MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Archos 605 -- a cheap eReader?

mogui · 09-03-2007, 08:43 PM

The Archos 605 has a 4.3 inch TFT touchscreen (800x480) and it fits in a shirt pocket (9.2 oz). It is a 4G portable media player with WiFi. The price is only US$229, and for an extra US$30 you can get an Opera browser plug-in. It is said to feature a PDF viewer. Big deal you say? Yes, but you can view eBooks in HTML format, and by simply editing in some HTML tags, you can make your text files wrappable and flowable too. Archos eReader anyone?

The Archos 605 will look like an external USB drive to your Mac or PC so you can load anything you like on it. The battery (non-removable) is rated for 5 hours, which should get you across the US if you are flying. For a transoceanic flight, just buy two or three of them.

For music, the Archos 605 is rated at 16 hours, so reading should not present a battery problem, though the display would be on constantly, so we would expect something less than that. For an extra US$49 you can buy an external battery pack.

The feature set is quite good. You can add on a docking station that converts the Archos 605 into a media center for your TV (US$99) that lets you record videos. Archos is big on offering plug-ins that add capabilities such as internet radio. Content can be rented over the internet. The browser experience is said to be adequate. Archos sells the 605 with optional enhanced storage(30G, 80G, 160G).

Reviews are here and here. Archos is here.

09-03-2007, 08:43 PM	#1
mogui eNigma Posts: 503 Karma: 1335 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Philippines Device: HTC G1 Android FBReader	Archos 605 -- a cheap eReader? The Archos 605 has a 4.3 inch TFT touchscreen (800x480) and it fits in a shirt pocket (9.2 oz). It is a 4G portable media player with WiFi. The price is only US$229, and for an extra US$30 you can get an Opera browser plug-in. It is said to feature a PDF viewer. Big deal you say? Yes, but you can view eBooks in HTML format, and by simply editing in some HTML tags, you can make your text files wrappable and flowable too. Archos eReader anyone? The Archos 605 will look like an external USB drive to your Mac or PC so you can load anything you like on it. The battery (non-removable) is rated for 5 hours, which should get you across the US if you are flying. For a transoceanic flight, just buy two or three of them. For music, the Archos 605 is rated at 16 hours, so reading should not present a battery problem, though the display would be on constantly, so we would expect something less than that. For an extra US$49 you can buy an external battery pack. The feature set is quite good. You can add on a docking station that converts the Archos 605 into a media center for your TV (US$99) that lets you record videos. Archos is big on offering plug-ins that add capabilities such as internet radio. Content can be rented over the internet. The browser experience is said to be adequate. Archos sells the 605 with optional enhanced storage(30G, 80G, 160G). Reviews are here and here. Archos is here.