Archos 605 WiFi Video Player                 

(Review) - We recently reviewed Archos' 405 video player and came away impressed. However, it had a few quirks that annoyed us, but we recommended it nonetheless. Today, we have Archos' 605 WiFi in our hands, and you can expect for it to be a killer device that beats every other PVP out of the water. Yes, it's a big brother to 405, and it offers a number of interesting features that 405 lacked for obvious reasons.

Archos' 605 support WiFi connectivity to stream and download movies and music, which is amazing. The wireless option worked flawlessly in our performance tests, and there's nothing more it could do to impress us. Of course, like other add-ons, you will have to pay $30 for Opera with built-in flash, but that may be well worth it, especially with its gorgeous display. It packs a 4.3-inch with 800x648 screen that's vibrant, crisp and smudge-proof. Isn't that amazing? A device without a smudge-prone display. Wow! This is even more exciting when the unit is touchscreen with a TiVO-like interface. Moreover, there is a back stand with 605 that makes viewing it easier compared to 405. Other than that, much of the design and layout of the video player is similar to 405, which we looked at a couple of days ago.

Archos 405 Portable Media Player Review

From a features standpoint, again, it's an exact copy of 405 with a few differences. First, it supports WiFi, and as we mentioned above, you will have to pay $30 for an Opera plug-in to take advantage of this feature. However, once it's installed, it works perfectly. Second, the integration of Archos Content Portal is also interesting. This is where you can download music and videos to satisfy your entertainment needs quickly and efficiently. They have a fairly decent collection of a variety of music and videos, and if nothing else, it should keep you occupied for a little while, say for a flight or two. And finally, there's the virtual, iPhone-esque QWERTY keyboard that pops up on the screen to make it effortless for you to type URLs, search keywords and so on. The keyboard works well if you are not planning to replace your Blackberry with Archos 605 WiFi. That about covers all the differentiating features between the two devices: 405 and 605 WiFi.

Archos 605 performed exceptionally well in our lab. The video quality was impeccable as expected and audio performance was even better with comparable sound to Apple's iPod. That's saying something right there. On top of that, you have customization and equalizer options that will let you better customize your player. Unfortunately, though, the battery life took a serious hit at 5x hours for video and 16x hours for audio. While we can let audio slide, video is terrible. We noticed the same thing with 405 as well, so it appears to be a global issue with Archos' latest series of portable video players.

Also, 605 WiFi is only available in 4GB capacity with an expandable storage option. Pitiful! Seriously, you can't expect to load hours worth of entertainment on storage capacity this small. It's a huge turn off for us. Thankfully, there are 30GB and 160GB versions are available for purchase for a much higher price.

As it stands now, be ready to pay the base price of $199 + $30 for WiFi support and at least another $50 for additional storage. Of course, we are assuming you don't plan to purchase an additional battery ($45) or tens of other add-ons that go for $20 a pop on average. Even with these drawbacks, Archos' 605 WiFi is the best video player we have seen in quite a while, and we don't expect anyone else to beat Archos anytime soon. If you are in the market for a PVP, it's the player to get to satisfy your lust for portable entertainment.

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