Is the Archos 5 the Killer Media Tablet?

Our news section is home to numerous topics, but when it comes to media players, it’s usually either an Apple or Microsoft product we’re talking about. But, those two companies are far from being the two only players in the market. Another is Archos, and they’re certainly not an unknown brand. In fact, if you talk to someone who doesn’t vehemently recommend one of the two above, you can expect “Archos” to come up.

Archos has established a name for itself for releasing quality products with nice displays and tons of functionality. While some other media players offer support for common media formats, Archos tends to support formats you might not have even heard of – which is a huge plus. Of course, they do more than just play media. The new Archos 5, which Computerworld writer Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols takes a look at, boasts many – from Internet, e-mail, GPS, games and more.

The primary benefits that the Archos carries over competing devices comes down to both the size and resolution of the display (4.8-inch, 800×400) and also the fact that it can hold a lot of media. Compared to other players which top out at 32GB or 64GB, because the Archos can use a mechanical hard drive, the current options go up to 500GB.

In addition to the ability to play pretty much any video or audio format, it has the horsepower to playback 720p content right on the device (at a down-scaled resolution, of course). And thanks to its WiFi capabilities, you can still browse the web, check your e-mail, and take advantage of online services like Hulu and Pandora (neither of which are available in Canada!). Not to mention that because it runs Android, downloadable apps are also on the way.

If you want to buy one, they’ll be available tomorrow, September 16th, from Amazon and the Archos Web site. There is one major caveat: this second-generation Archos 5 has the same name as its predecessor and, just to look at it, you could mistake it for its immediate ancestor. If you want to buy one, make darn sure you’re getting the new model. Prices range from $249.99 for the 8GB device to $439.99 for the 500GB top-end model.