Archos 5 Internet tablet with Android (32GB)

• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 28 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next

• Sort by: Most helpful Highest rating Lowest rating Most recent

• 2 stars

  This product should be recalled.

  by pcpal01 on November 16, 2009

  Pros: Great looking video. Great concept. Fast browser.

  Cons: Freezes often. Wireless and Bluethooth barely work and cause more freezes when they do. No tethering for many phones.

  Summary: I purchased this product and have sent it in for repairs. I will send it back for a refund because people report a repair does not help. The firmware does ...

  Read more

  Summary: I purchased this product and have sent it in for repairs. I will send it back for a refund because people report a repair does not help. The firmware does not make the device work properly. It freezes all the time. The wireless fails to connect often and will not stay connected. The bluetooth when used with a headset causes the audio of videos to be out of sync. The bluetooth does not connect all the time and does not stay connected. People are reporting these problems in many forums. The worst part of this device is that it will freeze up often. I can not get through an hour of videos or music before it freezes and requires a reboot. The company continues to sell the device despite the fact that they have not gotten them to work yet. I would caution everyone not to purchase this device because it has major issues. Not everything on it works as described and many built in Android programs do not work.

  Show less

  13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Not quite worth the price tag.

  by BigDaddyJay on November 13, 2009

  Pros: Nice size screen. Something different, unique. Tons of options. Music, Video, web, pictures, etc.

  Cons: Texting or using the onscreen keyboard not as easy as u would think. Web difficult to navigate as you often hit unwanted web links on web pages while simply trying to scroll up or down. Home button doesn't work in landscape mode.

  Summary: I was excited about this media device at first but after hours of toying with the device I quickly became aware that it really doesn't do anything different from ...

  Read more

  Summary: I was excited about this media device at first but after hours of toying with the device I quickly became aware that it really doesn't do anything different from what I use my cell phone for. When using the web on the Archos it becomes very challenging as u often hit unwanted web links simply trying to scroll up or down a page. The home button doesnt seen to work in landscape mode so I found myself flipping the device, then pressing 'home' to get it to work. Wifi works excellent but in most Wifi spots I will have my notebook anyway, like hotels, or at home, etc.. I was looking to use the "cell phone to tethered" feature and I could not get it to work. After I paired my blackberry to my Archro via Bluetooth it said that it was "paired, but not connected". I would expect that if it's paried then it would be connected. This ordeal really killed my want for this device as I was looking to use it for times when I was more on-the-go and on-the-fly and didn't feel like pulling out my laptop. If u have a good quality phone like the Storm, Droid, or Iphone then I don't see the need for the Archos. The full web browser is an advantage but it's a chore to use IMO. I just don't think this device is worth the price tag.

  Show less

  6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 2 stars

  Never Buy An Archos !!

  by JTinMedford on May 22, 2010

  Pros: None at all

  Cons: All hype - no value or performance

  Summary: After owning and throwing away an Archos 605 Wi-FI with all of the "supposed" software and firmware updates, I finally took a sledge hammer to the $300-plus device that was ...

  Read more

  Summary: After owning and throwing away an Archos 605 Wi-FI with all of the "supposed" software and firmware updates, I finally took a sledge hammer to the $300-plus device that was all promises and no delivery...
  
  Excuses upon excuses from the company on what the problems were, and nothing but freezes and reboots. After getting nowhere with their "Tech Support" ( that's a laugh ! ), I finally gained some much needed pleasure from the device by smashing it with a sledgehammer, and throwing it in the dumpster.
  
  Yes, a bit drastic, perhaps, but well worth the money when it came to destroying it after so much bulls#$% from a company that has fooled a LOT of trusting customers. I finally got an iPod Touch and iPhone, and haven't looked back.
  
  Buyers Beware - stay FAR away from Archos !!

  Show less

  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Best PMP for video, best mobile browser

  by jimtravis on October 28, 2009

  Pros: Great screen, looks nice, built-in stand, browser rewraps text when zooming (better than touch), great photo zooming by holding finger on picture (easier than multi-touch), Bluetooth works as expected, can set browser to id as desktop.

  Cons: Not all Android apps available., May change when upgraded to Andoid 2.0 since 2.0 should natively support 800 x 480. No full Flash support although it is promised for Android in 2010.

  Summary: I have always enjoyed Archos video devices, and the newest device maintains the great video experience both from screen size / resolution, and codec support perspectives. I have streamed videos from ...

  Read more

  Summary: I have always enjoyed Archos video devices, and the newest device maintains the great video experience both from screen size / resolution, and codec support perspectives. I have streamed videos from my NAS devices to the Archos devices since the 605 WiFI, and the new device streams fine even from older NAS devices without UPnP support.
  
