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

Other products by Archos

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.8 x 5 inches ; 3.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000W0Q2PU
• Item model number: 501016
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,484 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 26, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
With 160 GB of built-in memory, the Archos 705 Wi-Fi portable media player lets you surf, stream, download, and record movies for easy playback on its crystal clear 800 x 480 7-inch full-color touchscreen. With its Wi-Fi capabilities, the 705 Wi-Fi connects to the Internet for surfing the Web, accessing e-mail, and watching Web-based videos wherever you go. Its Opera Browser plug-in puts Adobe Flash support on your Archos, which enables access to and use of Dailymotion and other Web video sites on your Archos device. You can even view and post YouTube videos wherever you have a wireless connection and your Archos.

The Archos 705 delivers sharp visuals, Wi-Fi capabilities, and advanced audio/video playback. View larger.

Download your favorite podcasts with the ArchosLink Software.View larger.

To assist in finding new and exciting media, the 705 Wi-Fi comes with integrated access to Archos' content portal, a service that features thousands of movies, TV shows, and songs for downloading wirelessly to the player. The player also sports an integrated TV program guide you can use to record your favorite TV shows for later playback. And because the device supports PDF files, you can kick back with an e-book in PDF format while on the road or review important PDF documents while away from the office. The 705 Wi-Fi supports MPEG4, AVI, and WMV video files and audio files in MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, and WAV file formats.

Bridging the gap between the PC and the TV, the 705 Wi-Fi allows you to stream content from a PC or the Internet directly to a TV or the 705--all through a wireless home network and an optional DVR station. It also features a sophisticated touchscreen, no-button design to ensure simple navigation with your fingertips or stylus. In the absence of a Wi-Fi network, content can be transferred to the device via USB 2.0. The player supports Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. The 705 Wi-Fi measures 7.05 x 4.96 x 7.75 inches, weighs only 22 ounces, and features a music playback battery life of up to 25 hours and a video playback life of up to 5.5 hours.

New widgets for the Archos 705 include a calculator, currency converter, unit converter, news, and weather (above) as well as a note writer and data vault (below).

New Free Widget Pack
Archos has launched a new widget pack that is free for the 705. A widget is a piece of software that adds new features to your player. It gives you fun, quick, and easy access to hundreds of tools, right on the device. The package contains seven widgets, including a calculator, a currency converter, a unit converter, news, weather, a note writer, and a data vault.

To be able to use the widgets, you need to purchase the Web Browser plug-in (about $30). Then, you can download the free widget pack via Archos.com.

New Dish Network plug-in for the Archos 705.

New Dish Network Plug-in
With a new plug-in, you can transfer recorded movies and TV shows from your Dish Network set-top box directly to your Archos 705. Play back Dish Network-recorded movies and TV shows on the go or on TV--in DVD quality.

Multi-language is supported. The plug-in is compatible only with Dish Network STB models 622 and 722.

What's in the Box
Archos 705 Wi-Fi, headphones, USB 2.0 cable, USB 2.0 host adapter, DVR station saddle, two styli, remote control with built-in keyboard, power adapter and charger, protective pouch, quick start guide, and legal and safety notice. NOTE: The Archos 705 manual states that a UK/European adapter is included; however, this adapter is not included in the box. To obtain the adapter mentioned in the manual, contact Archos Customer Service at 866-489-4718--available seven days a week, 7AM to 11PM CST.

The Archos Content Portal provides easy access to the latest movies, TV shows, and music directly to your Archos device.

The device comes with photo-viewing capabilities, supporting JPEG, BMP, and PNG files.

Product Description
The Archos 705 Wi-Fi portable media player lets you surf, stream, download and record movies easily for playback on the industry's highest quality 7 touch screen. The 705 Wi-Fi is the only wide-screen portable media player that connects to the Internet for surfing the Web, accessing email and watching YouTube videos wherever you go. The integrated Archos Content Portal features thousands of movies, TV shows and songs for downloading wirelessly to the player, and an integrated TV Program Guide lets you record your favorite TV shows for playback wherever you go. The 705 Wi-Fi bridges the gap between the PC and the TV. For the first time, you can stream content from the PC or the Internet directly to the TV or the 705--all through a wireless home network. The touch screen features the highest resolution (800x480), and capacities of 80 GB and 160 GB that provide hundreds of hours of entertainment enjoyment.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

128 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This Device Misses The Mark, February 22, 2008

By	Maclen (Hawaii, USA) - See all my reviews

On paper, this device is in a class by itself. It has the largest screen (7") of any similar media player, it has a 160gb hard drive, it has wifi, it has links to content portals (such as Cinema Now), it has a touchscreen interface and it is reasonably priced.

