The Archos 5 Internet Tablet is a bit of a melting pot. Powered by Android, this portable-media-player-on-steroids takes features from devices across several categories and incorporates them into one gadget; it’s a mobile Internet device, mini game console, and GPS navigator. The Archos 5 (starting at $249, $379 as configured) doesn’t excel at the latter two tasks, and its app selection pales in comparison to Apple’s App Store, but it’s worth a look for those who want a big-screen PMP that can do a lot more.
Design
The 5.6 x 3.1-inch Archos 5 fit comfortably in our hand. Bigger than a smart phone but smaller than most MIDs we’ve seen recently, the device sits in the Goldilocks zone: not too big, but not too small. At 0.4 inches thick, it feels a bit heavy for its size, yet weighs only 6.4 ounces. Holding it in landscape mode, we were able to reach all of the icons with just our thumbs. Holding it one-handed and in portrait mode also works, but it feels more natural to turn it lengthwise. You probably won’t squeeze this gadget into your jeans, but it fit nicely in a coat pocket.
Ports include a headphone jack and USB (for charging and connecting to a computer) on the left side of the device, and a microphone jack and microSD slot on the bottom edge. Here you’ll also find two accessory connector ports for the available docks and other add-ons. A much appreciated leg stand is accessible from the back of the device; pull it out to rest the Archos 5 on a stable surface at a good angle for video viewing.
Display and Audio
The beautiful 4.8-inch touchscreen display goes almost edge-to-edge, and has great horizontal and vertical viewing angles. We never encountered color distortion while watching video, though we did catch some reflection from overhead fluorescent lights while it was propped up with its kickstand. The screen isn’t too glossy, so glare isn’t as much of an issue as it was on the Microsoft Zune HD.
The Archos 5 touchscreen doesn’t show fingerprints as readily as the Zune HD, either. We did have to clean it from time to time, but smudges didn’t mar our viewing experience every time we swiped.
Thanks to its 800 x 480-pixel resolution, we were able to view many Web sites without having to scroll horizontally; apps and games have room for graphics and legible text, and touch elements were chunky enough to navigate with the pad of our finger. We were able to use the tablet as a decent eReader, too—the screen showed a good deal of text at a comfortable size, so that we didn’t have to turn the page too often.
Video looked great on the tablet’s display. While watching the 720p movie The Magic of Flight from the Windows Media HD Content Showcase, we were pleased with the smooth playback, bright, vibrant colors, and deep blacks. Standard definition video fared just as well, delivering smooth playback and good contrast in darker scenes.
Sound quality is good, but it didn’t blow us away. The Archos 5’s built-in speaker delivered loud, clear audio; when listening through earbuds, the distinct bass line in Superchick’s “One Girl Revolution” sounded a bit fuller than on the Zune HD and iPod nano.
User Interface
Those familiar with Android phones will feel right at home on the Archos 5’s main screen. On the top left and right you’ll see the Home, Back, and Settings Menu buttons. Between them are various status icons: battery, GPS, notifications, time, and Wi-Fi. Multimedia icons line the bottom of the screen: Games, Media Club, Music, Photo, and Video. Featured apps, chosen by the user, take center stage with a tab on the right side for viewing all installed apps. Most apps keep the Back, Home, and Settings icons at the top of the screen; those that don’t at least provide a way to close the program.
Navigating the interface wasn’t always intuitive, and there were a few minor annoyances. In the browser address field, for example, we weren’t able to easily move the cursor among the letters to delete a mistake; we could only backspace over the last entered letters. Some icon taps don’t produce the expected visual cue that the device registered the input, causing us to tap again and produce undesired results. Once we became more familiar with the different apps and screens, that problem went away.
Hands-on video with Apple's groundbreaking tablet.
