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October 8, 2009 1:56 PM PDT

Archos 5 Android PMP officially for sale

by Donald Bell
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After a streak of Wi-Fi portable media players this season, including the Sony X-Series Walkman, iPod Touch, and Zune HD, the Android-based Archos 5 Internet tablet is probably the last major portable media player we'll see before the year's end. It would make for a cute read if I said they've saved the best for last, but after a few days with the Archos 5, I'm still not exactly sure where it ranks among its peers.

Fortunately, now that Amazon has officially put the Archos 5 up for sale, there's nothing stopping you from ordering an Archos 5 right now and making up your own mind about its relative worth. With any luck, we'll have our full review up next week. To tide you over until then, check out our First Look video, photo gallery, and some unboxing action from this week's MP3 Insider video podcast.

Donald Bell is CNET Reviews' senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, and one half of the MP3 Insider blog and weekly podcast. He also likes getting his hands dirty with digital audio tools for musicians and DJs.
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by forever4now October 8, 2009 2:21 PM PDT
Archos has a done a great job with the Android-based Archos 5!

If they haven't done so already, they should publish a side-by-side feature comparison, with the iPod Touch & Zune HD. I'm sure they would do quite well.
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by Paodi October 8, 2009 3:18 PM PDT
The most impressive feature that I see on here is the ability to use this as a DVR and take movies on the go. I have an iPod Touch and an iPhone, and I would love this function.
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by playadel2001 October 8, 2009 4:48 PM PDT
I've got the last generation Archos 5 and I've been very happy with it, at least after they did a few firmware upgrades.
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by Scoinva2 October 8, 2009 5:11 PM PDT
Add 3G and a camera in the front for the video phone and you've got a deal! Sharp looking device and the next step for the Android!
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by foxChazerFromMars October 8, 2009 5:27 PM PDT
I have the last gen Archos 5 as well and I love that device, I took it everywhere with me, it was almost better than having a girlfriend, almost. Until it completely died on me after only 4 or 5 months and I've had the greatest pleasure of dealing with Archos's infamous customer support and repair centre. Lets just say I currently own a 600 dollar brick-like headache machine.
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by 4dthinker October 8, 2009 7:45 PM PDT
Jjst curious, Donald.... Does it fit in any of your pockets? Is it something one would take with them on a train ride, or simply too big to be truly portable?
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by audiodonald October 15, 2009 11:14 AM PDT
Yep. Fits in my jean pockets, both front and back. At least the thinner flash-based Archos models fit. The thicker HDD version might be a little awkward.
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