  The new browser is the best mobile browser I have used bar none. I prefer the zooming on the Archos browser to multi-touch. When you swipe the screen lightly, the zoom controls appears on the bottom so you can see the impact of the zoom when pressing the + or - icons without your fingers blocking your view as they do with multi-touch. I find the Archos zooming to be easier, and less awkward than multi-touch with the added benefit of not blocking the screen. Even more important, when you zoom a webpage, the text reflows so you can read pages without having to horizontal scrolling each line. I prefer mobile pages on screens <7", and the text reflows on single column pages ensures you can read the pages with a larger text size without the dreaded horizontal scrolling. One of my biggest disappointments with the iPod touch is the lack of reflow when you use multi-touch zoom which results in having to horizontal scroll each line to read some single column pages at a comfortable text size. IMO, the Archos browser with its constant text reflows when zooming results in the best mobile browser experience. Although the default is to id as a mobile browser, a browser setting allows you to change this to id as a desktop. The review indicated problems watching CNET TV due to limited Flash support. Hopefully, that will be corrected when Andoid releases full Flash 10 support. In the interim, the videos on iphone.cnet.com play fine.
  
  Concerning photo zooming, I prefer the methods for zooming photos on the Archos to multi-touch. If you hold your finger at the point you want to zoom the picture, the picture zooms until you release the finger. A lot easier, and less awkward than multi-touch for me. In addition, a finger friendly slider appears at the bottom of the screen to allow finer control without the zooming control blocking your view.
  
  I have not tried the GPS as this feature is not needed since I have stand alone GPS in car.
  
  I have only tried the micro-SDHC card from my phone (16GB), and it was discovered immediately, with no trouble viewing pictures, and videos from the card.
  
  I do wish the Archos 5 IMT had a replaceable battery, this trend toward no user replaceable batteries is a bad trend for me. I know the Archos devices have an optional external battery attachment, but it is not as powerful, or convenient as an actual replaceable internal battery.
  
  The review indicated how convenient the built-in stand is on the Archos device. For me, this is an essential feature for watching videos. With other devices, I am constantly searching for a place to lean the device against while I watch videos. I appreciate the built-in stand every day I use the device.
  
  As you can tell by the tone of my review, I am a big fan of Archos devices, and have been since the AV500. The bigger screen makes for an excellent mobile video platform, and the Android addition promises many new exciting features in the future particulary with Android 2.0 supporting multiple resolutions without recompiling code.

  Show less

  3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Better than Apple, Microsoft and all the Android phones

  by Charbax on October 28, 2009

  Pros: Fastest and Biggest Android experience in the world on ARM Cortex A8 at 800mhz loads website faster than anything else, as fast as Intel Atom. Video support best in the world with start of 720p MKV high profile H264 support. Up to 500GB, 8GB for $200

  Cons: We would like full Google Marketplace support, it should come in Archos firmware updates to support Android 1.6 and 2.0 coming in the next few of months. Built-in 3G would make it perfect to replace a mobile phone.

  Summary: Donald Bell, as usual, rates this as an Apple fanboy. How come his review of the similar priced iPod Touch does not list non-existing GPS, Flash, 800x480 4.8" screen ...

  Read more

  Summary: Donald Bell, as usual, rates this as an Apple fanboy. How come his review of the similar priced iPod Touch does not list non-existing GPS, Flash, 800x480 4.8" screen and the video codecs support as bad points?
  
  Archos improved or even fixed GPS, MKV 720p in the latest firmware: http://update.archos.com/7/archos5/changes_firmware_archos5.html Donald Bell should remove GPS from "the bad" of his review and change the rating to rate it better the the similar priced iPod Touch.
  
  Sure Archos needs the full Android marketplace, but you cannot blame it on Archos when Google is still releasing Android 1.6 and 2.0 updates in the next days and weeks that are the first versions of Android to support the kind of medium density 800x480 4.8" touchscreen that Archos is using. I would rate this product 4.5/5 for currently lacking Android Marketplace and Google apps. But as I expect the full Android apps support to come within weeks on the Archos so my rating stays 5/5 cause I don't think Cnet allows me to update my review. If you absolutely need full Marketplace and Google apps, wait for the firmware updates and follow http://forum.archosfans.com to see when users report which apps that work already today or later (because hundreds do work fine today, and most .apk files for Android applications that you can find on the Internet will install by simply finding them through Google and clicking on them).
  
