Archos 705 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (160 GB)

After waiting 2 months for firmware updates that could solve some of the problems with the Archos 605, I decided to put an end on this so far bad experience.
At first glance, this product indeed presents advantages to its competitors but firmware is poor and it does not allow customers to have the type of experience promised by the manufacturer.
Please find below some of the problems I faced with this product which for my surprise are not being addressed by manufacturer based on several similar notes/complains I found on the internet.
- It freezes and crashes repeatedly;
- Cannot download movies or other type of videos online making the wireless connectivity almost worthless;
- Cannot listen music and browse or read a podcast (book/newspaper) at same time. A complete nonsense;
- Browser and plug-ins (flash) are outdated what prevents from watching sites with live-stream radio or TV.
- You cannot load application on your own and so any sort of upgrading must be incorporated within the firmware itself.
I just wished I had not bought this device and its accessories. I felt I had been stolen and with no other way to recover the money I spent because the product is so bad.

So far, I am VERY unhappy with my Archos 705 Wi-Fi!!!

I can't believe how LOW the volume settings are!

Even if I use an external headphone amp (mine is called a Boostaroo), the volume is way too low!!

Put is this way: If I am on an airplane and eat anything crunchy, like a pretzel, I can't really hear the dialog!

And as for a "theater-like experience" -- forget about it!!

I have spent a great deal of money so far for my unit -- nearly $500 for the unit itself, $100 for the DVR station, $100 for extra batteries (my flights for work are almost all over 12 hours) and hundreds for downloads and driver add ons. For all that I have spent so far, I could have purchased a mini-PC!

But I DO like this unit -- and I DO want it to work better!!!

The features and navigation is very good -- as is the picture quality.

But the sound level is so low that I just can't enjoy this thing at all.

Shame on Archos!

So far, I am VERY unhappy with my Archos 705 Wi-Fi!!!

I can't believe how LOW the volume settings are!

Even if I use an external headphone amp (mine is called a Boostaroo), the volume is way too low!!

Put is this way: If I am on an airplane and eat anything crunchy, like a pretzel, I can't really hear the dialog!

And as for a "theater-like experience" -- forget about it!!

I have spent a great deal of money so far for my unit -- nearly $500 for the unit itself, $100 for the DVR station, $100 for extra batteries (my flights for work are almost all over 12 hours) and hundreds for downloads and driver add ons. For all that I have spent so far, I could have purchased a mini-PC!

But I DO like this unit -- and I DO want it to work better!!!

The features and navigation is very good -- as is the picture quality.

But the sound level is so low that I just can't enjoy this thing at all.

Shame on Archos!

The following review was written by my 13 yr old son, B.

The Archos 705 is a great product. I was about to get the 704 when I saw that this was cheaper. A lot of people say it's pretty neat when they see me with it. However, before buying it you may want to consider these:

-Price: So far, I've spent a total of $500 on it. I bought the actual Archos 705 (80gb) for $370, the Gen 5 DVR Station-which you can currently buy for $0.01 on ebay ($12 shipping)- for $80, (also, the 705 will work on the Gen. 4 DVR Station too) the $30 Web Browser Plug-in, and the $20 Cinema Plug-in. I will probably buy more accessories including the $30 704 battery that works on the 705 too, the last $20 Plug-in, and maybe some of the $10 games.

-You should buy an accessory: If you don't buy any of the accessories, then you will only be able to listen to some of your music (I tried syncing the Archos with iTunes and only some files would play without a certain plug-in), be able to put photos on to it, and I think you will be able to put videos on it. (You don't order the Plug-ins, you download them straight onto your computer.)

-Scheduled Recordings: You can easily program the Archos 705 to automatically record shows onto your Archos. It works really well because you can leave the house and it will record your stuff. You don't have to worry about leaving it on all day, it's not bad for it and the Archos and it doesn't get hot. You can schedule recordings once, daily or weekly. Also, you can title the video (using the keyboard on it or the one on the built-in remote) so then it will automatically title it for you if it's daily or weekly. The recorder can easily record videos on Demand. Unfortunately, the TV has to be on while recording and it won't automatically change channels for you. However, while recording, you can turn the volume on the TV all the way down. Remember that it does record the TV guide (if you use it) which may block part of your view. And, you must have a cable to record and a special cable for recording stuff from your iPod (you can't sync videos on it form iTunes.) Regardless of some things, it's basically a portable Tivo.

-The Touch screen: The touch screen is a little bit difficult to use. You have to use the tip of your nail. It's not as easy as the iTouch's even though the Archos comes with a 2 styli. The screen itself is 6" by 3.75".

-The Resolution: It doesn't have a really sharp image on the videos that you record on to it with the optional DVR Station. However, it is pretty good (definitely not as bad as the videos on youtube.)

-The Web: The Archos 705 will pick up a WiFi signal from about the same distance that a Mac can. You can easily type in your Web Code address and it will remember it for you. You can also open more then one tab at the same time on it and easily change back and forth through each. It comes with a remote that can act like a mouse (it even shows a little arrow.) Youtube works really well, but I don't know if/how to save videos to your Archos. The Web is a little slow, but it works really well. Google Docs can act as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and even excel on the Archos. Note: unfortunately, it's not built for online games.

-The DVR Station: When you buy the $80 DVR Station, it comes with the same remote that Archos 705 comes with. This remote is $15 on the Archos website so, since you have 2, it's kind of a waist of money. The DVR Station also comes with an AC adapter-again, the same one that comes with the Archos 705- too. This adapter could cost up to $30. You can plug the adapter into the Archos or the DVR Station and it will power both so you don't need the second one. If these extra accessories didn't come with the DVR Station (Gen 5), then the cost could possibly be as low as $35.

-It's better than most: I think that the Archos 705 is better than the iTouch, mainly because you can record stuff on to it, where on the iTouch you have to buy everything on iTunes. Like the iTouch, the Archos 705 has stores on it that you can rent (videos only) and buy videos, and songs. The iTouch may be smaller and may have a slightly better touch screen, but I think the Archos 705 is better overall a mainly because of how you can record videos onto it. In fact, the Archos 605 "beat" the iTouch in a comparison article (on the Archos website.)

-Other: You should take the time to read the 80 page built-in owners manual. You have to register your Archos online at the Archos website in order to put any of the Plug-ins onto it. There is a headphone jack on the side. The Archos 705 is easy to use and has a lot of handy things on it (such as the 8 Widgets.) It automatically shuts off after 1-9 mins (under settings) except for when recording, and can be put on standby for quick start-up, or it can completely shut off. You can easily change the background picture on it too. The speakers aren't the best, but the work pretty well. It also comes with a small carrying case similar to the iPod. Unfortunately, the files are a little bit hard to manage but you can rename and delete them on the Archos. It also has a hold button.

I rated the Archos 705 4 stars mostly because of its price. However, I think that it's definitely worth getting. Lots of people who see it say they want one. It's much better than my Gen. 5 iPod. Although I have had to take out its battery sometimes because it froze, it's still very good. The Archos 705 is almost like a small computer with its WiFi (with google docs), videos, music, photos, and even better than a computer in a way because you can record stuff onto it. I would definitely recommend this.

The main thing we use it for is WiFi browsing. The Opera browser is a bit too stripped down, so that it's awkward. There is very little documentation, and the touch screen is a bit temperamental.

We'd still buy it again.