Update: CNET's full review of the Archos 5 is now available.
I've had my hands on the Archos 5 Android internet tablet for more than seven days now, and to be honest, I'm still not sure what to make of it. What's hanging up the review isn't the price (which starts at $249), or capacity (up to 500GB), or the impressive selection of features; it's the devices spotty performance. So far, some stuff just doesn't work as advertised.
GPS reception on the Archos 5 takes several minutes to lock-on to a valid signal. Frankly, I don't often use GPS, but if Archos is going to promise it, then I want it to work.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)If this were Apple or Microsoft, these performance glitches would probably have me spitting venom right now, but Archos is a relatively small company. Chalk it up to looking out for the little guy, but I'm going to give Archos the benefit of the doubt that many of the issues I'm experiencing will be fixed quickly with firmware updates and swept under the rug. In fact, a firmware update earlier this week (v1.1.01) already addressed a problem I had accessing content from microSD cards. In a perfect world, products wouldn't leave the warehouse half-baked--but every company is guilty of it to some degree.
My contact at Archos says there will be another firmware update available next week. Assuming this next round will iron out the kinks, I'm going to hold off on a formal review until then. Of course, I'm also advising that potential buyers wait until our rated review is up before investing in an Archos 5. Considering that Amazon recently froze sales of the 160GB model of the Archos 5, I think it's safe to assume that I'm not the only one having some issues.
Now, true to the title of this piece, my time with the Archos 5 has had its share of bright spots too. Most notably, its video player is one of the best I've used on any device. Unlike previous versions of Archos PVPs, the Archos 5 ships with all the critical video codecs installed, instead of requiring users to purchase codec plug-ins individually. My HD video podcasts, XviD torrents, AVIs, and WMVs all play flawlessly. Videos look great on it too, with the 4.8-inch 800x480-pixel resolution LCD that gives a rich and razor-sharp picture that holds up well, even in daylight. By extension, photos also look great on the Archos 5--although thumbnail previews and transitions aren't nearly as fast and fluid as on the iPod Touch.
If you ask me, the Archos 5's video player alone is worth the price of the whole device, assuming that digital video is really your cup of tea. Unfortunately, as a company, I think Archos is a little tired of being cast as a portable video player manufacturer. Looking at the packaging for the Archos 5, you'd hardly know the device played videos at all. According to the box, this is an "Internet tablet," a term Archos has whittled down from the "Internet media tablet" we saw last year. The choice of phrasing seems particularly odd considering that the device's media features are stronger than ever. I assume Archos wants people to understand in no uncertain terms that they are in the tablet business, in spite of seven years spent manufacturing media players.
... Read MoreOn Sale Now:
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View the latest prices for Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android (500GB)
The Archos A5S, propped up by a wooden block during testing for FCC clearance.
(Credit: FCC)Just when you thought Zunes and iPods would have September all to themselves, the portable video player powerhouse known as Archos drops off two new devices for FCC approval.
The Archos A5S and A5H revealed in the FCC documents look very similar to last year's Archos 5 Internet media tablet, although the photos show a new white color for the A5S (shown above), and close-up shots of the A5H reveal what looks like a microSD slot and microUSB port. There's no mistaking the Archos 5's same gorgeous, 4.8-inch TFT display, though, which still gives us shivers (in a good way).
The FCC's testing report shows both models sporting 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and an FM transmitter and receiver. What's unclear is whether or not one of these models will support 3G mobile network connectivity, just like last year's SIM-compatible Archos 5G. I wouldn't bet against it, especially since all signs point to a September 15 Archos announcement for new devices running Google's Android OS.
Considering that Archos has already pulled back the curtain on its Netbook and PC tablet, I can't imagine that these new Internet media tablets aren't the 'droids we're looking for. Plus, Texas Instruments made it pretty clear back in February that we'd be seeing some Android-loving media players from Archos.
(Source: FCC filing via Engadget)
The Iriver B30.
Iriver may not have the same brand recognition as iPod or Zune, but the Korea-based company has consistently cranked out portable media players with slick modern designs and impressive graphic interfaces.
The U.S. has been treated to a handful of Iriver products, including the Clix, Spinn, and P7, but some of the company's creations never make it to our shores. The Iriver B30 is one such product--a portable media player with a 2.8-inch screen, micro SD memory expansion, accelerometer control, and a suite of features that includes music, video, photo, games, and a text reader. Unfortunately, the B30 also sports a DMB television tuner, which is next to useless in the U.S., and makes the product impractical for export.
Still, thanks to this video of someone expertly maneuvering the Iriver B30 in pitch-black darkness, we can at least appreciate the finer nuances of the product's GUI. It looks pretty slick, bearing a resemblance to the magazine-style aesthetic we found on the Iriver P7.
iPod competitors take note--it is possible to make a refined, stylish GUI without cloning Apple or rehashing outdated motifs. Kudos to Iriver.
