Archos 5 Internet Tablet 8GB Review

I’ve been playing with the Archos 5 Internet Tablet for about 2 months now. I have the 8GB flash version, which is a gorgeous slab of electronics sized small enough to fit in a roomy pocket but large enough to keep next to your favourite armchair in lieu of a full size laptop.
Archos 5 is equipped with built- in wifi adapter and which is so far capable of connecting to any wireless network.Although,there is a downside to it that it disconnects if device is idle for few minutes and it is done to save battery power.
Other than that I haven't come across any downside with internet connectivity.
So far I have successfully used for remote connections and I can make FTP,SSH and Telnet connections to it and from it to any remote server.

After reading lots of reviews that rant about lack of google apps pre-intalled on the device it look like archo5 IT is nothing without google apps but in my opinion I think archos 5 IT pretty capable of doing anything that google apps can do.
If you still want to install google apps then there is a hack that works very well.
Archos 5 application library is pretty large and useful there are lots of free applications that are available to download and use.Almost all the apps that are available on Android market are available on archos 5 IT application library.

I can play .avi and other media formats except mp4 format which can not be played, here’s where I complain about Archos charging people $40 to unlock 720p WMV and MP4 playback. If Youtube does not work for out of the box then install google apps and use youtube application to play youtube media.If you want to avoid install google apps then try using google mobile and it will work.

For audio and video playback, the device handles everything with ease. Videos look great on the crisp 4.8-inch screen and the 800×480 resolution renders downscaled HD videos and standard-definition videos phenomenally. Music and videos come first, everything else comes second.

I was skeptical of Archos’ claim of 7-hour battery life for video playback,my surprise, the tablet hit 6 hours and 15 minutes before petering out and ofcourse I had to adjust brightness and sound level below maximum in order to achieve that which is acceptable because screen is still bright at 25% that you can easily walk in a dark room.That’s not too bad at all, especially considering I left the Wi-Fi connected the entire time.

Audio playback is handled via a simple interface that displays album artwork. I found the built-in speaker to be too tinny to listen to anything other than spoken-word podcasts – playing actual music sounds much better through a pair of decent headphones. Battery life for music playback is pegged at 22 hours and, again, those claims held up pretty well. I managed about 20 hours and 30 minutes with volume at 25% and Wi-Fi turned on.

GPS (called NDrive) works pretty well. Free 7-day trial and then $39 one-time unlock fee thereafter. There’s 3D navigation, turn-by-turn directions, quick satellite lock – turns the Archos 5 Internet Tablet into a serviceable GPS system for the car.I turned on GPS and instantly device located me which I think it is pretty fast compared to other GPS devices that take lots of time to lock the location.

Are you interested in an attractive, lightweight portable media player with great battery life that you can use mainly to consume audio and video files that have been directly downloaded or streamed across a local network? If so, you’ll like the Archos 5 Internet Tablet. You’ll get what you’re looking for along with the added bonus of a great web browser, pretty good GPS navigator, and a plenty of useful software.

Finally,if you love gadgets and want a mobile device then Archos 5 internet tablet is very good to have gadget.I will recommend anyone to buy it.

I am providing some useful links from youtube that will prove helpful for initial setup.

Overview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOpegRabe5I

Hack Install (Google Apps): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef_ODQplFbU

Enjoy!!