Previously (Part 1 and Part 2), I had posted parts of a review of my new Archos 504 [archos.com] personal media player (PMP). This is the third and final portion of the review.
Transferring mp3s, video, or pictures to the device couldn't be easier. Just hook up the included data cable to the port on the bottom of the unit (see above), and plug the other end into a USB port on your computer.
You will then be prompted by a menu, asking you what mode you want to transfer data to it (or if you just want to charge the device). You can change the default option on this menu, but you will still have to confirm every time you connect it (which is kind of annoying, but I understand why). If you choose "PC Hard Drive mode" or "Windows Media Device mode", you will not be able to use the controls on the player itself until you disconnect the unit.
If you choose "PC Hard Drive mode" (which is what I always do), it'll show up as a drive in Windows Explorer, just like a USB stick would (see above image). There are separate directories for music, pictures, and movies, and you can create subdirectories in any of those. To transfer, you can just copy files to it, with whatever technique you usually use to copy files. When you disconnect the player from the computer, it will scan for new files and add them to the appropriate playlist. That's it! No special software needed. No drivers to install in WinXP. And it should work on anyone else's computer, and in any OS that supports Mass Storage Class devices (WinXP, OS X, Linux, etc).
Playing a video is almost identical to playing music, so I won't overload this review with specifics.
The photo browser is pretty nice. Thumbnails are displayed, and as you navigate through them, the one selected will be displayed larger than the others (see above image). You can choose to display them in a slideshow mode, or show them individually.
Once you are displaying a particular picture, you can hit the Menu button which will give you several options. You can zoom in, rotate, set the picture as your wallpaper, start a slideshow, etc. The screen is very bright, so in general, it is very easy for people to see detail in pictures.
Navigation through the photo browser (or any other menu, for that matter) is very quick, and there are seldom any slowdowns in navigation.
Overall, it is a very good unit. About the only things you could really complain about are the accessories, which are either not included or are not available. I've been happy with it so far, and are not bothered by its size.
Labels: electronics, review
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