Geeks.com sent us in one of their consumer electronics, the Linux-based Archos 604 PMP for a whirl, and we surely gave it one. This 30 GB PMP is the fourth generation video product from Archos, one of the biggest names in that market.
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2006-12-20
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It was only a few years ago that I had to save up in order to buy the Archos Jukebox Recorder, which was just a laptop disk in a box with an mp3 decoder and I think it cost me more than this thing would. It's crazy how fast things move on.
I wouldn't buy this myself, because I don't really see the point of watching videos on the go, but it's always good to see a useful Linux device. I wonder how much it would cost if they'd had to fork out for some proprietary software instead?
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No. We will not. Basically mp3 is good enough, the patents are about to expire and hardly anyone uses ogg vorbis anyway. Furthermore, the ogg vorbis format is similar to WMA and whatever ogg claims, nobody wants to risk lawsuits over a format that hardly anyone is using.
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If that device ever becomes a reality it will IMHO blow everything away. I love big screens ( 720x480 would rule ). And the option to buy it without a digicam is just cool ( i never use those cheap ones anyways ).
http://en.meizu.com/userforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=704&FID=12&am...
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First off, your post is off-topic since it is little more than an advert for a completely separate device. Ignoring that, and bringing things back to the Archos 604...
I like the way that Meizu thing looks better than the iPhone, but I don't see any other really good reason to get it. The dimensions and resolution trump the iPhone, but I couldn't seen any other info about actual hardware capabilities such as processor speed, built-in memory, or WiFi. In addition, it runs Win CE. I've had Windows Mobile for the past few years, and the only thing that I can say that I really preferred was contact navigation. That single benefit is lost/obsolete with a touch screen, and there are multiple things that I don't like about Windows Mobile.
I do think that if someone can make a product that works well as a phone and a portable media device, they will do very well. The iPhone proved this, but for my money the iPhone still falls short. From the meager details that I found about your device, I have no reason to think that it will fill that niche completely either. So, in the meantime there is plenty of room for specific-use devices.
The 604 is a specific-use device. Archos has traditionally made some of the best video devices anywhere. As stated in the article, they are continuing that tradition here. Other devices really don't compete when it comes to video codec support. Try putting video from various sources on just about anything other than this and you'll quickly see how attractive it can be to own a device that doesn't force you to convert files before loading them.
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Exactly. While in mainland and west US people don't use trains or busses or underground much to go to work, in NY and Europe people do. And they need something to pass the time with, and such a device helps. I know my brother in law watches "Lost" on his 2" iPod Nano on the way to work and he doesn't mind that small screen, let alone Archos' 4.3" screen.
Edited 2007-11-19 20:03
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No one needs to watch movies in a train. This is pure materialism and shallow cultural digestion. People who care about movies watch them in a proper environment.
This thing was made for a stupid consumer generation. Just like Hollywood movies. And I bet that's exactly what people watch on these silly devices.
(this post is subjective.. please beg to differ)
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We beg to differ. Personally, I don't read many books (I read technical and non-fiction books alright, but I am getting bored with novels). When I used to commute via train when I was living in UK, I wish I had a video player back then. But they were non-existent in 1997-9. And so I slept all the way through to work. It was boring. If I had a video player, I can assure you I would have used it.
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Hang on, I will just book myself into the local scriptorium and librarium and lock myself into monkish meditation before I turn the pages of this holy thing called a book...(and yes, this is just a stab at humour)...
seriously, these things are made for people with, yes, money, and, unfortunately, a lot of time on their hands waiting for the infernal transport infrastructure in this neck of the woods (the UK) to unstick itself.
By the way, what do you watch in the hushed tones of your home ampitheatre :-)?
RE[3]: Silly device
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Unfortunately this is not always an option. USB-to-cigarette-lighter does not always use the right kind of Volts, there are many generic such adapters that will kill your device, simply because your device expects different power strength. Unless you buy one from Archos, you can't be sure that it will work correctly.
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Is there any reason why they don't just add the software needed to make it an E-Book reader?
I have tons of stuff in HTML, and most can be converted to simple text if needed.
If you can handle HTML, PDF and text on something this size/weight/price I would love it. My laptop works fine if I am sitting down but is a pain to carry/read if I go on a walk.
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I'm surprised that they sent you a 604WiFi. I have been enjoying my 605 WiFi for a few weeks now. Its basically a cleaned up version of the 704... Some of the new features include better button layout, 800x480 resolution, 160GB HD and better codec support. However there's a catch with some of the codecs/extras. Archos have decided to remove OPERA from the unit. Its now a plugin you must buy separately. The other plugins are the podcast(H.264 – AAC sound), the cinema plugin (MPEG-2/VOB – 5.1 sound - AC3). Archos Tech support have mentioned they are working on other plugins too, such as Opera Widget support.
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Good review, sounds like a cool device but if things like the Asus EEEPC can extend their battery life I would take one over these any day.
Also my Hitachi 720p projector does have some interesting cropping systems for working with 4:3 material, it has a few different pure cropping modes and then cropping modes which also stretch the AR but not uniformly so the middle of the screen doesn't become as stretched while the outer does. These modes can be great for watching content broadcast at 4:3 and the like excluding things like news broadcasts just be cause then you start cropping titles.
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