But, as is so often the case, paper specifications are meaningless if the user experience falls short. And for me, the device had significant flaws in many important categories, so that, when taken as a whole, it left me unimpressed and searching for another player.

First, the screen, while 7" measured diagonally, displays videos that are so grainy that they look like poor analog television. I ripped xvid files at high bitrates to test the 705, and in every case, the videos were grainy and blurry, not sharp or detailed. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the 705 has 260,000 colors and not 16 million colors that other players have (for example, the Cowon A3 and the Archos 605). While I realize that I cannot even see 260,000 colors, the number of colors does affect contrast and sharpness, and Archos would be well advised to update its technology. Furthermore, it seems counterintuitive that Archos would have fewer colors for a 7" screen, when the Cowon A3 and the Archos 605 have much smaller screens but 60 times the colors.

Second, the audio is only adequate. In direct comparisons with other players, the 705 had very low volume, a mediocre soundstage and only average detail.

Third, the hard drive froze so many times that I lost count. I was constantly resetting it, and in doing so, I had to re-input data.

Fourth, the touchscreen interface requires the supplied stylus for many functions. Using one's finger without the stylus is a frustrating experience, since the 705 is not sensitive enough to work only with finger prompts.

Fifth, the battery, while removable, worked only for 1 1/2 hours when I watched videos. The specifications state that the battery life for videos is 5 1/2 hours. These numbers are so disparate that I'm not sure under what conditions Archos tested the battery life for videos.

Lastly, the content portal, which could be a great source of streaming media, was clearly an afterthought. I tried to purchase videos from Cinema Now, and the search function rarely worked and in most instances, I was unable to purchase videos. I ended up having to purchase the videos from my PC and sync them to the 705.

In sum, the 705 did not suit my needs. However, I will watch it closely for future developments. Archos has a potentially great product here; one that no other manufacturer makes. It is indeed unfortunate that it falls short of its promising specifications.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great travel laptop replacement, January 19, 2008

By	F. Herbert (San Fran Bay Area) - See all my reviews

The other reviews here do a good job of describing the capabilities/functions of the Archos 705 so this review is based more on why I find this device so useful. Whenever I go on a trip I often find that my standard portable media player isn't enough. I need photo storage for all of my digital pictures, and I need a web browser for checking email, looking up restaurants, etc. That means I usually end up taking my laptop, which is a real hassle in many cases.

The Archos 705 provides a fantastic alternative -- the 80 GB hard drive provides plenty of storage both for the music/movies I want to take along as well as for the photos I take while on my trip. The photo viewer is excellent, so it's great for going thru the day's photos in the evening.

I can also plug the device directly in the hotel room TV thru the composite jack and either check out my pictures or even watch one of the movies I've downloaded onto the device. No more being stuck with the horrible choices on the hotel TV.

And the browser really provides a very good, easy-to-use experience even if not nearly as fast as a modern desktop machine. In fact, if your hotel has free wireless, you can hook the Archos to the TV, browse to joox.net (or a similar web site) and stream full-length TV shows and movies directly to the hotel TV thru the Archos.

We also love this device for just browsing the web around the house or when in front of the TV since it's much easier to hold than our laptop.

All in all, I love my new Archos 705. I gave it only 4 stars for two reasons:

1) The OS for this device is that same as for the smaller Archos 605 device, which includes several buttons. As a result, some functions that should be easy (like moving "Back" in the browser) and which are activated using a single button press on the 605, must be done thru multiple taps on the touchscreen (since the 705 has no buttons). This could certainly be addressed thru a future firmware update.