Jasmine: "June has always been an action-packed month for me. I can't remember the last time I didn't know someone who was graduating from somewhere, and I have always spent the third Sunday of the month hanging out with my dad. As such, I have plenty of experience picking out apt gifts for the occasions, no matter what my budget at the time. In that spirit, I've rounded up a handful of gadgets that range from uberaffordable to ultralux."
Check out Jasmine's picks for dads and grads.
Donald: "College is a time when music is everywhere--blasted from dorm rooms, carried to the quad in boom boxes, and constantly playing over headphones. Come graduation time, putting down the books will be easy, but the relative silence of life outside the campus may take some adjustment. To ease the transition (or prepare high-school grads for the sonic onslaught of college life), I've pulled together a list of my favorite portable audio gear."
Check out Donald's top graduation-worthy gifts.
If you want to hear every detail in your music--every breath, every strum, every rattle--lossless music formats are the only way to go. But if you hate the idea of your precious music files being tied up in some corporation's proprietary format (i.e. Apple Lossless and Windows Media Audio Lossless), the most popular choice out there is FLAC.
The Iriver SPINN can deliver a pocket full of pristine, lossless music encoded in the open-source FLAC format.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)You can find free programs for Mac, Windows, and Linux that will play and rip FLAC files, but finding a FLAC-compatible MP3 player isn't quite as easy.
I've rounded-up my favorite FLAC-compatible players into two groups: MP3 players with FLAC and Portable Video Players with FLAC. The distinction is really just a formality to keep our comparison charts from busting apart, so definitely give both roundups a look.
It's also worth mentioning that if you own an older iPod and you don't mind tinkering with it, the open-source Rockbox firmware lets you add FLAC audio playback, custom EQ, games, and tons of little surprises.
Have some wisdom to share on why you think people should make the switch to FLAC? Share your experience in the comments section.
Video fanatics rejoice! The Cowon O2 is powerful, flexible, and surprisingly affordable.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)It hasn't been a terribly exciting year for portable video players. Despite its relatively small screen, the iPod Touch is one of the few PVPs we've been giving an unqualified recommendation for in 2008. The Archos 5 is ambitious, but the battery life just isn't there; the Q5W is overpriced and bulky; and the A3 left us feeling kinda "meh." Thankfully, the Cowon O2 looks like it's going to close-out our year of PVP reviews on an upnote.
First off, let me mention the official U.S. MSRP for the O2, because I know there have been a few guesstimates floating around. The Cowon O2 will retail for $219 (8GB), $249 (16GB), and $299 (32GB), which you can pick up in either black or white. If 32GB isn't enough storage for you, keep in mind that the O2 includes a SDHC card slot for quickly swapping out content and increasing storage as you need it.
The second thing to notice about the O2 is its stupefying amount of file support. On the video end the O2 can play back AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MKV, OGM, DAT, MTV, DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, WMV 9/8/7, H.264, M-JPEG, and MPEG 1. The O2 is also agnostic when it comes to video resolution, accepting files all the way up to 1,280x720 at 30fps. For me, native format and resolution support is huge deal, because my home media collection is all over the place and few things test my patience more than re-encoding batches of video files.
Another huge deal for me is battery life, and Cowon is claiming that the O2 will get up to 8 hours of video playback (under "optimal" conditions) before surrendering. If Cowon's right, 8 hours of video playback would put the O2 far beyond the 4 hours of video life on the Archos 5, and ahead of the 6 hours of video on the iPod Touch and even the iPod Classic. Audio battery life isn't as impressive, with only 18 hours, but it's still ahead of the 12 hours of playback time on the Archos 5. Another thing to bear in mind is that all of the O2's competitors require a proprietary cable to recharge the battery, which can be a huge pain if you lose the cable while traveling. The O2 charges best when using the included AC adapter, but you can charge over its mini-USB connection, as well.
... Read MoreOn Sale Now:
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Listen now: Download today's podcast
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EPISODE 91 |
Craptastic MobiBlu T10: http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/mobiblu-t10/4505-6499_7-32886414.html?tag=links;review
Sweet-ass m:Station Tower: http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-player-speaker-docks/mstation-2-1-tower/4505-12699_7-31959354.html?tag=links;review
Acoustic Reaserch headphones: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/acoustic-research-awd510-wireless/4505-7877_7-32826682.html?tag=links;review & http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/acoustic-research-are05-noise/4505-7877_7-32907609.html?tag=links;review
Ode to a headphone cable: http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9902362-1.html
PVPs for movie marathons: http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6499_7-6612182.html?tag=links;coco
Alternatives to the iPod nano: http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6490_7-6563228.html?tag=feat.1
Cowon's A3 portable video dynamo. Click for more photos.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)
After spending the last 24 hours abusing Cowon's latest A3 portable video player, I have to say I'm pretty impressed...mostly. As a high-capacity portable video player, the A3 offers spectacular video resolution (800x480) and supports just about every file format under the sun. Along with its built-in video recording capability and a high-quality video output, the Cowon A3 is an undeniable force to be reckoned with in the PVP marketplace.
It's not all gumdrops and unicorns, however. ... Read More
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Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
