Archos 5 Internet Tablet: It Doesn't Suck!

After reading and Watching Chippy at UMPCPortal.com review this device, I immediately wanted it. I'm on AT&T in the USA, and so far, there are no Android phones available on my carrier. Here was a device with a nice screen for viewing videos, a nice size flash drive for loading on music, plus a web browsing tablet and an ebook reader. I was hooked.

There's just one little problem. Even Chippy complained about the device crashing during his review. Amazon pulled the 160GB hard drive version calling it "under review." Reviewers got buggy units and panned the device. Not a dream launch for a smaller French company.

Though the device looks very polished and has some awesome features, it takes a bit of a technogeak to really enjoy this device. The user interface is nowhere near as polished as, say, an iPod. It is much like running Linux on a PC instead of running more familiar Windows or OS X.

Mine came without many of the apps that were supposed to come pre-installed. They were available for download at ftp://support.archos.com. I couldn't figure out a way to actually access the FTP site from my Archos unit as it arrived. After several unsuccesful attempts, I downloaded the software to my computer (a Mac) and copied the files over to the Archos by USB cable.

If you buy an Archos or want to learn more about it, check out the introduction videos on Archos.com. They tell you what to do to set up your device. When I first got it, I plugged in the USB cable and plugged the other end of the cable into a computer USB port to top off the battery. The device powered up when I plugged in the cable and asked if I wanted to mount as a drive on the host computer. I said no since I was using the computer as a power source only.

When the Archos powered up for the first time, it prompted me to download the latest firmware. You definitely want to run the firmware update. It cures many of the complaints that reviewers had about the Archos.

The Archos runs the Android version of Linux made popular by Google phones. But this is not a phone. It also lacks a camera and a compass. It doesn't come with all the Google Experience apps pre-installed that you would find on a Android phone. Many of them can be installed, however. You just have to go find them.

Because the Archos is a Linux device, the hard drive isn't formatted for Windows or Mac. It's formatted in Linux. The FAQ at Archos.com told me how to attach the Archos to a Mac. This was apparently new. You also need to select MTP mode when you connect the Archos to a Windows PC or else the Windows computer won't recognize the Archos as a media player. On a Windows computer, you can either sync media to the device using Windows Media Player or you can just drag and drop files or programs onto folders on the mounted Archos drive folder. You can also store files on a micro SD card on the Archos. I had no problem attaching to both a Mac and a Windows PC. I copied several different types of music files to it, including purchased AAC files from Apple Store (but not older protected AAC files). I copied some Apple Lossless files to it, but they wouldn't play. I also downloaded some Youtube videos onto my Windows PC using Keepvid.com and transfered them over by USB.

There are thousands of Android apps that can be installed on the Archos and many of them are free. The default way to install apps is a program called Appslib (Apps Library). This is probably the buggiest thing about the Archos as it stands right now. It takes a long time for the application list to refresh, and each time you install an app, the list has to refresh again. Thanks to JKontheRun.com, I found out about some other Android application libraries. [JKOTR]

Thankfully, Pandora, my favorite web streaming music site, works great on the Archos, but Kevin Tofel had to send me a link to the Pandora.apk file via Twitter. [App]

Chippy shows a video with the Archos streaming HD videos from m.youtube.com, but every time I tried it the screen froze. Then, I downloaded the Android youtube app called youtube.apk and it works great!

Twidroid is a twitter client that comes installed on the Archos. It works great.

Aldiko is an ebook reader that Chippy demonstrated by video. I downloaded it using Appslib.

The Archos doesn't have 3G wireless but it connects with Wifi and you can tether to a bluetooth phone. My Nokia E71 works great for this.

I'll post more later. This is all I've had time to play with. I hope this helps.