Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android user reviews (32GB)

Pros Large screen
Great Wifi reception
Bluetooth support
runs Android
uses a standard USB slot for charging and data transfer
MicroSDHC card slot for storage space expansion

Cons Resistive touchscreen instead of capacitive
Uses USB Micro instead of the more prevalent USB Mini - you may need to buy new chargers anyway
does not run the stock Android apps - but you can install them easily

Summary When I started shopping for an android competetor to the iPod touch, I was mostly doing it because I wanted an MP3 player, not a smartphone. I already have a phone and have no need of a smartphone and it's expensive data plan. On top of that, there is only one place I visit on a regular basis that does not have open wifi, so this device was a shoe in.

I reduced the device's score mostly because of the touchscreen being resistive instead of capacitive, which causes random screen presses sometimes when the device is in your pocket, but not locked.

I'd rather that the device used USB Mini, instead of USB Micro, but the adapters to change from one to the other are only about $1 on Amazon.

All in all, if you're looking for an Android device and don't want a smartphone or you want an iPod Touch, without iTunes or the restrictive and skitzophrenic Apple App store, this is the device for you!

Pros Screen size, touch screen interface, battery life, internet browser, wireless options, Formats...? Bring It!!

Cons GPS sucks, doesn't like to get too busy, had to buy plug-ins for additional format support.

Summary This thing kicks badunk-a-dunk! Overall, it is an awesome device. It plays just about anything you load into it. I haven't run accross anything it will NOT play, but I did have to purchase a plug-in that turned on the support for one of the video formats. That sucked.

It is soo easy to load this thing with music or videos. No itunes, no media players necessary. Just drag and drop files right into the appropriate folder on the device and you are ready to go!! Too easy. You can use Media Player 11 to
synch, but you do not have to. There is a DVR module you can buy that allows you to record TV or any other source so that you can take all of your video with you.

As long as you are doing one or two things simultaneously the unit works fine, but it will get a little choppy and fussy if you force it to multi task too much.
Bluetooth was a selling point and it works just fine! I hate wires. You can completely customize the home screen with wallpaper as well as the colors of the menu buttons, etc. The selected wallpaper scrolls as you wipe from page to page also.

Video and Audio play perfectly on this unit with lots of audio playback options including ID tag support. It will play WMV protected files, your standard issue MP3, and various lossless formats. There is also a 5-band EQ with presets and a balance control. Video files play flawlessly as well on the big screen which is sharp and rich with color. Best screen I have seen on a media player this side of a laptop. There are motion thumbnails for the video files when you highlight then and you can pick your thumbnails as well. I guess that's useful, I dunno. What is useful however, is the buit-in kickstand that will let you stand the unit up at an angle to view it on a desk or wherever. No need to by a dock when it already has its own leg to stand on. The need to buy a unit with a lot of storage is not as paramount because it has expandable memory via SD card micro.

The form factor is small considering the overall size of the player. Not nearly as bulky as it looks on TV. The screen is dominate and the back of the unit is a glossy carbon, metal-like finish. I'd Invest in terrycloth for this unit however, if I were you. Having a slim formfactor means that the parts on the inside are closer to the outside and there isn't much between you and the internals. What I mean is that this baby gets hot on the interface side (left when in landscape) pretty quick. After about 7-10 songs in succession it got hot enough that I looked for a place to set it down. Not burning-can't-handle-it hot, but whoa-I-didn't-think-It'd-get-this-hot warm. A plus in the pocket during winter I'd imagine.

The GPS..., well, CNET was right..., it sucks. I have yet to get mine to work and I've got all the latest firmware. It will not find a sat signal at all and I was in the middle of a lot with narry a tree or building within 200 meters. The only disappointment on the unit. I tried different locations and times of day..., no joy.

People have slammed the Archos 5 for its poor apps support. I say, so what. Personally, I could not care less about what can buy for it or download on it. I bought it to play music and movies/videos and to web surf. I do not need extra gimmicky crap sucking up my storage space. I don't care that there's an app that lets you open your garage from the couch or whatever.
The web browser works great. It looks good and it loads content fast. Very easy to scroll and scale the pages and the built in accelorometer orients the screen to however you hold it, though it does have a delay. There is also support for email (various types) and you can configure multiple accounts. Lots of wireless options too. Wifi, bluetooth, and piggyback sharing. You can pipe your 3G phone through this unit and use its internet as long as your phone supports it. You can also answer calls when your phone rings. They really didn't want you to have reason to put it down.

Admittedly, the touch interface is not as silky as the i-whichever. Sometimes thinking about it first before it responds, but most of the time it works great. The transition from portrait to landscape looks cooler on the i-whatever too, but it is not a dealbreaker. Zooming on photos is a single finger sinch. You just touch where you want to zoom. No two finger pinch dance.