  Follow the discussions on my forum to see if Archos will support the full bitrates of MKV 720p movies above 3500kbit/s. I haven't tested todays new firmware update that claims to improve MKV H264 support through:
  "Video: H264 SD High Profile did not play
  Video: allow smoother H264 HD playback in some cases
  Video: seeking in MKV file sometimes caused audio or video freeze"
  Until this firmware at least, 720p MKV support up to 3500kbit/s means 720p MKV TV series would playback fine (if Archos fix the audio synch issue on those HD MKV files) Since there is no other device in the world to support 720p MKV on Android or any other OS, I found MKV support to be a really nice surprise so even if full high bitrate 720p movies would not be supported even with the best optimized firmware update Archos can come with, I still don't think it should lower my rating. Since Archos provides the absolute best video playback, storage and streaming experience in the world no matter what. For example, Archos supports to stream Youtube HD at 1280x720 and 2mbit/s of those files, outputted to your HDTV through HDMI, which makes it the absolute best Youtube player in the world.
  
  I haven't been able to test 3G bluetooth tethering, but with SIPdroid and other VOIP applications on Android, I do believe this could replace mobile phones to provide you with the most affordable free mobile phone system since the Archos 5IT at 8GB starts at $249 MSRP and street prices may go below the $200 and many countries have SIM cards for HSDPA to use for 3G tethering using any cheap $50 mobile phone for $20 per month pre-paid without the need to sign any contracts. Imagine runing Google Voice, Skype and SIP telephony on that setup, I think it could be pure awesomeness (although I haven't been able to test it yet).
  
  Archos could release a version with built-in 3G (which I would love even more), though I probably wouldn't rate that 6/5 cause with built-in 3G comes other constraints, like a probably more expensive purchase price of the product if unlocked ($100 extra? $200 extra?), or a compulsary 2-year subscription plan with a carrier in many markets such as in USA, France and some other countries where it's the 3G carriers that make the law.
  
  There are some good reasons for the iPod Touch to be selling faster than the iPhone at the moment. Price, and not having to subscribe for $1500 over a 2-year contract with a carrier. Archos 5 Internet Tablet positions Archos perfectly against the much inferior iPod Touch.

  Show less

  2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  This is great

  by jarkoet on July 25, 2010

  Pros: Amazing capatibility for files, better battery life than my iPhone or iTouch, great for long flights

  Cons: had one issue with crashing and the fact that some downloaded movies do not work without purchasing a $40.00 plug-in is annoying.

  Summary: This is perhaps the best media player I have purchased and while the browser and keyboard has its quirks, I have not experienced the "crashing" issues that others complain about. ...

  Read more

  Summary: This is perhaps the best media player I have purchased and while the browser and keyboard has its quirks, I have not experienced the "crashing" issues that others complain about. This is perfect for someone who wants a decent media player for long trips or boring meetings this is for you

  Show less

  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Excellent iPod Touch competitor

  by Namain on April 1, 2010

  Pros: Large screen
  Great Wifi reception
  Bluetooth support
  runs Android
  uses a standard USB slot for charging and data transfer
  MicroSDHC card slot for storage space expansion

  Cons: Resistive touchscreen instead of capacitive
  Uses USB Micro instead of the more prevalent USB Mini - you may need to buy new chargers anyway
  does not run the stock Android apps - but you can install them easily

  Summary: When I started shopping for an android competetor to the iPod touch, I was mostly doing it because I wanted an MP3 player, not a smartphone. I already have a ...

  Read more

  Summary: When I started shopping for an android competetor to the iPod touch, I was mostly doing it because I wanted an MP3 player, not a smartphone. I already have a phone and have no need of a smartphone and it's expensive data plan. On top of that, there is only one place I visit on a regular basis that does not have open wifi, so this device was a shoe in.
  
  I reduced the device's score mostly because of the touchscreen being resistive instead of capacitive, which causes random screen presses sometimes when the device is in your pocket, but not locked.
  
  I'd rather that the device used USB Mini, instead of USB Micro, but the adapters to change from one to the other are only about $1 on Amazon.
  
  All in all, if you're looking for an Android device and don't want a smartphone or you want an iPod Touch, without iTunes or the restrictive and skitzophrenic Apple App store, this is the device for you!

  Show less

  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Very capable product with rich features and styling.

  by MrGadgetman on November 14, 2009

  Pros: Screen size, touch screen interface, battery life, internet browser, wireless options, Formats...? Bring It!!

  Cons: GPS sucks, doesn't like to get too busy, had to buy plug-ins for additional format support.

  Summary: This thing kicks badunk-a-dunk! Overall, it is an awesome device. It plays just about anything you load into it. I haven't run accross anything it will NOT play, but ...

