I was supposed to post this once I got back from Amsterdam but totally forgot about it. This is just a follow up to my Archos 7 review which I posted awhile back. I used the Archos extensively on my way to and from Amsterdam on the plane. Its a 6 hour trip and I spent the whole time watching movies and shows on my Archos. The screen is 7inches which is pretty big so with the help of a headphone splitter Nat was able to comfortably watch whatever I was watching on my Archos.
One feature that drove me towards the Archos 7 was the advertised 10 hour battery life. I figured I would get around 8 which is enough for long flights except I managed to get nearly 11 hours worth on a single charge! After watching videos on my Archos for the whole trip back from Amsterdam, once I got to Kuwait I managed to watch a few more episodes of Battlestar Galactica before the low battery warning came on. Thats simply incredible.
I also want to mention that I didn’t face any kind of issues with the Archos on the trip. My flickering back light issue seemed to have fixed itself and I didn’t encounter any crashes or freezes. So I can now confidently recommend this device to anyone who is looking for the perfect travel companion.
160GB Archos 7 is for $272. [Amazon Link]
320GB Archos 7 is for $412. [Amazon Link]
By the way there is also a smaller version called the Archos 5 which sells for $280. Its the same as the Archos 7 in every way except the screen is a 5inch and the battery lasts around 5 hours. [Amazon Link]
25 replies on “Archos 7 after-trip review”
1st commentor ..
in rate of 5 what do u give it ?
🙂
and is it available in q8 ?
How do you put movies into it? By Internet subscription only? Can you transfer DVDs and Bluray into it at home?
Thanks
@wi-fi: the 7 is available in Kuwait; I saw it at safat alghanim but it’s VERY overpriced… 190 KD for the 160 GB. Off amazon you can get the 320 GB for less than 190 KD…
@Mark:
Do I need to buy anything else with it? I mean if I just bought it on its own (which is what I want) how is the charging? I read USB charging is slow (6-10 hours!?) and that I need a wall-dock to make it charge faster?
Also, here’s some differences between the 5 and 7 — so they’re not “exactly” the same:
(I got this from an amazon discussion)
1. The 7 has a removable battery and a DC-in port, while the 5 does not. This is because the 7 has a shorter battery life than the 5.
2. Capacity: the 5 maxes out at 250 GB while the 7 goes up to 320GB/
3. The 7 has two speakers, while the 5 only has one. I own a 5, and I can attest that sound from the 5’s speaker is small and tinny. The speakers on the 7 are much louder.
4. The screen resolution of the 7 is the same as that of the 5. the only differences between the two screens is size.
— I think the 2 speaker issue is a big one!
wi-fi: https://248am.com/mark/personal/archos-7-review/
Nobu: You drag and drop files onto it
Charging is either by AC adapter or USB. USB is always going to be slower thats a fact. I charge using the included AC adapter.
The differences you mentioned between the 5 and 7 are minor, if you’re planning on listening to movies through the inbuilt speakers its not practical because its not that loud, you need to listen through the headphones. Also the info you copied and pasted is NOT accurate because the Archos 7’s battery life is double that of the 5.
Mark..
can it get charged while its playing content or does it have to be turned off?
thank you..
fahad: with the AC adapter it can charge while you’re watching something no problem. With the USB cable I read you have to turn it off.
lol ..
I am getting old .
so u just drag and drop any divx/mp4/mpeg movies and they play? i mean no converting ?
yup
mark does it have speakers ? or do i have to wear ear-sets ?
and another question, does it play AVI videos? coz im thinking of getting one
has 2 built in speakers and plays avi videos
hi mark.. i just bought my archos 7 yesterday and i installed the free plug ins that came with the it”promotion” i guess… any way i use media player to sync the movie ,,, but it always says that it needs converting ,, and an error shows up,,, can u please mention which media types does it runs…
Hey Tee, it plays nearly all the formats. The plugins which install after you sign up have nothing to do with video and audio. What kind of files are u running? If the videos contain AC3 video for example u need to either convert or download the plugin that plays ac3 audio. If the movie u r playing is in HD u also need to download the proper plugin. I got 3 plugins that basically allow me to play everything for like 30 pounds from the uk website.
hi… i’m very interested in the archos 7 (current owner of 80gb 605 wifi), but i have a few questions i’m hoping you can answer….
regarding the web browser – does it recognize wifi signals easily? how is the page loading speed? have you found that it’s compatible with most flash-enabled websites? is it true that you can listen to a playlist while browsing the internet? is there a text / notepad program included?
great review (and follow-up) – it’s great to see someone commenting on real-world usage as opposed to just quoting the listed specs.
…i have a few more questions. how does it fare as an ebook reader – can you bookmark pages, easily skip to specific pages, etc..? can you play music playlists while viewing pdf files?
Hi I’m thinking of buying the Archos 7 but the feature I’m interested in is Freeview tv I know you can get it with the the Archos 5 with the additional tv snapon but I can’t find out whether the Archos 7 has the same feature.
Please help
Hi just wandered if anyone has the answer to my question about whether you can get Freeview tv on the Archos 7 with thw additional snapon? Can’t understand why the Archos 5 would have it and not the Archos 7
Please help
Battery problem
I got Archos 7 on december 2008
Today 07 may 2009 impossible to charge Archos 7. No blinking red light at all, no charge .
Frustrating
Tried to change office to verify my connection without success.
I’m using it every day during transport (2 hours) and during flight (twice a week 2 hours) and at hotel.
I do not trust : ” battery must not be recharged often”
What is failing? Battery or Battery charger?
I need to sent Archos 7 to retailer
I’ll keep you informed Thank you!
one more thing, i know it states you lose licences if you format, but you dont. I did a full format, downloaded the firmware to my pc, dragged it to the archos root dir. and rebooted the archos, it will install the fware itself, and whaddya know, the plugins are all still there.
zhani could be your charger, if you have a portable charger with a usb socket (can be used for anything to charge via usb) then try that, (i hghly recoomend this type of charger as it can be used for charging anything that charges via usb, zune, blackberry, archos etc) and use the usb cable for the archos with the dc in on one end
if you use the archos in hd mode and have the cinema plugin. Rip the dvd you want to put on it using dvdshrink and save as a single vob file. Rename the vob with the title of the movie, drag to archos, will play just fine. You can adjust the qualit/ size of the file with dvdshrink’s compression settings
btw dont get plugins from archos website, can get the whole set on ebay for around $30, official resellers. Its how I got mine