Archos Launches Generation 5 Media Players
Archos, purveyors of high-end portable media players (aka PMPs) has announced a suite of new and updated products the company is calling "Generation 5." The updates cover just about all of their Generation 4 products, with the 405 being the lower-end choice of their full-sized PMPs, offering just 2 gigabytes of flash-based storage, enough for about two movies. But, with an SD card expansion slot a price of just $170, it's still a solid package.
Next up is the 605, which will come in a few flavors ranging from the $230 4 gigabyte version up to a $400 160 gigabyte version. More interesting, though, is the inclusion of Wi-Fi in this version making it capable of streaming YouTube videos, Internet radio, and other content directly from the air. It's also capable of wirelessly connecting to the new ARCHOS DVR Station Gen5, which hooks up to your TV and has a built-in program guide with DVR.
The 605 and the 705 (an updated version of the 704 Wi-Fi) will connect to the Archos Content Portal, a service enabling users to purchase premium, downloadable content, such as feature films and TV shows from CinemaNow and other providers.
In addition, the new Generation 5 players are the first from Archos to play Flash-based videos. Why should you care? Flash-based videos are the type used by YouTube, which aren't playable on most portable devices -- yet -- making these Archos impressivly versatile (but we expect that from Archos, anyway).
Both the 405 and 605 will offer five hours of video life and 16 hours of audio playback, both releasing this September along with the other updated Generation 5 devices. For some impressions up-close impressions, check out Engadget's hands-on report.
From Engadget and Archos.
Gallery: ARCHOS 605 WI-Fi
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