Overall Rating: ( 11 reviews )

1. Posted: Apr 25 2008

   Archos can be added to the list of consumer electronics companies that will put faulty products in the market and then refuse to take responsibility for them. I have experience with three of these units, only one of which is still functional. The first was a friend's whose screen cracked while the unit was in a protective case inside a bag. I realize electronics are more delicate than the average consumer product, but this thing was more sensitive than an iPod nano, which also happened to be in his bag and did not break. The second unit I received as a gift and it worked well for about a month. I have to say, when it worked I liked it, with the exception of the really poor sound, which I crancked up to be able to hear anything. A few days ago I awoke to find my unit with the back casing distended like it was about to burst. I immediately unscrewed the back to release the pressure and found that the battery was inflated like a balloon. I put the unit in a sealed bag to make sure if it burst it didn't ruin anything else in the apartment. When I called Archos customer service, I was told by the goon on the phone that having unscrewed the back of the unit, despite the fact that leaving it as it was could have been dangerous, nullified the warranty. So now I am stuck with a month old unit whose warranty is useless. Way to go, Archos. You've guaranteed I will never buy anything from you again.

2. Posted: Jan 26 2008

   This little bugger is great. While, like some of the other reviewers, I was torn at first with some of the bugs, I quickly downloaded the firmware updates from the Archos website. It fixed every problem I had and I just love the way this thing does it all pretty well. It's no camera or camcorder replacement, but the picture quality is better than most any cell phone camera. The controls and UI are easy to understand and figure out with only minor exceptions (adding songs to an existing playlist took me a bit to figure out). I downloaded the codec that allows you to play podcast and iTunes files for $20. Well worth not having to convert all my music. Only con is that it doesn't come with a charger. It charges via the USB cable rather slowly, and the docking station/charger is sold seperately. Considering what all this little thing does and its price, you can't really go wrong.

3. Posted: Jan 3 2008

   My daughter really loves her archos and I am impressed with the features and the price. The only dislike is when I read the description and capabilities before purchasing this item, it was not very clear if you need the Archos 404 DVR station to record from the tv onto this device. Found out you need this station, but unable to locate one to purchase. When I finally found one it cost as much as the device. But overall, it is very nice.

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