Right off the production line, Archos sent us its new 605 WiFi. The least we can say is that in terms of specifications it surpasses by far all current models on the market.  So will its rivals be able to keep pace with the new standards established by this manufacturer?
 
The 605’s ergonomics are close to perfection with a large tactile screen (11cm) in 800x480 pixels, immediate startup, and an ultra fast transfer time (see box).  In fact, it has everything going for it.  However, we decided to be extremely demanding here and did find a few downsides:  an impression of redundancy between the screen’s tactile buttons and those on the side of the product; the impossibility to be plugged into a USB port while sitting on its base; and the absence of a place to store the stylus.  Of course, nothing too dramatic.

However, it’s not in ergonomics that we find fault with the 605 WiFi rather there is a problem on the software side.  This isn’t in terms of the interface or the icons, but in the number of options to add in order to fully take advantage of the product.  The list, available on the manufacturer’s website, includes the device’s web navigator at 29.98 Euros, the DVD cinema MPEG-2/VOB plug-in for 19.99 Euros, DVR station Gen 5 dock at 99 Euros, and the H.264 and AAC audio plug-ins (for podcasts) for 19.99 Euros.  In total, if you want to acquire all the options on the 605 WiFi, you will have to shell out another 170 Euros. Ouch!
 
So do the impressive specifications actually carry over into video quality?
 
Thanks to the screen’s resolution and memory size, it is possible to play a DVD in its original format on the 605 WiFi.  This means that the quality of images is largely superior to that of even a good quality dvix.  We transferred a vob file extracted directly from our Matrix DVD and the result was more than convincing.  This player is even able to detect the different audio tracks and therefore choose the language.  While we are being overly picky for this review, we might as well mention viewing angles that could have been a little bigger.  Contrast quickly fades as soon as we move to the side of the screen.