Bottom line: if you want a media PLAYER and not a portable accessorizer station, then this is for you. It plays nearly everything you throw at it, and it surfs the internet with its host of connection options with ease. Consider the GPS a happy accident, if it works for you!

Updated on Nov 24, 2009

GPS Issue: Earlier I slammed the unit, claiming the GPS has yet to work. Turns out that after calling the good ole folks at Archos it was revealed that several units including mine left the factory with bad GPS chipsets. These defective units had GPS hardware that failed to initialize, which was the reason that it would never receive a signal.

After getting a brand new one in a sealed box and trying it out, the GPS signal was acquired within 1 minute! The GPS feature is actually pretty resourceful, loading POI in proximity to you in real time. Icons in the viewable map area appear and you can tap on them to plot a course. Voice guidance a plus. The view automatically zooms (scales) in and out to facilitate the next turn or elaborate on complex interchanges and intersections. It also shows your current speed as well as the current area's speed limit. There is a nanny alarm, but you can defeat that. There is a 3-D map (bird's eye) view and coolest of all are the 3-D buildings.

Pros Makes an honest OS of Android. Has multi media functions all all others can only dream about! Best of both The Archos & Android worlds!

Cons Some Apps are glitchy. As of yet, no flash 10 (coming soon/has flash lite) so web video opens externally.

Summary Pound for pound (or rather gram for gram) the best hand held PMP video, music, web, ect. player on this side of Saturn! As with any brand new high end product, problems may arise from time to time, (mostly from third party Apps) but this is a must have for any real Tech enthusiast! It blows away the touch and all others pretty easily.
Don't believe the hype! Some people (i.e. the editor at CNet who wrote the review for the Archos)are just I-Anything Fanboys! We see Mac loyalists all the time turning a blind eye or trash talking anything that comes close, let alone anything that flat out spanks, one of their precious Mac encrusted gadgets! Think about it- Whens the last time you saw a Mac commercial where they simply talked about their own product? Been awhile?Don't get me wrong, this concept doesn't apply across the board to all Mac users... but you know who you are! Lol! That being said The ITouch/IPhone are a great products but they just can not do what The Archos 5 Android can. For starters lets talk video: If you want to play a video on a Touch/IPhone(lets refer to them both as Mac's for posterity sake from now on) you first have to most likley convert it and then using only one program (I-Tunes) copy it over to your device. Whereas with the Archos, it plays just about every format known to man, even 720p HD natively with the available codec (although an extra $39.99 us) and transfers via drag n drop or sync with WMP! Not to mention the screen is simply gorgeous with 800 x 480 on the device! Oh yeah, It's also a DVR when coupled with the optional Docking Station with the ability to play in HD via HDMI on your compatible HDTV! Not to mention a whole host of WebTV and online video accessible via the Archos media array on the main desktop screen. Then Theres the fact that the Archos out specs and performs when it comes to music playback and features across the board!
Look the bottom line is this: The Archos 5 Android does too many things to mention here... and it does all of them very well. The Mac's our great and even refined products, as they have been around for a while, but in my opinion as well as many others it is easily beet by the original Archos 5, without Android. The features of the Archos 605 are far more impressive then the Mac's. And that is something that I and the Editors of CNet can agree with! These new models are just icing on the cake! What ever device you choose, good hunting and heres to technology! Whatever the brand! - Big Rob.

Pros Size, Weight, Ease of Access, Clear Screen, Sound output.

Cons Poor durability, outdated OS, false advertisement in battery life, non-operatable Youtube player, no camera, so much more...

Summary I have owned this Archos 5 Internet Tablet for a period of 2 1/2 months. When I first opened it, it worked like a beauty. The weight of it was next to nothing, but it was pure plastic. Fiberglass would have been better. I enjoy the kick stand, but the material is non-bend resistant.
Now, let's jump to 2 weeks later.

After owning it for a very short period of time, it started to go haywire on me. It would just restart all on its own. Typing in very long memo's and just having it restart for no apparent reason just irritated me.
Also, the "touchscreen" keyboard started to wear out on me from 5-8 hours of constant typing. The top of the tablet would squeak.
I have had experience with all sorts of similar products. I have owned an Apple iPhone, a Dell Streak Phone, Sony Xperia X10, and this Internet Tablet.

I figured it was just a refurbished product, so I went to go out and bought the same model. Same glitches, and full of bugs. I returned that one in just a few days. Now, I must refurbish this poorly built tablet and return it. Pitiful product.

This "thing" has more bugs than anything else, even though this tablet costed me $300.00, a piece. The less "lavish" products actually does more than this tablet, without the frustration of everything.

I have full, 100% experience with Sony products, and their brand new Dash tablet is unique, though dimensions of it is"big". I cannot wait until Sony comes out with their own Internet Tablet, and I really don't care how much it is.

This product amazed me, but now I am set to return this "thing" ASAP.
It was tempting to get it, but now I regret it.