Archos 705 WiFi
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Flashing a diamond ring is all good and well, but if it’s too puny to see, what is the point? This seems to be the mindset Archos was in when it forged its mammoth 705 Wi-Fi portable video player. If you like your mobile audio and video served up in super-sized portions, open your eyes wide because you are about to be dazzled. Unfortunately, open your wallet, too, as this gem doesn’t come cheap, especially after shelling out extra for accessories you’ll actually want.
When you see how the 705 sparkles, though, you will understand why. Above all else, the 705 is gigantic (4.96 x 7.05 x 0.775 inches [HxWxD]) by mobile device standards. A 7-inch touchscreen display (800 x 480) lets you view movies, home videos, and photos. You can also watch TV you record using a DVR (digital video recorder) function which complete with personal TV guide that saves programming straight to the player. You also get a full-fledged digital audio player, two integrated speakers, and a palm-sized remote. Further, an integrated kickstand means you can set the 705 down, and the 3.5mm headphone jack doubles as a composite video out port to display images on a TV.
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Need more bling for your money? No problem. The 705 also displays PDFs, plays Flash-based games, and has an excellent user interface and file browser to navigate content. Better, the 705’s built-in Wi-Fi is actually useful, letting you stream audio and video from a networked computer; whip around the Web via a Flash-supporting Web browser; and download movies, TV, and audio from Archos Content Portal. More bling? How about two built-in USB ports? I connected a digicam and moved photos and video to the 705’s hard drive. And then there’s the 705’s arguably most alluring trait: the scores of audio and video formats it supports, including MPEG-4, AVI, WMV, DivX, H.264, MPEG-2, MP3, WMA, protected WMA, WAV, AAC, and AC3.
What is not to like? Well, the 705’s size and heft drastically reduce your mobile-use options. An included carrying case indicates that tucking the 705 in a pocket isn’t happening. Operating the 705 is almost always a two-handed job. Worse, there is that issue of spending more money to fully utilize the 705’s features. The DVR feature, for example, requires Archos DVR Station Gen 5 dock. Browsing the Web requires an Opera Web browser plug-in. H.264 and MPEG-2 support also requires separate plug-ins. Even displaying the 705’s image on a TV requires a proprietary A/V cable.
Despite the additional cash and any numbness your arms may experience carrying this lug around, the 705 is still an undeniable multimedia juggernaut. The 80GB model stores 100 movies, 800,000 photos, or 45,000 songs, and the 160GB model doubles these amounts. The stellar format support meant there was little in my media library the 705 couldn’t handle. And although the 705’s performance isn’t quite as massive as its other features, it’s certainly above average. Most disappointing was the touch screen’s responsiveness. The integrated speakers output was also a bit flat, though a five-band equalizer and bass boost feature help matters. The 705’s screen produces lively, accurate colors, but it wasn’t as responsive or sharp. Web browsing, however, was quick and extremely satisfying from all hotspots.
Ultimately, you could easily spend $500 to utilize all the 705 WiFi’s capabilities. Whether it’s worth it depends almost entirely on how much you value hauling around dozens of movies you can watch on a screen that won’t put your eyes into squint mode. Factor in the stellar Wi-Fi performance, and it’s not difficult to reason why multimedia nuts will want to add this jewel to their collection
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Tags: Wi-Fi
