Archos - 5 32GB* Internet Media Tablet - Black

I've had an iPod Touch...it was good but iTunes is such a pain...and converting videos again and again just made me quit the brand. And here is my precious: ARCHOS products. My former (only 1 year old) ARCHOS 5 was the killer I was hoping for. This new ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet is just better. Thinner, lighter, faster, plays HD, has tons of apps...is easier of use. And this GPS!!!! OMG!!!: Look at the photos I've uploaded. I'm still wondering why the heck this product is not a tidal wave o our stores.

As far as a product, this Archos 5 is great. It offers a huge 5inch screen, a nice internet browser/interface, relatively easy to use, great battery life and even a kickstand so it can stand up on it's own. As mentioned above, the only issues are that it runs the Android OS but there is a mock App library that you download apps. from, not the actual Android Market. Also, this mock App library has very few apps. to choose from. The other main issue is that it isn't really practical for taking to the gym as a music player because it is rather large for that purpose. It is better suited for travel use. (car or plane)

To start off, I'll tell you the story of how I acquired the 16gb device I currently have instead of the 32gb (both of which are exactly the same with different memory capacities). I ordered the 32gb online and paid extra for it to get to my house faster, I was disappointed to find a dead, bright red, pixel right in the center of the screen when it arrived, so I took it in and asked if I could have a refund and get the smaller, 16gb, version that they sell in store. They refunded my money, but it took a few days, so I had to wait to get the 16gb version. The day I bought it, I brought in a coupon for 10% off that had expired the day before, after telling the employee why I had brought a dead coupon in and that I tried earlier, but the money that they had refunded me had not yet reached my account, they scanned the coupon and gave me the discount anyways. I was very pleased with their customer service and will continue being a die hard Best Buy fan. Now, into my tech knowledge and actual opinion of the device itself. I am a tech junkie. I spend most of my free time either playing with various pieces of technology or researching new tech online. I have used just about every type of tech that has come out, every screen type, res, capacitive, resistive, WVGA, VGA, LED, OLED, you name it. I have done a lot in just-for-fun hacking and programming. Basically put, I know my tech and will write a review based off my experience and comparison to other devices I have used. This device has several awesome features that really set it apart. 1.) The Web browser is very fast as long as you have a good connection, though it may take a bit to connect to said hot spot. 2.) The actual browsing of the internet is quite enjoyable, there are few sites you actually have to scroll left and right on to view the whole thing, and unlike other devices such as the ipod touch, you DO NOT have to zoom in 3.) The music player recognizes the music from your micro SD stick just as well as from the device's internal drive and sorts it together in the music player, unlike many phones that require you to switch into SD view mode or something of that sort 4.) The built in GPS is excellent and, with Google Maps and a wifi connection, will find your location in about five seconds, or at least that's how long it took to find me while sitting in the cafeteria of a public high school that had a metal roof (if you didn't know, that makes gathering a GPS signal much more difficult, like making a phone call underground) 5.) The battery life is phenomenal, my ipod touch lasts about two hours when listening to my music on a higher volume and using my Sennheiser Headphones, but this lasts about 18 (that's my best estimate based off from it going down 20% in 3 1/2 hours) and that's without my battery dock (sold separately) 6.) The resolution, don't have to say much here, screen is beautiful, crushes almost all other portable devices on the market, yes, even the zune HD and EVERY netbook that I have used, though I haven't tested it against one with an LED just yet. 7.) Design is great, looks good and makes people ask questions. Plus the mirror-like metal plate on the back is great for my girlfriend doing her makeup. 8.) The kickstand is very useful when taking notes with a bluetooth or usb keyboard attached to my battery dock 9.) I can plug my 320gb portable HDD into the battery dock or my rubber keyboard. The only other portable devices I have used that can do that are netbooks and laptops. 10.) Now that firmware 1.7.33 is out, I put the Android Market on it and have a LOT of apps at my fingertips. Sadly android 2.0 has not yet been put on it. 11.) it rocks for reading ebooks, if you are considering a kindle, or something similar, stop and get one of these. 12.) I will leave this blank as I am sure I am forgetting some stuff because I am writing this at 1:30 in the morning. Long story short, I now use this in place of my netbook, I love my netbook, but it just isn't this portable or this cool. I use my Archos for notes at college mostly, even in math, I can write notes with my stylus. If you are considering a new piece of technology for portable media, GPS, notes, internet browsing, or many other things, this is an excellent choice and will take very little time to learn how to use (took me about 30 seconds to get down most of the stuff)

I purchased the Archos 5 because I have owned previous Archos gear and they all worked to my satisfaction. But this latest purchase is leaving me a little disappointed, because I expected the unit to have Flash Video by now. So until thin, I wont be fully satisfied with me Archos 5. Don't get me wrong, it's great but not complete until that upgrade gets here.

many SW stalls and reboots. needed to re-set up the IEEE802.11g modem each time. touch screen didn't work in the corners. Archos' manual in english is tortured, the French and Russian versions are a bit better.Great promise of an open MP3 /video player web pad, but it is an advanced prototype, not yet ready for prime time. Accesories not readily available. I will check status in another year, but for now, I returned the device and bought an iPod Touch.