Archos 604

This PMP is awesome. I transfered 25 movies encoded in Xvid, 400 mp3's, and 5 gigabytes worth of digital pictures, and still have 8 gb free. The buttons and interface take a while to get use to, but once you do, navigation is easy. I also bought the battery charger and a second battery. Without the battery charger, it would be pretty hard to charge on the road unless you had access to a USB port. The screen is beautiful. Movies on the 604 look much better than they do on my 7 inch portable dvd player, plus it's so much more portable.

Rating:


Keep Your Receipt!

I opened my Archos 604 package on January 11th, 2007. The machine was sleek, sexy, the protective cover didn't have bubbles (so I just kept it on). It was exciting.

After having read several reviews though, a part of me remained cautious. I kept the packaging it came in, the reciept... everything. Archos simply has terrible customer service, and you have to be prepared!

I let it charge for the 2+ hours it said on the instructions, loaded my music, photos, videos, everything! It worked like a charm, and I loved it so much! With the PDF viewer, I used it as an eBook as well, taking along my favorite books, comics, heck even a D&D companion guide or two (or ten).

The date is now February 2, 2007. I've had my archos for less than a month, and now it simply doesn't work. The battery has always been charged according to the directions. I have installed the latest firmware, and exhausted all of the troubleshooting forums that google could scrounge up, and there is no hope. The archos turns on, then shuts down after five seconds or less.

That said, why didn't I give it a score of 1? Here's a list of pros and cons as I saw it.

Pros:
* 4.3 inch scratch resistant screen with great viewing angle.
* Ultra long battery life
* Headphones in the package sound great with their own volume control
* Gunmetal exterior is rather sexy
* Will actually fit in your pocket

Cons:
* Obviously... it doesnt work
* Archos has terrible customer service
* Navigation is not intuitive
* Documentation is lacking
* You have to buy accessories to access the device's potential
* No FM radio

Overall, until it stopped working, I loved the device. So if you want to risk it, then risk it. Just KEEP THE RECEIPT! AND THE PACKAGING IT CAME IN! Make sure you review any return policy associated with the device, no matter who you buy it from.

Rating:


So Far...I love it!

This unit is great. Nice heft to it. Does not feel like a cheap platic toy.
The size is pefect and while it is a bit too big for my pants pocket, it does fit.

The picture and video quality is perfect. The films do not lag or pixelate in the least bit. Very smooth and easy instructions that will soon become second nature to navigate. Files are loaded with a very easy drag-n-drop feature. The photo viewer and slideshow are very nice as well.

The only negatives I have is that the sound is horribly low (even at full volume) you will HAVE to use earphones or buy an small external speaker at Best Buy for a couple of bucks. Also, in order to play VOB files you MUST download a CINEMA plug-in for $19.99 from the ARCHOS web page. Very easy to install and set-up. I just don't understand wy this wasn't part ofthe program to start with. Kind of cheesy on their part.

Overall, if you love to watch TV or movies...you'll really like this unit. I haven't recieved my TV dock yet, so I can't comment on that.

So far...I am really enjoying this. :-)

Rating: