Archos 5

Shortcomings limit media player's true potential



THE NEW ARCHOS 5 is the most stylish of the company's media devices. It looks great, comes loaded with features, and performs well. But several flaws hold it back from being the outstanding player it could be.

The device is controlled mainly via its touch screen, a fantastic 4.8-inch, 800x480 display that's bright and clear. The Archos 5 can play back photos, video, music, and PDF files, and it can surf the Web via its Opera browser. It also supports Flash 9, widgets, and an e-mail application. When it comes to media playback, the Archos 5 supports a variety of file formats in addition to often-used ones like MP3 and WMV, and with its built-in Wi-Fi connection, the Archos 5 can stream music and video from Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) servers on your network, as well as music from Internet radio stations.

Both the screen and body design, however, are prone to fingerprints, and unfortunately, the Archos 5 features an entirely new proprietary connector—if you're upgrading from an older Archos player, your accessories will be rendered useless. Be prepared to shell out more money if you want to take advantage of new add-ons. Also, despite the player's many great features, we were disappointed that we couldn't charge it using a standard USB cable. If you are on the go and forget your proprietary cable at home, you're out of luck.


We realize that the Archos 5 needs special connectors for its hardware add-ons, but a standard mini-USB port for charging and PC- and Mac-compatible data transfer would help a lot. —Rich Grech

Computer Shopper March 2009