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The Archos 605 Review

Written by:  • Edited by: Lamar Stonecypher
Updated Sep 14, 2009 • Related Guides: Gps Units | GPS Devices
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The Archos 605 is a useful car mount GPS add-on. Although, this device does not belong to any of the famous GPS makers such as TomTom or Garmin, it renders high performance at a decent cost. So, it is time to take a closer look at all the minute details of this great GPS device, its pros and cons.

Overview of Archos 605 GPS

Archos-605-GPS
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The Archos 605 GPS is not a portable device, but it can serve the purpose of a fully featured GPS unit. As a matter of fact, the Archos 605 is not a standalone device, but rather an add-on for all the Archos 605 Wifi models, so as to convert them into GPS navigation units.

Moreover, the preloaded maps are considered as one of the top advantages of this GPS device. However, the updates are a bit costly for this device, nevertheless any person who is keen enough to get a $140 GPS setup (provided you’ve already got an Archos 605 WiFi device with you) will definitely prefer the Archos 605 GPS.

However, good care should be taken while fixing the cable all the time, otherwise the GPS connection vanishes within fraction of a second.

Great Compatibility and Pre-loaded Maps
Rating Good

The Archos GPS in-car holder not only comes at a reasonable price, but can also be bundled with the 30 GB player. The cost of the entire assembly comes up to about $399.99 (current prices are subject to variation, depending upon the sources). The whole bundle is quite useful in route planning as well as the speed and traffic control assistance.

The Archos 605 GPS comes with amazing accessories to get the complete directional support, along with the Tele Atlas maps. It covers totally about 22 countries (count varies as per the version), in the European version, Chinese version, as well as the North American version. However, the North American version covers only Canada as well as the U.S.

Navigation and Interface
Rating Excellent

The Archos 605 GPS is a great companion for the road and serves as a comprehensive navigation system, along with any of the Archos 605 Wifi models. The device is equipped with an intuitive interface that helps the user to get the address of any desired location, point of interest, or POI, as well as a remarkably pin-pointed location.

The built-in traffic system in the GPS device aids the driver in acquiring clear roads as it displays the road blocks from good distances. Even under tunnels, the Archos 605 GPS device is quite effective in acquiring the required info with the lane indicators, so that the trip can be guided properly and safely.

Other Goodies
Rating Good

In addition to this, the Archos 605 GPS can be used as a music as well as video player for the entertainment of passengers. The only thing that needs to be done is that the GPS device should be connected to the sound system. The device can be connected to the car stereo by means of the FM transmitter having a 3.5 stereo jack or by means of a standard cable.

Moreover, the bundled version comprising of the GPS in-car holder and the Archos 605 is also extremely handy in this regard. The DVR Station or DVR Travel Adapter in the device offers the video recording facility in MPEG-4 AVI format and audio recording in WAV format. The PDF documents can also be read by the Archos 605 GPS device.

Pros and Cons

In terms of the capacity, the Archos 605 accommodates a 30 GB hard drive, which can store about 15,000 songs, 300,000 photos or 40 movies, while the flash drive with a storage capacity of 4 GB as well as the SD card slot with expandable memory up to 16 GB, can be quite handy in adding to its overall storage capacity.

The top pros of the Archos 605 GPS include support for Adobe Flash 9, Internet browser and media player, and a larger capacity in comparison to most of the other GPS units. Furthermore, it also comes pre-loaded with the maps, too.

Looking at its downsides, GPS is only enabled whenever the device is plugged into the car adapter, the GPS connection keeps vanishing every now and then, and the suction mount is not too robust either.

The Bottom-Line
Rating Excellent

The Archos 605 GPS is surely a worthy add-on GPS device for all the owners of the Archos 605 WiFi. You simply can't get anything better than this product by spending out an extra $150 for sure!

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