Compared to the iPod Touch, the Archos 605 Wi-Fi is not as striking or sexy, but the widescreen media player has a lot going for it starting with its 4.3-inch touchscreen. Having the bigger screen is great for surfing the Web, watching movies, TV shows, streaming video, slideshows, and browsing your music collection—all possible while you're on-the-go.
The 605 multimedia heavyweight already packs plenty of features including Wi-Fi capabilities, music/video playback, PDF viewer, Bluetooth, FM radio, FM recording, and voice recording, but who said more couldn't be added? Last month the company introduced a few more add-ons to give this player even more functionality.
Current Archos 605 Wi-Fi owners will be happy to know the company is introducing the Archos GPS In-Car Holder which turns the Archos 605 WiFi media player into a full-fledge navigation system. Basically, instead of buying a stand-alone GPS system, those who already have a 605 will be able to buy a car mount that holds a GPS receiver and connects to the player via a line out.
The mount also acts as a holder for the Archos media player so the driver can punch in an address, and view the turn-by-turn directions on the device. The navigation system has full voice and video navigation supported by Tele Atlas able to simulate position changes if the signal is ever lost. The mount alone can be purchased for $130, which is probably a lot cheaper than buying a GPS system.
Another add-on everyone is buzzing about is the TVPortation feature for the Archos TV+ device that allows consumers to stream live TV from their home to wireless devices. If you're familiar with Slingbox, then you get the idea of how this works. Those who have an Archos TV+ device can add the TVPortation to their 605 and 705 Wi-Fi PMPs, smartphones, and laptops and watch their TV anywhere. This plug-in is free if you registered your TV+ box with Archos, or you can purchase it for $50.
Content is important for a multimedia device like this one, so Archos teamed with Paramount making more than 300 Paramount movies available for immediate playback on TV—with no downloading required. As if that wasn't enough, the company also announced a Web TV and Radio plug-in that lets users access over 9,000 Web radio stations, and 600 Web TV stations from anywhere in the world. You do have to pay extra for all this functionality, but at least you have the option.
I think consumers are ready for an all-in-one device, and that GPS feature, just put the Archos 605 ahead of the competition.
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