Because we are dedicated to honest customer opinions Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable MP3 / Video Player 80GB (Electronics), we have also included Amazon's customer reviews for this item (of which 5 are displayed below). Amazon customers have given Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable MP3 / Video Player 80GB an average rating of 4.5/5.
Top Amazon Review
Why didn't I get one of these before. I wanted a gadget that I could record direct from the TV, store photos, download my camcorder and store my music. This unit does that and more. Ok the docking station is extra but by buying this "older" version I saved over £100 and used that saving to buy the docking station and web browser. Recording TV is easy with the scheduler that you update every week from the web. (Free scheduler for a year - hmm wonder how much next year) Pick the programme and click on record. The unit even "talks" to my Freeview box to change channels and turn it on or off. Neat.
I've recorded programmes that the kids can watch on long car journeys and films that I can watch when and where I please - train, office or even when everyone else in the house is watching the main TV.
Added all our photos which we can show the in-laws in a slide show - and the screen is bigger than the camera screen, so they can actually see the photos.
Added all my music and I've set up playlists etc which is something I've never bothered with before. That's because it does all the functions of several different units in a straight forward and easy to understand way. Even downloaded a couple of free widgets and I've now got a calculator and note pad on it.
The browser when you're hooked up to the internet via WiFi is just like your PC. Add favourites and using the virtual keyboard you can type in URL's etc. So for those quick visits to the internet where you don't want to wait for the PC to fire up - absolutely brilliant.
Finally for those other reviewers who note there is no where for the stylus - there's an elasticated loop in the sleeve/cover that comes with it. Thought it strange that Archos wouldn't design something for that and it holds it just fine.
All in all - It does what I wanted and is in use everyday.
Customer Review 1
Amazing features with flawed usability. I've had this piece of kit for 6 months now and must accept that this gadget is addictive to say least! be in mobile entertainment or home-theatre entertainment (use the dock with my projector) it fits in very well, unmatched in quality and features. The display is 'crystal' and the projected images are sufficiently sharp upto 2m diagonal.
There are a few shortcomings however, esp the bulk of the hard drive and the usability as the interface isn't really finger friendly. I'd wish that it had the fluidity of the iPOD touch but having owned an AV, a Gen 4 and now a 5 , I have to admit that Archos are making a good effort in making their PVPs more usable.
Customer Review 2
Great piece of hardware. One of the best models released by Archos a 160GB hard drive holds lots of films, music, photos, even use it to back up a computer whether it be a mac or windows it is compatible with both. What has been added to this series is the wi-fi facility if you have broadband you can sit and pick up the internet and surf the web or even in any hotspots. It's the ideal machine if you have long journeys it's light portable and the 4.5" screen is crystal clear having had the previous model to this one which had half the memory they have certainly surpassed themselves at Archos it's easy to use and stores masses of data whatever you want to put on it.
Customer Review 3
Expensive but worth it . What I wanted - a simple device to backup and store all my music collection and other media so they could be accesses from the sofa via the TV.
The Achos is great for this and relatively simple to use once set up. You need to buy the docking bay and figure out how to play music via the TV and the HiFi at the same time (basically set up docking station for the TV and connect HiFi via the headphones jack)
it doesn't get 5 stars because
* The instructions are terrible. There is a short paper overview document but the detail is on a set of pdfs installed on the machine. The instructions are not exact enough and don't cover some basic tasks.
* Synchronisation is not exact or and this causes problems with file names and carefully crafted playlists.
* When watched on the TV it has a slightly 1995 look to it. A good look but just dated.
Customer Review 4
Really wonderful stuff, but``````. This is really wonderful stuff, however, there are some weak points
1. When read PDF, it is a little bit too slow
2. The battery should have a longer time
3. Charging takes too much time
4. The plug-ins should be free, it is very annoying to pay extra money for plug-ins
Good POints
1. Very powerful and the graphic performance is excellent
2. The wifi is good!
3. Fast file transfer speed
4. A lot of free small programs can be installed, like Chess
5. Fair enough if compare to IPOD in Price and Functions.
In sum, this player really worth the money I paid.
