 The Archos 7 is currently the largest offering from Archos, with a screen that's nearly 7-inches wide (it's slightly smaller than a full 7). While this makes the Archos 7 a great device for watching videos, it makes it the least-portable media players we've seen so far.
Like other Archos devices, the Archos 7 is an extensibility machine. You can upgrade both its software and its hardware, as opposed to the software-only extensibility of the iPod family. If you want a TV tuner, DVR station, GPS capabilities, or something else, chances are you can go buy an add-on to get you that functionality.
In terms of being a good media player, the Archos 7 can't quite compare to Apple's golden standard. While the Archos 7 has a comparably good interface, we ran into issues both with somewhat unresponsive controls and random bouts of lag that kept us guessing every time we interacted with the device. The software is also a bit bland, and could use some of the attention Archos has put towards the hardware end. The actual media player application is excellent, however: it lets you see the previous item and next item in your playlist, which is a feature we don't normally see. Also, Archos's photo album is still the best we've seen to date.
The Archos 5 is currently available for about $550.
| Section |
The Good |
The Bad |
| Tour & Design |
Seems sturdy, nice aesthetic with impressive-looking screen. |
Picks up smudges and scratches easily, big.
|
| Hardware |
A great screen and capacity, touch screen offers some tactile feedback.
|
The battery life could've been better, but overall there's no real complaints.
|
| Media Interface |
Great media player software.
|
Looks a bit plain.
|
| Media Management |
Maintains your folder structure, good equalizer.
|
Playlist creation was a bit awkward.
|
| Other Media Software |
Great photo viewing software.
|
No podcast support.
|
| Performance |
Great frequency response, very little noise or cross talk.
|
Weak output power, bad packaged-in headphones.
|
| Internet & Wireless |
Supports wifi. |
Currently doesn't take advantage of the wifi (this could change).
|
| Synchronization |
Lets you handle everything.
|
iTunes faithful will miss their sync software.
|
| Other Software |
A great array of little programs with the option to expand, supports flash apps.
|
Sometimes the software's layout can be unintuitive, included apps add minor functionality.
|
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