (with Windows media Player 11 for MTP)
• Linux (with Mass Storage Device Support)
• USB 2.0 interface

Package includes

ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet, earphones, Standard USB cable, DVR Station adapter, Quick Start Guide (QSG), legal and safety notice.

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