Unpacking the Archos 604 WiFi

Every year, for my birthday, my wife gets me exactly what I think I want, and then watches as I return it and spend a little more for the thing I really want. Last year it was an iPod, which got returned when I realized it couldn't play divx avi's. Its replacement was an Archos gmini 402, which not only plays the formats I want, but has all kinds of built-in goodies for recording audio, which turned out to be really useful for me.

This year, I thought I wanted a Zune. They looked so lovely, with big, bright screens and "wifi" that I began dropping hints left and right as my birthday drew near. My joy at receiving the thing vanished quickly, however, as the Zune software crashed my PC, and as some due diligence made it evident to me that it would not now or ever play any of my existing media without transcoding. So it went back. Sorry microsoft.

Disappointed, I turned once again to the Archos website, where I met and fell in love with the 604 wi fi. At about $430, this is not a device I would have ever bought myself, so I needed to do some quick rationalizing, which went like this:

• I have a Zune, which cost $250, or about $265 with tax. It's going back (never mind the 15% restocking fee)
• The difference in price, after returning the Zune, is therefore $165 (never mind tax and shipping on the Archos)
• I'll use it heavily for work and write it off, saving about 140 bucks worth of taxes in the long run.
• 165-140 = 15. Who wouldn't pay $15 for such a kick-ass device?

With the rationalizing out of the way, I clicked around hastily and entered my CC numbers before reason could return. 24 hours later, the DHL man arrived at my door.

What follows are my unpacking photos and first impressions of the 604 WiFi:

	Here is the box. woohoo.
	Here is the archos sitting in the box. Woohoo again.
	Here it is in my hand. Yeah, it's big (the Archos, not the hand, although the hand is a respectable size - not freakishly large, but not petite either, though I've been told my fingers are slender). I'd been worried that the thing would feel too big to carry around, but it seems just fine for me.
	Here's all the crap it came with. The box said it included two stylii, but at first I could find only one. It took a day for me to realize that the second one was tucked into a little sleeve inside the "pouch". The cable is definitely Archos proprietary, which is disappointing since the 402 had a standard cable. However, this cable does both the charging and connection, which the other didn't. The gray stand-looking thing is just an adapter for the DVR product which is not included (lists for $100 - I have to get out my rationalizing calculator again). The quick start guide is glossy and professional, but the supplemental insert about calibrating the screen looked like it came off my color inkjet.
	Here is the case, which is a larger version of the case that came with my 402. The box says it's a pouch. I think Archos sells a more sophisticated case, but who needs it.
And now the good stuff
	Bootup, about 15 seconds. Definitely longer than my 402. backlight auto off can be changed but defaults to 30 seconds.
_ _ _	First thing I wanted to try out was the wifi. Doubletapped the browser icon on the home screen and in about 20 seconds it had found my wireless network and let me connect to it. Then the browser launched and took me to the Archos website (duh). I opened the menu with the side button and chose "enter URL" and got a keypad to enter a new address.
	Over the wireless, I navigated to my shared video folder from my desktop and launched an episode of battlestar galactica (divx AVI). This was definitely the WOOHOO moment for me! That video needed NO transcoding and didn't even need to be on my Archos. It played right over the wireless without a skip or a glitch. by tapping or dragging my finger over the screen I was able to pause and fast forward effortlessly.
	For files stored locally on the Archos, you can see animated thumbnails of the video, such as this episode of Extras at the top.
	I don't typically care much about carrying photos around on a device like this, but this interface is pretty sweet. You get this photo "wall" and you just tap the picture you want to see. using your finger or the stylus, you can flip to other pictures or rotate the current picture with intuitive cross-the-screen touch gestures.
	Here's the 604 next to its little brother, the 402. The screen size on the 604 is almost the size of the 402 itself!
	Here's a back view of the kickstand, which is actually a really nifty feature.

Random observations
I love this device and can't understand why apple and MS are so slow in implementing wireless devices like this, and why they won't support divx. I'm sure the store has something to do with it, since they need music companies to sign with them and therefore the best they can do with wireless is to cripple it with DRM. Companies like Archos don't have this constraint, and can do what they want, which means the consumer wins.

Issues: Some downsides to consider - this is not a tiny device. It's smaller than a moleskine notebook, which I carry around comfortably, but if you're not accustomed to having substantial pockets, a bookbag, or a purse you're not going to love this. Battery life is VERY limited if you're streaming video over wireless, and the included cable attaches at the bottom, making it impractical to leave the archos sitting upright (I'll probably mod a stand out of wood or just buy a charging stand or the DVR unit). There is NO slot for the stylus. The device is rugged, and clearly the sensitivity of the screen is intended for fairly aggessive finger control, so you could get by without the stylus altogether.

Bottom line: If you're tired of waiting for apple to release a touchscreen ipod and you don't want the RIAA and MPAA to dictate what your device can do with it's 802.11, this is the device for you. If you want a device that can act as a tivo, but that you can grab and go with on your way to the gym, get this and the DVR station. If you need help justifying the expense, look for my "rationalizing calculator", which will be shipped around the same time as Windows Vista.

Cheers