2) The touchscreen has a bit of a moire effect on the image and text is not as crisp as on many touchscreens. I also own a Nokia N800 which has a much more clear/crisp touchscreen that's also more responsive. That said, the quality is certainly adequate, text is readable without a problem and images, videos are very watchable. The plus side is that the screen resists scratching very well without the need for a protector.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the 5 month wait, January 18, 2008

By	mchlbrrr "Michael" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

I received my Archos 705 in early January and have been pleased with it from the start. I purchased my unit from Circuit City online and, based on the many reviews I've read of Archos customer service, purchased a 2 year replacement warranty as well. Little extra money for insurance basically and there is a Circut City in every major city I travel to. I purchased the 705 instead of the 605 primarily because of my need to wear reading glasses and I don't intend to carry the unit around town with me to listen to music. I also like the appearance of the 705 over the 605 (personal thing I guess).

To start with, read the 81-page pdf instruction manual. It is pretty clear on how to setup and use the unit. I've read reviews that mentioned the unit only came with a 4-page instruction booklet. Not true. The pdf is on the unit itself and you can also download it once you have registered your product.

I purchased the requisite add-on's as did many in most of the reviews I read. The instuctions to download and install the add-on's were clear and easy to follow. They installed with no problem. I even purchased one of the game packs (golf, poker, suduko) and it installed and plays as advertised. I had read complaints that the product did not have games available to download. Not true ($9.99 on the archos site).

As with any new product, it took me a few minutes to get the hang of how to navigate through the menu's and screens, but after about 30 minutes it was pretty easy to navigate. I like (and some don't) the fact that you have to tap an icon to select it, then tap it again to use the feature. This prevents you from accidently tapping the wrong menu option.

I watched and listed to all the sample content and then deleted it as I replaced it with my own. One thing I noticed was when I played any of the sample content using the product speakers, the volume was just fine. When I loaded all of my content, some played fine with the current volume settings and some I needed to plug in earphones to hear at an adequate volume. While I have my own earbuds and over the ear earphones, the ones that shipped with the product are adequate. I haven't "road tested" them yet listening through them on an airplane.

The user's guide recommends moving content to the Archos using Windows Media Player 10 or higher for best results. I copied and pasted all my content to my product using Windows Explorer. The archos shows up as another device and you copy and paste files. I found it easier to navigate to the Archos device, create directories under "Videos" that represented the genres of movies I watch. Once I created these, I copied my movies to the appropriate directory. Copied with no problem. I also copied my music files directly from my itunes music directory with no issues. Creating music playlists on the Archos is not as easy as with itunes, but I was able to do so without much effort. You also have the option to change album or song titles on the device as well as delete content if you no longer want it.

I have not had occassion yet to see how long the battery will last playing video and audio files. I'll repeat something I read in another review that I also found to be true. When you turn the unit off you must press and hold the power button for about 5 seconds to turn the unit completely off. Otherwise it is in sleep mode and still uses some of your battery. There is also a menu option to turn the unit completely off under the settings option.

I'm thrilled with the quality of the video on this device. You have several options of how to display the video (e.g., full screen, original (such as wide-screen), fit to screen, etc.). I was also surprised to see that most of the music I copied over had the associated album art displayed on the Archos. I thought I'd have to live w/out that on this device.

The remote control is very handy. My 705 came with a remote and AC power adaptor (as did my Archos DVR unit - along with S-video cables and RGB cables). The remote allows you to navigate through all the features I have used by tapping on the device itself. It controls volume, brings up menu's allowing you to change device settings, etc. it also has a qwerty keypad allowing you to type in content using a keypad. I see this as useful primarily when browsing the internet.

You must register your product before you can browse the web (my experience anyway) since you must register then purchase the browser add-on. The home page on the browser is google. I've been able to easily access my gmail account. The browser is slow, but adequate. A keypad shows up at the bottom of the screen allowing you to tap in text. You can also use the keypad on the remote. While I can access the internet, I have not been able to access the Content Portal using the icon provided on the main menu. So if I elected to purchase a movie or music using one of Archos's partners, I would not be able to download the purchased content directly to the device. Since this is not a big issue for me, I haven't yet spent much time figuring it out and have not contacted Archos.

To use the wireless capability, you must first turn on wi-fi on the device. This is a simple menu item. For those of you (like me) who use a secure wireless network, you have the ability to access your network by typing in your passcode on the Archos device. Worked with no problem.