  Read more

  Summary: This thing kicks badunk-a-dunk! Overall, it is an awesome device. It plays just about anything you load into it. I haven't run accross anything it will NOT play, but I did have to purchase a plug-in that turned on the support for one of the video formats. That sucked.
  
  It is soo easy to load this thing with music or videos. No itunes, no media players necessary. Just drag and drop files right into the appropriate folder on the device and you are ready to go!! Too easy. You can use Media Player 11 to
  synch, but you do not have to. There is a DVR module you can buy that allows you to record TV or any other source so that you can take all of your video with you.
  
  As long as you are doing one or two things simultaneously the unit works fine, but it will get a little choppy and fussy if you force it to multi task too much.
  Bluetooth was a selling point and it works just fine! I hate wires. You can completely customize the home screen with wallpaper as well as the colors of the menu buttons, etc. The selected wallpaper scrolls as you wipe from page to page also.
  
  Video and Audio play perfectly on this unit with lots of audio playback options including ID tag support. It will play WMV protected files, your standard issue MP3, and various lossless formats. There is also a 5-band EQ with presets and a balance control. Video files play flawlessly as well on the big screen which is sharp and rich with color. Best screen I have seen on a media player this side of a laptop. There are motion thumbnails for the video files when you highlight then and you can pick your thumbnails as well. I guess that's useful, I dunno. What is useful however, is the buit-in kickstand that will let you stand the unit up at an angle to view it on a desk or wherever. No need to by a dock when it already has its own leg to stand on. The need to buy a unit with a lot of storage is not as paramount because it has expandable memory via SD card micro.
  
  The form factor is small considering the overall size of the player. Not nearly as bulky as it looks on TV. The screen is dominate and the back of the unit is a glossy carbon, metal-like finish. I'd Invest in terrycloth for this unit however, if I were you. Having a slim formfactor means that the parts on the inside are closer to the outside and there isn't much between you and the internals. What I mean is that this baby gets hot on the interface side (left when in landscape) pretty quick. After about 7-10 songs in succession it got hot enough that I looked for a place to set it down. Not burning-can't-handle-it hot, but whoa-I-didn't-think-It'd-get-this-hot warm. A plus in the pocket during winter I'd imagine.
  
  The GPS..., well, CNET was right..., it sucks. I have yet to get mine to work and I've got all the latest firmware. It will not find a sat signal at all and I was in the middle of a lot with narry a tree or building within 200 meters. The only disappointment on the unit. I tried different locations and times of day..., no joy.
  
  People have slammed the Archos 5 for its poor apps support. I say, so what. Personally, I could not care less about what can buy for it or download on it. I bought it to play music and movies/videos and to web surf. I do not need extra gimmicky crap sucking up my storage space. I don't care that there's an app that lets you open your garage from the couch or whatever.
  The web browser works great. It looks good and it loads content fast. Very easy to scroll and scale the pages and the built in accelorometer orients the screen to however you hold it, though it does have a delay. There is also support for email (various types) and you can configure multiple accounts. Lots of wireless options too. Wifi, bluetooth, and piggyback sharing. You can pipe your 3G phone through this unit and use its internet as long as your phone supports it. You can also answer calls when your phone rings. They really didn't want you to have reason to put it down.
  
  Admittedly, the touch interface is not as silky as the i-whichever. Sometimes thinking about it first before it responds, but most of the time it works great. The transition from portrait to landscape looks cooler on the i-whatever too, but it is not a dealbreaker. Zooming on photos is a single finger sinch. You just touch where you want to zoom. No two finger pinch dance.
  
  Bottom line: if you want a media PLAYER and not a portable accessorizer station, then this is for you. It plays nearly everything you throw at it, and it surfs the internet with its host of connection options with ease. Consider the GPS a happy accident, if it works for you!
  
  Updated on Nov 24, 2009

  GPS Issue: Earlier I slammed the unit, claiming the GPS has yet to work. Turns out that after calling the good ole folks at Archos it was revealed that several units including mine left the factory with bad GPS chipsets. These defective units had GPS hardware that failed to initialize, which was the reason that it would never receive a signal.
  
  After getting a brand new one in a sealed box and trying it out, the GPS signal was acquired within 1 minute! The GPS feature is actually pretty resourceful, loading POI in proximity to you in real time. Icons in the viewable map area appear and you can tap on them to plot a course. Voice guidance a plus. The view automatically zooms (scales) in and out to facilitate the next turn or elaborate on complex interchanges and intersections. It also shows your current speed as well as the current area's speed limit. There is a nanny alarm, but you can defeat that. There is a 3-D map (bird's eye) view and coolest of all are the 3-D buildings.

