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Archos Generation 5 Launch
And what's a WiFi device without a browser? Well, it better be something, because the 605 doesn't come with a browser. You can download one from the Archos site for $20, which is cheap and easy, but still, I think this is a pretty significant out-of-the-box omission, despite their valid claim that it helps drop the price on the base model. The test model I played with did have the browser, however, which is based on Opera software. It rendered pages nicely, and pretty quickly, and it's a pleasure to see the actual Internet (as opposed to the crappy cell phone Internet) on a device so small. Of particular note was the soft keyboard for entering URLs. I tested some long ones and it worked fine; this was a pleasant surprise (Apple, I'm talking to you).
Further leveraging this WiFi connection, the device includes a content portal, for which partners like Cinema Now have come up with a custom site that lets you buy content directly from the device. Once you setup an account it recognizes you and streamlines future purchases; once you buy something, you can watch it immediately as it downloads the rest; if you fall off the network, it remembers where you left the download and starts up again automatically. Which is all pretty awesome, except for the fact that I bought Matrix on DVD, I bought it again in the super-special director-sanctioned box set, and now! they want me to buy it again? They talked about this for a fair while, and it only made me more annoyed, but then they started talking about some other ways to get content on the device, and I became interested again. The DVR Dock is an optional accessory that allows you to connect the portable device to your television and swap content in either direction. You can either play content from the device on the TV, or you can record content to the device like on a TiVo. Playback to the television was definitely not DVD quality, but surprisingly clear nonetheless. Recording content onto the device is handled via an intuitive scheduling guide that requires no subscription and again, operates just like your TiVo. To top it all off, there's a remote with a full QWERTY keyboard and directional pad that would let me use the device (including the browser) from my bed. Not you, though. I mean, you could use it from your bed, but if you used it from my bed, that would be creepy.     One consideration with all these accessories is pricing. The 6-series devices used to start at $399, but now they start at $199, bringing video into the mp3 price point and significantly reducing barriers to entry. They achieved this by making the browser and the DVR Dock extra-cost accessories, rather than included ones. They feel that these two items are things some people - maybe even most - would want, but not everyone would. Personally, I don't think the device makes sense without the browser, but I could be perfectly happy without the DVR dock. Rough pricing on those two accessories is $100 for the dock and $20 for the browser. So if you took a 30 GB device at $300 and add those two options for $120, your $420 investment is still a reasonable price. You could even stagger the purchases to see what you'd really need and spread out the oh-I-just-got-a-new-toy feeling. As cool as that combo might be, however, here's the rub! you can't record content from TV without leaving the device on the dock. Which is fine if you dock it at night and record Outer Limits episodes, but if you want to catch something before Prime Time you're probably SOL. Obviously, you can still get content from your computer onto the device, but this turns the TiVo-like functionality of the device from a killer app into a cute feature I'd probably never use. Unless you buy the TV Plus accessory, too! The TV Plus is essentially a 605 without the screen. You hook it up to your TV (again, much like a TiVo) but this time you leave it there! and not only can it record content off your TV but it can transfer it over to the mobile device. It comes with the same remote control as the DVR Dock, and can be used either with a portable device or as a stand-alone product. The TV Plus is sized from 80 to 250 gigs, and will be priced starting at $200. The TV Plus rounds out how blatant is their attempt to break up the Apple hegemony, which - despite typing this up on a MacBook right now - I consider a good thing. Market diversity makes Baby Jesus (not to mention Adam Smith, a key proponent of modern capitalism) very happy. Does this mean I would buy one myself? Well, personally, no. I have a MacBook for the plane, a PSP for the train and an iPod for the road, so my personal media consumption is pretty well covered. But the real question is, does the Archos 605 seem ill-featured or me-too? Despite some initial missteps with the UI, the lack of an out-of-the-box browser and frustration that the company joins the throngs of people telling me to pay more money for content I've already bought, I think the Archos 605 is a strong entry into the market. If I didn't have anything that plays video, and especially if I was in the same situation and looking to replace my iPod, I'd definitely be buying. And if you're willing to commit, the combination of the 605 with the DVR dock and TV Plus makes for a remarkably complete media ecosystem. Which could make lazy people like me very happy.
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1 User Comment 1 - Posted by
MichaelHarper
on September 13, 2007 - 11:39 am Apparently, the Gen 5 products (most of them, at least) are now available for purchase. Yay! Check out the store... dub dub dub dot archos.com/store_us/. Now remember, kids... if Mommy and Daddy don't let you use their credit cards, they don't really love you.
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