Smart and slim!

The Archos 605 WiFi portable media player is small enough to fit into a reasonable pant pocket or bag, yet big enough to do video true justice.

At over 119 million units in October 2007, it doesn't take much to figure out that the iPod is by far the most popular line of MP3 players in history. But that's just sales. Real world opinion is far more divided, with a clear section of people who dislike the iPod's limited feature set or for that matter, ideologically despise its closed iTunes universe.

And that's where a portable media player (PMP) like the Archos 605 WiFi can potentially upstage the march of the iPods. Over the years, Archos' line of PMPs have been evolving towards the ultimate do-everything gadget, and with the 605 WiFi, Archos has come close, feature wise even closer than current iPods, to getting it just right.

Straight off the blocks, the 605 is no iPod Touch, looking decidedly old-school with a functional, bland silver matte finish. Fortunately, it's slimmed down from previous generations down to a svelte 122 x 82 x 15 mm – a size that really hits the sweet spot for a portable video device. Small enough to fit in any reasonable pant pocket or bag, yet big enough to do video true justice. And the screen, all indulgent 4.3 inches of it, is much larger than the iPod Touch/ iPhone screen with almost double the resolution (800x480) and support for an impressive 16 million colours. Under normal conditions in the office, home or in the bus, the screen is crisp and well defined, and more than capable of a good video viewing experience. Be warned though, it will wash out in direct sunlight! Along the right side of the screen is a single line of rocker (two-way) buttons, each key performing two primary functions. I wasn't too fond of the buttons, especially since the undersides look like they would attract and retain grime if they spent enough time in a bag or a pocket. A good thing then that the 605 features a touch screen, allowing you to do much more using either the included stylus or your own God-given stylus. Strangely enough, there isn't a slot to store the stylus, Below the screen is a small built-in speaker adequate only for close-up listening, and around the back is a handy kick-stand which allows you to keep the 605 upright for viewing without having to hold it so. On the whole, build quality is rather good, and with the heft of the device, the 605 feels like it can take the knocks of everyday use. Also, on the storage front, the 605 comes in 4 variants – one 4GB version with an SD card slot for adding capacity, and 30/80/160 GB variants for higher capacity out of the box.

With the touch screen, Archos has also improved the user experience, with a new 3D icon set and a cleaner, more usable look. A more detailed and colourful screen renders the icons beautifully, and the menu is easy enough for a first timer to use with icons for video, audio, photos, web, settings, etc. The animated icons are a nice addition, and a nice touch is the ability to scroll through web pages with your finger. Oh, did I mention the 605 also packs in WiFi? The Opera browser on the 605 is one of the most capable internet browsers I have seen on a portable device, with support for most flash videos, including those from YouTube and Google Video. Web pages were rendered flawlessly, almost as good as a desktop browser experience. WiFi also means you get to browse folders on your network, copy files back and forth, or even stream video and audio onto your 605.

The 605 as a portable media player is without question far more convenient to use than Apple's. With the option of synchronising with Windows Media Player, or using Windows Explorer to drag and drop files into the player, this is really the way music ought to be transferred. Some people prefer synchronisation software meant specifically for the player, but I just think it just ties you down on the whole. Music playback was good as long as you are not depending on the speaker for your output. Video performance is rather good, with extremely sharp and skip-free video playback on the device, and DVD quality playback when using the TV out.

So what stops me from rating it up there with the best? Archos' capitalism. It could have been a perfect device straight out of the box, but Archos chose to charge for the extra capabilities – you have to pay $30 for the browser plugin, another $100 on the DVR docking station or $70 for the travel DVR adapter if you want the capability to record video on the 605 from the TV for later viewing. And heaven forbid you want to watch .MOV files – that's another $20. All this for capability that really should have been part of the package. Battery life is not up to the advertised figure, so count another $49 for an Archos external battery pack for any serious journey. All that adds up, and suddenly the $300 30GB device isn't so cheap anymore. Even so, with its video playback and excellent screen, if you are in the market for a PVP and don't care for the bitten fruit logo certain competitors sport, this is the player to get.

Quick Specs-

Capacity: 4GB, 30GB/80GB/160GB

Display: High resolution touch screen, 800x480 pixels, 4.3'' TFT LCD, 16 million colours

Video Playback: MPEG-4 and WMV (both up to DVD resolution), with optional software plug-ins (available for purchase): Video Podcast plug-in, Cinema Plug-in and AC3 stereo and 5.1 sound

Audio Playback: Stereo MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WAV, with optional software plug-ins: AAC5 stereo audio files, AC3 stereo audio and 5.1 sound files

Photo/Document Capability: JPEG, BMP, PNG, PDF

Interfaces: USB 2.0 High-Speed Device (compatible USB 1.1), Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Media Transport Protocol (MTP), USB 2.0 Host

Connectivity: WiFi (802.11g) connection, Optional Internet plug-in (Opera Web browser and Adobe Flash Player) for Web browsing (for purchase), 3.5 mm mini jack for headphones, Docking connectors to connect DVR Station and other ARCHOS accessories

Battery Life(music/video): 17 /5.5 hours

Dimensions: 122 x 82 x 15 mm for 4/30GB, 122 x 82 x 20 mm for 80/160GB

Weight: 150g/190g for 4/30GB, 260g for 80/160GB

Rating: 8/10

Price: $199 for 4GB/SD, $299 for 30GB, $349 for 80GB and $399 for 160GB (Indian street prices approx Rs. 13,000 for 30GB)



Tushar Kanwar