  Show less

  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Very best high end mobile PMP device ever, hands down!

  by bigrob777 on November 11, 2009

  Pros: Makes an honest OS of Android. Has multi media functions all all others can only dream about! Best of both The Archos & Android worlds!

  Cons: Some Apps are glitchy. As of yet, no flash 10 (coming soon/has flash lite) so web video opens externally.

  Summary: Pound for pound (or rather gram for gram) the best hand held PMP video, music, web, ect. player on this side of Saturn! As with any brand new high end ...

  Read more

  Summary: Pound for pound (or rather gram for gram) the best hand held PMP video, music, web, ect. player on this side of Saturn! As with any brand new high end product, problems may arise from time to time, (mostly from third party Apps) but this is a must have for any real Tech enthusiast! It blows away the touch and all others pretty easily.
  Don't believe the hype! Some people (i.e. the editor at CNet who wrote the review for the Archos)are just I-Anything Fanboys! We see Mac loyalists all the time turning a blind eye or trash talking anything that comes close, let alone anything that flat out spanks, one of their precious Mac encrusted gadgets! Think about it- Whens the last time you saw a Mac commercial where they simply talked about their own product? Been awhile?Don't get me wrong, this concept doesn't apply across the board to all Mac users... but you know who you are! Lol! That being said The ITouch/IPhone are a great products but they just can not do what The Archos 5 Android can. For starters lets talk video: If you want to play a video on a Touch/IPhone(lets refer to them both as Mac's for posterity sake from now on) you first have to most likley convert it and then using only one program (I-Tunes) copy it over to your device. Whereas with the Archos, it plays just about every format known to man, even 720p HD natively with the available codec (although an extra $39.99 us) and transfers via drag n drop or sync with WMP! Not to mention the screen is simply gorgeous with 800 x 480 on the device! Oh yeah, It's also a DVR when coupled with the optional Docking Station with the ability to play in HD via HDMI on your compatible HDTV! Not to mention a whole host of WebTV and online video accessible via the Archos media array on the main desktop screen. Then Theres the fact that the Archos out specs and performs when it comes to music playback and features across the board!
  Look the bottom line is this: The Archos 5 Android does too many things to mention here... and it does all of them very well. The Mac's our great and even refined products, as they have been around for a while, but in my opinion as well as many others it is easily beet by the original Archos 5, without Android. The features of the Archos 605 are far more impressive then the Mac's. And that is something that I and the Editors of CNet can agree with! These new models are just icing on the cake! What ever device you choose, good hunting and heres to technology! Whatever the brand! - Big Rob.

  Show less

  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Unique Internet Tablet, only in the advertisements.

  by DegreeOfTech on February 11, 2011

  Pros: Size, Weight, Ease of Access, Clear Screen, Sound output.

  Cons: Poor durability, outdated OS, false advertisement in battery life, non-operatable Youtube player, no camera, so much more...

  Summary: I have owned this Archos 5 Internet Tablet for a period of 2 1/2 months. When I first opened it, it worked like a beauty. The weight of it ...

  Read more

  Summary: I have owned this Archos 5 Internet Tablet for a period of 2 1/2 months. When I first opened it, it worked like a beauty. The weight of it was next to nothing, but it was pure plastic. Fiberglass would have been better. I enjoy the kick stand, but the material is non-bend resistant.
  Now, let's jump to 2 weeks later.
  
  After owning it for a very short period of time, it started to go haywire on me. It would just restart all on its own. Typing in very long memo's and just having it restart for no apparent reason just irritated me.
  Also, the "touchscreen" keyboard started to wear out on me from 5-8 hours of constant typing. The top of the tablet would squeak.
  I have had experience with all sorts of similar products. I have owned an Apple iPhone, a Dell Streak Phone, Sony Xperia X10, and this Internet Tablet.
  
  I figured it was just a refurbished product, so I went to go out and bought the same model. Same glitches, and full of bugs. I returned that one in just a few days. Now, I must refurbish this poorly built tablet and return it. Pitiful product.
  
  This "thing" has more bugs than anything else, even though this tablet costed me $300.00, a piece. The less "lavish" products actually does more than this tablet, without the frustration of everything.
  
  I have full, 100% experience with Sony products, and their brand new Dash tablet is unique, though dimensions of it is"big". I cannot wait until Sony comes out with their own Internet Tablet, and I really don't care how much it is.
  
  This product amazed me, but now I am set to return this "thing" ASAP.
  It was tempting to get it, but now I regret it.

  Show less

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next

See pricing